Narrative:

The WX was low IMC at the departure airport, naper aeronautical club (LL10). After taxi and runup, I called the kankakee, il, FSS clearance briefer via cell phone from the plane for an IFR clearance and void time. I was advised that another aircraft already had a clearance and void time off of LL10 and to call back in 15 mins. After that aircraft departed, I called the briefer back and received the following clearance: 'cleared to the stl airport via radar vectors bdf VOR, direct cap VOR, then as filed. Upon entering controled airspace, fly heading 270 degrees, climb and maintain 3000 ft, expect higher in 10 mins, squawk XXXX, contact ord approach on 133.50. Clearance void at AC00Z, contact approach or FSS via phone if not off by AC05Z, time now is AB50:45Z. I read the clearance back to the briefer verbatim. He advised clearance was correct and to have a nice flight. At approximately AB53Z, I departed runway 36 at LL10 and upon entering controled airspace (700 ft AGL), turned left heading 270 degrees, continued the climb to 3000 ft and contacted approach. Ord approach immediately called traffic at 12 O'clock position and less than 1 mi at our same altitude (2000 ft), sbound. Since the IMC conditions were caused by ground fog and the tops were very low (200 ft AGL), I was able to spot the traffic and execute an emergency climb to avoid the aircraft. Approach then told me that I was not yet supposed to be airborne and that our clearance was effective at AC00Z and void at AC05Z. I advised the controller that this was not the case and I, indeed, had a valid clearance that was avoid at AC00Z. Before frequency change, I requested a phone number for TRACON to talk with a supervisor upon landing to see what had happened. I then completed the flight to stl uneventfully. During the follow-up phone call, the TRACON quality assurance supervisor told me what had happened. The problem was caused by the FSS briefer, who issued the clearance to me incorrectly. The TRACON controller originally issued the clearance to be effective at AC00Z and void at AC05Z. The FSS briefer gave me the clearance without an effective time and with a void time of AC00Z. The quality assurance supervisor assured me that I had done everything as I should have and that there was nothing I could have done to prevent this from occurring. He added that the FSS briefer would most likely be decertified from the briefing position and would have to be retrained. Contributing to this situation was the briefer's lack of standard phraseology, which would have clearly spelled out effective and void times. Sadly, many clrncs issued by phone contain nonstandard phraseology. Also contributing was the FSS briefer's lack of a clearance readback to the TRACON controller when the clearance was first issued. Pilots are required to fully read back their clearance and then to receive notification that the readback was correct. According to the quality assurance supervisor, this is not required when FSS clearance briefers receive clrncs from TRACON that they then pass along to pilots. When this FSS briefer received the clearance from the TRACON controller, he replied 'I've got it' and gave his initials. Clearly, this is not good procedure with something so critical as a flight clearance. As corrective action, I would require all clrncs to be issued using standard phraseology, so a pilot would know when something is missing. This clearance, which lacked an effective time, is quite common. Also, as corrective action, I would require all FSS clearance briefers to read back all clrncs to the issuing controllers, just as pilots are required to do. This would avoid many readback errors from the issuing controller.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN IFR CESSNA PLT EXPERIENCES AN NMAC WITH A TWIN SMT WHEN HE ENTERS ORD CTLED AIRSPACE PRIOR TO HIS EFFECTIVE DEP TIME.

