Narrative:

Depart ewr as cleared for arthur kill 2 departure, parke intersection. Procedure hard to understand. Missed turn for 100 degree radial off of sbj VOR for parke intersection. The SID is too wordy and confusing. We normally depart ewr international using the ewr 6 departure. Its procedure is similar but does not require to intercept any radial for parke intersection. 1 week later after this incident occurred, a new chart was published with clrer instructions. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the aircraft was a DC9. He indicated it seemed like the controller issued the arthur kill departure and they had not flown it before. Reporter feels that the FAA became aware of the problems with the SID and that is why a revision was made and published. Of course now that he knows the problem and the crew has discussed the narrative portion, it seems quite clear, but the initial area which mentions radar vectors at first appears to be the correct procedure. This is not an unusual problem, reference acn 398403 and acn 398298.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF DC9 MISINTERPS THE ARTHUR KILL DEP FROM EWR AND DOES NOT TURN TO INTERCEPT THE RADIAL TO THE VOR SINCE 'VECTOR' IS RATHER PROMINENT IN THE INITIAL WORDING.

Narrative: DEPART EWR AS CLRED FOR ARTHUR KILL 2 DEP, PARKE INTXN. PROC HARD TO UNDERSTAND. MISSED TURN FOR 100 DEG RADIAL OFF OF SBJ VOR FOR PARKE INTXN. THE SID IS TOO WORDY AND CONFUSING. WE NORMALLY DEPART EWR INTL USING THE EWR 6 DEP. ITS PROC IS SIMILAR BUT DOES NOT REQUIRE TO INTERCEPT ANY RADIAL FOR PARKE INTXN. 1 WK LATER AFTER THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED, A NEW CHART WAS PUBLISHED WITH CLRER INSTRUCTIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE ACFT WAS A DC9. HE INDICATED IT SEEMED LIKE THE CTLR ISSUED THE ARTHUR KILL DEP AND THEY HAD NOT FLOWN IT BEFORE. RPTR FEELS THAT THE FAA BECAME AWARE OF THE PROBS WITH THE SID AND THAT IS WHY A REVISION WAS MADE AND PUBLISHED. OF COURSE NOW THAT HE KNOWS THE PROB AND THE CREW HAS DISCUSSED THE NARRATIVE PORTION, IT SEEMS QUITE CLR, BUT THE INITIAL AREA WHICH MENTIONS RADAR VECTORS AT FIRST APPEARS TO BE THE CORRECT PROC. THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL PROB, REF ACN 398403 AND ACN 398298.

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.