Narrative:

Prior to taxi, clearance issued was 'cleared to dfw, mead 1 departure, peach springs transition, maintain 7000 ft, expect 17000 ft in 2 mins, departure 133.95, squawk XXXX.' prior to departure the tower says 'after departure, for traffic, fly heading 060 degrees.' we were then cleared for takeoff on runway 1R at las. After departure we flew heading 060 degrees. After contacting departure control, departure controller says 'disregard the restr, climb and maintain 17000 ft.' the captain acknowledged and then as we passed through 4000 ft, the captain turned my heading bug to about 105 degrees or so and tells me to go direct to bld VOR. As I made that turn I remember thinking that I had not heard departure say resume the mead 1 departure, but I did hear 'disregard the restr' which seemed to be a reference back to the mead 1 departure. As I rolled out on a direct heading to bld VOR, I was about to ask for a clarification from my captain when departure control asked what our heading was. We said it was 110 degrees and departure control says, 'turn immediately to 060 degrees, you have traffic at 10 O'clock, same altitude.' I made the turn back to 060 degrees while we had our traffic in sight about 1 mi away and descending through our altitude. I believe the problem arose because of several reasons. The mead 1 departure should never be used when traffic is landing on runway 25 (as our conflicting traffic was). It will create a traffic conflict with runway 25 arrs. When we asked the ATC supervisor during a phone conversation after completion of the flight why they use the mead 1 in this situation he stated, 'we have no other way to get you onto the transition,' so they issue a procedure that they know won't work and rely on a later modification to prevent traffic conflicts. A loss of communication in this situation may have resulted in a midair collision. This procedure needs changing. A simple 'fly 060 degrees, radar vectors to bld VOR would work. Another contributing factor was departure control's use of nonstandard language. He stated 'disregard the restr, climb and maintain 17000 ft.' what restr does this refer to? The first thought I had after hearing this was the altitude restrs associated with the mead 1 departure. This thought led me to believe that I had not heard or had missed the controller reclring us back onto the mead 1 departure. This thought seemingly was confirmed when the captain instructed me to go direct to bld VOR, and thus resume the mead 1. 'Disregard the restrs' is not terminology normally associated with a new altitude assignment unless you were previously given a crossing restr. It is perhaps significant that the facility supervisor admitted that another airline crew, less than an hour after us, committed the same error. He also stated that this same event has occurred several times in the past. This highlights the fact that the use of the mead 1 departure for traffic departing runway 1R while traffic is landing on runway 25L or runway 25R is not a safe procedure. Callback conversation with the facility revealed the following information: call to the facility revealed the reason for the 060 degree heading is the strong northwest winds. Using the 070 degree heading on the mead 1 SID, the aircraft are blown toward the localizer for runway 25 approachs. The facility is aware of the problem and hopes to have it remedied in 60 days by changing the initial heading from 070 degrees to 060 degrees.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB WAS ISSUED THE MEAD 1 PGS SID. PRIOR TO TKOF, THE LCL CTLR ASSIGNED 060 DEG HDG VECTOR FOR TFC. DEP CTLR TOLD FLC TO DISREGARD THE RESTR, CLB AND MAINTAIN 17000 FT. FLC STARTED TURN TO BLD. DEP CTLR QUESTIONS HDG AND REISSUES THE 060 DEG HDG POINTING OUT ARR TFC INBOUND. FLC QUESTIONS USE OF THE SID WHEN VECTORS ARE USED AND THE USE OF NONSTANDARD LANGUAGE BY THE DEP CTLR PERTAINING TO THE RESTR. LTSS.

