ATC gave the wrong departure heading for a pilot of an small aircraft sel departing an airport near ...

Attributes
ACN	372972
Time
Date	199707
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bec
State Reference	KS
Altitude	agl bound lower : 500 agl bound upper : 1500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	military facility : iab tracon : ict
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	other
Make Model Name	B707 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	other other : other pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 40 flight time total : 2300 flight time type : 100
ASRS Report	372972
Person 2
Affiliation	government : military
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : military
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 1500 vertical : 300
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

I was going to depart bec on IFR flight in VFR conditions to den. The winds were such that runway 18 was in use at bec. Bec is just northeast of an air force base that was also using runway 18 with multiple KC135 aircraft in the traffic pattern. The AFB traffic pattern overlies the traffic pattern at bec. Bec has a control tower but it was inoperative at the time. I picked up my IFR clearance via an rco on the ground prior to takeoff. My clearance included entering controled airspace heading 220 degrees and I read that back and set my heading bug to 220 degrees during readback. On takeoff I initiated a climb out and noticed 1 KC135 off my right and kind of close so I turned left a bit to give him some room to descend before me as he was on final approach to one of the runway 25's at the air force base. I figured I could let him get below me and then I could still turn to 220 degrees before entering controled airspace. After the tanker mentioned above got below my flight path a bit I then turned back right towards heading 220 degrees. As I was turning I see another KC135 off to my right at about my altitude and he was much closer to me than the first. Like the first tanker, he was also on final approach to the air force base. Deeming this an unsafe situation I turned back to the left to give the tanker some more room and called ATC and queried them regarding the wisdom of the 220 degree heading (which was obviously going to send me right across the approach path of the runways at the air force base). The controller said something to the effect of he forgot I was departing bec and had given me an incorrect heading in my clearance and I was to now turn left to heading 090 degrees and away from the AFB and further conflict. If I hadn't been running behind schedule and been late taking off, I might have been in less of a hurry and thought about the heading given in the original clearance and known it not to be a good idea.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATC GAVE THE WRONG DEP HEADING FOR A PLT OF AN SMA SEL DEPARTING AN ARPT NEAR A MIL BASE CAUSING 2 AIRBORNE CONFLICTS WITH 2 MIL KC135 TANKERS ON APCH.

Narrative: I WAS GOING TO DEPART BEC ON IFR FLT IN VFR CONDITIONS TO DEN. THE WINDS WERE SUCH THAT RWY 18 WAS IN USE AT BEC. BEC IS JUST NE OF AN AIR FORCE BASE THAT WAS ALSO USING RWY 18 WITH MULTIPLE KC135 ACFT IN THE TFC PATTERN. THE AFB TFC PATTERN OVERLIES THE TFC PATTERN AT BEC. BEC HAS A CTL TWR BUT IT WAS INOP AT THE TIME. I PICKED UP MY IFR CLRNC VIA AN RCO ON THE GND PRIOR TO TKOF. MY CLRNC INCLUDED ENTERING CTLED AIRSPACE HDG 220 DEGS AND I READ THAT BACK AND SET MY HEADING BUG TO 220 DEGS DURING READBACK. ON TKOF I INITIATED A CLBOUT AND NOTICED 1 KC135 OFF MY R AND KIND OF CLOSE SO I TURNED L A BIT TO GIVE HIM SOME ROOM TO DSND BEFORE ME AS HE WAS ON FINAL APCH TO ONE OF THE RWY 25'S AT THE AIR FORCE BASE. I FIGURED I COULD LET HIM GET BELOW ME AND THEN I COULD STILL TURN TO 220 DEGS BEFORE ENTERING CTLED AIRSPACE. AFTER THE TANKER MENTIONED ABOVE GOT BELOW MY FLT PATH A BIT I THEN TURNED BACK R TOWARDS HDG 220 DEGS. AS I WAS TURNING I SEE ANOTHER KC135 OFF TO MY R AT ABOUT MY ALT AND HE WAS MUCH CLOSER TO ME THAN THE FIRST. LIKE THE FIRST TANKER, HE WAS ALSO ON FINAL APCH TO THE AIR FORCE BASE. DEEMING THIS AN UNSAFE SIT I TURNED BACK TO THE L TO GIVE THE TANKER SOME MORE ROOM AND CALLED ATC AND QUERIED THEM REGARDING THE WISDOM OF THE 220 DEG HDG (WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO SEND ME RIGHT ACROSS THE APCH PATH OF THE RWYS AT THE AIR FORCE BASE). THE CTLR SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF HE FORGOT I WAS DEPARTING BEC AND HAD GIVEN ME AN INCORRECT HEADING IN MY CLRNC AND I WAS TO NOW TURN L TO HDG 090 DEGS AND AWAY FROM THE AFB AND FURTHER CONFLICT. IF I HADN'T BEEN RUNNING BEHIND SCHEDULE AND BEEN LATE TAKING OFF, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN LESS OF A HURRY AND THOUGHT ABOUT THE HEADING GIVEN IN THE ORIGINAL CLRNC AND KNOWN IT NOT TO BE A GOOD IDEA.

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.

ATC gave the wrong departure heading for a pilot of an small aircraft sel departing an airport near a military base causing 2 airborne conflicts with 2 military KC135 tankers on approach.