Narrative: THE WX WAS LOW IMC AT THE DEP ARPT, NAPER AERO CLUB (LL10). AFTER TAXI AND RUNUP, I CALLED THE KANKAKEE, IL, FSS CLRNC BRIEFER VIA CELL PHONE FROM THE PLANE FOR AN IFR CLRNC AND VOID TIME. I WAS ADVISED THAT ANOTHER ACFT ALREADY HAD A CLRNC AND VOID TIME OFF OF LL10 AND TO CALL BACK IN 15 MINS. AFTER THAT ACFT DEPARTED, I CALLED THE BRIEFER BACK AND RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING CLRNC: 'CLRED TO THE STL ARPT VIA RADAR VECTORS BDF VOR, DIRECT CAP VOR, THEN AS FILED. UPON ENTERING CTLED AIRSPACE, FLY HDG 270 DEGS, CLB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT, EXPECT HIGHER IN 10 MINS, SQUAWK XXXX, CONTACT ORD APCH ON 133.50. CLRNC VOID AT AC00Z, CONTACT APCH OR FSS VIA PHONE IF NOT OFF BY AC05Z, TIME NOW IS AB50:45Z. I READ THE CLRNC BACK TO THE BRIEFER VERBATIM. HE ADVISED CLRNC WAS CORRECT AND TO HAVE A NICE FLT. AT APPROX AB53Z, I DEPARTED RWY 36 AT LL10 AND UPON ENTERING CTLED AIRSPACE (700 FT AGL), TURNED L HDG 270 DEGS, CONTINUED THE CLB TO 3000 FT AND CONTACTED APCH. ORD APCH IMMEDIATELY CALLED TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND LESS THAN 1 MI AT OUR SAME ALT (2000 FT), SBOUND. SINCE THE IMC CONDITIONS WERE CAUSED BY GND FOG AND THE TOPS WERE VERY LOW (200 FT AGL), I WAS ABLE TO SPOT THE TFC AND EXECUTE AN EMER CLB TO AVOID THE ACFT. APCH THEN TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT YET SUPPOSED TO BE AIRBORNE AND THAT OUR CLRNC WAS EFFECTIVE AT AC00Z AND VOID AT AC05Z. I ADVISED THE CTLR THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AND I, INDEED, HAD A VALID CLRNC THAT WAS AVOID AT AC00Z. BEFORE FREQ CHANGE, I REQUESTED A PHONE NUMBER FOR TRACON TO TALK WITH A SUPVR UPON LNDG TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I THEN COMPLETED THE FLT TO STL UNEVENTFULLY. DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PHONE CALL, THE TRACON QUALITY ASSURANCE SUPVR TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY THE FSS BRIEFER, WHO ISSUED THE CLRNC TO ME INCORRECTLY. THE TRACON CTLR ORIGINALLY ISSUED THE CLRNC TO BE EFFECTIVE AT AC00Z AND VOID AT AC05Z. THE FSS BRIEFER GAVE ME THE CLRNC WITHOUT AN EFFECTIVE TIME AND WITH A VOID TIME OF AC00Z. THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SUPVR ASSURED ME THAT I HAD DONE EVERYTHING AS I SHOULD HAVE AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING. HE ADDED THAT THE FSS BRIEFER WOULD MOST LIKELY BE DECERTIFIED FROM THE BRIEFING POS AND WOULD HAVE TO BE RETRAINED. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SIT WAS THE BRIEFER'S LACK OF STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY, WHICH WOULD HAVE CLRLY SPELLED OUT EFFECTIVE AND VOID TIMES. SADLY, MANY CLRNCS ISSUED BY PHONE CONTAIN NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE FSS BRIEFER'S LACK OF A CLRNC READBACK TO THE TRACON CTLR WHEN THE CLRNC WAS FIRST ISSUED. PLTS ARE REQUIRED TO FULLY READ BACK THEIR CLRNC AND THEN TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION THAT THE READBACK WAS CORRECT. ACCORDING TO THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SUPVR, THIS IS NOT REQUIRED WHEN FSS CLRNC BRIEFERS RECEIVE CLRNCS FROM TRACON THAT THEY THEN PASS ALONG TO PLTS. WHEN THIS FSS BRIEFER RECEIVED THE CLRNC FROM THE TRACON CTLR, HE REPLIED 'I'VE GOT IT' AND GAVE HIS INITIALS. CLRLY, THIS IS NOT GOOD PROC WITH SOMETHING SO CRITICAL AS A FLT CLRNC. AS CORRECTIVE ACTION, I WOULD REQUIRE ALL CLRNCS TO BE ISSUED USING STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY, SO A PLT WOULD KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS MISSING. THIS CLRNC, WHICH LACKED AN EFFECTIVE TIME, IS QUITE COMMON. ALSO, AS CORRECTIVE ACTION, I WOULD REQUIRE ALL FSS CLRNC BRIEFERS TO READ BACK ALL CLRNCS TO THE ISSUING CTLRS, JUST AS PLTS ARE REQUIRED TO DO. THIS WOULD AVOID MANY READBACK ERRORS FROM THE ISSUING CTLR.

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.