Narrative:

Prior to departing mmh airport, I filed an IFR flight plan for pickup over eca VOR. While on flight following, 5 mins before eca, I asked for clearance to oak. My filed flight plan called for eca direct sunol ILS runway 27R oak. When the clearance came back it was 'eca, V244 atam, V344 oakley, V108 croit, V195 raggs, V494 popes, V87 sgi direct sau, oak.' this was copied by me and a passenger in the right seat who is an IFR rated private pilot and then the trouble began. We had difficulty finding the waypoints on the commercial chart for sfo. Why we were being sent over 100 mi of detour was not immediately obvious and in the process of trying to highlight the route on the chart, I failed to hold heading and altitude. Moderate turbulence added to the pilot workload. I was just at the freezing level 6000 ft and did get some light rime icing. Pitot heat and propeller heaters were on. To add to the workload, we were handed from center to stockton approach, then travis, then back to center, then bay approach. My well intentioned passenger tried to help, but being unfamiliar with our navigation/communication equipment just increased my workload. What would have prevented this poor navigation and cockpit management? First error was not realizing that a south wind at oak would reverse the normal approach from sunol. IFR clearance pickup should have been at sac as that would normally allow either V6 or V150 direct to bay approach via travis. I had not allowed for the traffic problem that staying below the icing level would create for the ATC sectors. Second error was allowing distracting help from the right seat. Had I declined help and done a better job of preflight planning I would not have been given the helpful vectors from ATC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CESSNA 320 PLT ACCEPTED AN IFR RERTE WHICH HE WAS UNPREPARED TO FLY.

Narrative: PRIOR TO DEPARTING MMH ARPT, I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR PICKUP OVER ECA VOR. WHILE ON FLT FOLLOWING, 5 MINS BEFORE ECA, I ASKED FOR CLRNC TO OAK. MY FILED FLT PLAN CALLED FOR ECA DIRECT SUNOL ILS RWY 27R OAK. WHEN THE CLRNC CAME BACK IT WAS 'ECA, V244 ATAM, V344 OAKLEY, V108 CROIT, V195 RAGGS, V494 POPES, V87 SGI DIRECT SAU, OAK.' THIS WAS COPIED BY ME AND A PAX IN THE R SEAT WHO IS AN IFR RATED PVT PLT AND THEN THE TROUBLE BEGAN. WE HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING THE WAYPOINTS ON THE COMMERCIAL CHART FOR SFO. WHY WE WERE BEING SENT OVER 100 MI OF DETOUR WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS AND IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THE RTE ON THE CHART, I FAILED TO HOLD HDG AND ALT. MODERATE TURB ADDED TO THE PLT WORKLOAD. I WAS JUST AT THE FREEZING LEVEL 6000 FT AND DID GET SOME LIGHT RIME ICING. PITOT HEAT AND PROP HEATERS WERE ON. TO ADD TO THE WORKLOAD, WE WERE HANDED FROM CTR TO STOCKTON APCH, THEN TRAVIS, THEN BACK TO CTR, THEN BAY APCH. MY WELL INTENTIONED PAX TRIED TO HELP, BUT BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH OUR NAV/COM EQUIP JUST INCREASED MY WORKLOAD. WHAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS POOR NAV AND COCKPIT MGMNT? FIRST ERROR WAS NOT REALIZING THAT A S WIND AT OAK WOULD REVERSE THE NORMAL APCH FROM SUNOL. IFR CLRNC PICKUP SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT SAC AS THAT WOULD NORMALLY ALLOW EITHER V6 OR V150 DIRECT TO BAY APCH VIA TRAVIS. I HAD NOT ALLOWED FOR THE TFC PROB THAT STAYING BELOW THE ICING LEVEL WOULD CREATE FOR THE ATC SECTORS. SECOND ERROR WAS ALLOWING DISTRACTING HELP FROM THE R SEAT. HAD I DECLINED HELP AND DONE A BETTER JOB OF PREFLT PLANNING I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE HELPFUL VECTORS FROM ATC.

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.