Narrative: PRIOR TO TAXI, CLRNC ISSUED WAS 'CLRED TO DFW, MEAD 1 DEP, PEACH SPRINGS TRANSITION, MAINTAIN 7000 FT, EXPECT 17000 FT IN 2 MINS, DEP 133.95, SQUAWK XXXX.' PRIOR TO DEP THE TWR SAYS 'AFTER DEP, FOR TFC, FLY HDG 060 DEGS.' WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 1R AT LAS. AFTER DEP WE FLEW HDG 060 DEGS. AFTER CONTACTING DEP CTL, DEP CTLR SAYS 'DISREGARD THE RESTR, CLB AND MAINTAIN 17000 FT.' THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN AS WE PASSED THROUGH 4000 FT, THE CAPT TURNED MY HDG BUG TO ABOUT 105 DEGS OR SO AND TELLS ME TO GO DIRECT TO BLD VOR. AS I MADE THAT TURN I REMEMBER THINKING THAT I HAD NOT HEARD DEP SAY RESUME THE MEAD 1 DEP, BUT I DID HEAR 'DISREGARD THE RESTR' WHICH SEEMED TO BE A REF BACK TO THE MEAD 1 DEP. AS I ROLLED OUT ON A DIRECT HDG TO BLD VOR, I WAS ABOUT TO ASK FOR A CLARIFICATION FROM MY CAPT WHEN DEP CTL ASKED WHAT OUR HDG WAS. WE SAID IT WAS 110 DEGS AND DEP CTL SAYS, 'TURN IMMEDIATELY TO 060 DEGS, YOU HAVE TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK, SAME ALT.' I MADE THE TURN BACK TO 060 DEGS WHILE WE HAD OUR TFC IN SIGHT ABOUT 1 MI AWAY AND DSNDING THROUGH OUR ALT. I BELIEVE THE PROB AROSE BECAUSE OF SEVERAL REASONS. THE MEAD 1 DEP SHOULD NEVER BE USED WHEN TFC IS LNDG ON RWY 25 (AS OUR CONFLICTING TFC WAS). IT WILL CREATE A TFC CONFLICT WITH RWY 25 ARRS. WHEN WE ASKED THE ATC SUPVR DURING A PHONE CONVERSATION AFTER COMPLETION OF THE FLT WHY THEY USE THE MEAD 1 IN THIS SIT HE STATED, 'WE HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO GET YOU ONTO THE TRANSITION,' SO THEY ISSUE A PROC THAT THEY KNOW WON'T WORK AND RELY ON A LATER MODIFICATION TO PREVENT TFC CONFLICTS. A LOSS OF COM IN THIS SIT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A MIDAIR COLLISION. THIS PROC NEEDS CHANGING. A SIMPLE 'FLY 060 DEGS, RADAR VECTORS TO BLD VOR WOULD WORK. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS DEP CTL'S USE OF NONSTANDARD LANGUAGE. HE STATED 'DISREGARD THE RESTR, CLB AND MAINTAIN 17000 FT.' WHAT RESTR DOES THIS REFER TO? THE FIRST THOUGHT I HAD AFTER HEARING THIS WAS THE ALT RESTRS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MEAD 1 DEP. THIS THOUGHT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT I HAD NOT HEARD OR HAD MISSED THE CTLR RECLRING US BACK ONTO THE MEAD 1 DEP. THIS THOUGHT SEEMINGLY WAS CONFIRMED WHEN THE CAPT INSTRUCTED ME TO GO DIRECT TO BLD VOR, AND THUS RESUME THE MEAD 1. 'DISREGARD THE RESTRS' IS NOT TERMINOLOGY NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH A NEW ALT ASSIGNMENT UNLESS YOU WERE PREVIOUSLY GIVEN A XING RESTR. IT IS PERHAPS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE FACILITY SUPVR ADMITTED THAT ANOTHER AIRLINE CREW, LESS THAN AN HR AFTER US, COMMITTED THE SAME ERROR. HE ALSO STATED THAT THIS SAME EVENT HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE FACT THAT THE USE OF THE MEAD 1 DEP FOR TFC DEPARTING RWY 1R WHILE TFC IS LNDG ON RWY 25L OR RWY 25R IS NOT A SAFE PROC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE FACILITY REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALL TO THE FACILITY REVEALED THE REASON FOR THE 060 DEG HDG IS THE STRONG NW WINDS. USING THE 070 DEG HDG ON THE MEAD 1 SID, THE ACFT ARE BLOWN TOWARD THE LOC FOR RWY 25 APCHS. THE FACILITY IS AWARE OF THE PROB AND HOPES TO HAVE IT REMEDIED IN 60 DAYS BY CHANGING THE INITIAL HDG FROM 070 DEGS TO 060 DEGS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.