Narrative:

The captain and I were operating a scheduled flight from ord to phl. We had a normal pushback and taxi for takeoff. There was no rush to complete checklists. When our turn came for takeoff, we were cleared by ord tower to 'position and hold runway 22L.' we were then given the clearance: 'turn left heading 090 degrees, runway 22L cleared for takeoff.' the captain made a normal takeoff and complied with the left turn to a 090 degree heading. After rolling out of the turn, ord tower asked us what our heading was. I told him 'heading 090 degrees.' he immediately issued us a clearance to turn right to a 180 degree heading, adding that the 090 degree heading he issued was not for us, but the aircraft that departed prior to us. It was obvious from his excited tone of voice that he was concerned about a loss of separation with another aircraft. We immediately complied with the clearance to turn right to heading 180 degrees. We did not receive any traffic or RA's from our TCASII system, and the tower controller made no mention to us that there might have been a loss of separation. After another heading change we were handed off to ord departure, and the flight continued normally. Both the captain and I have no doubt in our minds that the ord tower controller cleared us to turn left to a 090 degree heading when he cleared us for takeoff. The tower controller obviously thought otherwise. As a professional pilot, I can tell you that such occurrences happen everyday at major airports. The workload faced by controllers and pilots even during 'normal' operations can be quite heavy, thus increasing the chance for mistakes. As capacity enhancement tools are implemented (land and hold short operations, prm approachs, etc), workload and errors will rise. Also disturbing is the fact that the FAA has recently absolved controllers from the requirement to correct incorrect pilot readbacks. This policy is clearly a detriment to safety and is the primary reason I am filing this NASA report. It is germane to the situation described above. If our readback was incorrect, the tower controller should have corrected it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR READS BACK AND FLIES WRONG CLRNC AND CTLR DOES NOT CORRECT IT UNTIL IT IS APPARENT IN THE AIR.

Narrative: THE CAPT AND I WERE OPERATING A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ORD TO PHL. WE HAD A NORMAL PUSHBACK AND TAXI FOR TKOF. THERE WAS NO RUSH TO COMPLETE CHKLISTS. WHEN OUR TURN CAME FOR TKOF, WE WERE CLRED BY ORD TWR TO 'POS AND HOLD RWY 22L.' WE WERE THEN GIVEN THE CLRNC: 'TURN L HDG 090 DEGS, RWY 22L CLRED FOR TKOF.' THE CAPT MADE A NORMAL TKOF AND COMPLIED WITH THE L TURN TO A 090 DEG HDG. AFTER ROLLING OUT OF THE TURN, ORD TWR ASKED US WHAT OUR HEADING WAS. I TOLD HIM 'HDG 090 DEGS.' HE IMMEDIATELY ISSUED US A CLRNC TO TURN R TO A 180 DEG HDG, ADDING THAT THE 090 DEG HDG HE ISSUED WAS NOT FOR US, BUT THE ACFT THAT DEPARTED PRIOR TO US. IT WAS OBVIOUS FROM HIS EXCITED TONE OF VOICE THAT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A LOSS OF SEPARATION WITH ANOTHER ACFT. WE IMMEDIATELY COMPLIED WITH THE CLRNC TO TURN R TO HDG 180 DEGS. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY TFC OR RA'S FROM OUR TCASII SYS, AND THE TWR CTLR MADE NO MENTION TO US THAT THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOSS OF SEPARATION. AFTER ANOTHER HEADING CHANGE WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ORD DEP, AND THE FLT CONTINUED NORMALLY. BOTH THE CAPT AND I HAVE NO DOUBT IN OUR MINDS THAT THE ORD TWR CTLR CLRED US TO TURN L TO A 090 DEG HDG WHEN HE CLRED US FOR TKOF. THE TWR CTLR OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT OTHERWISE. AS A PROFESSIONAL PLT, I CAN TELL YOU THAT SUCH OCCURRENCES HAPPEN EVERYDAY AT MAJOR ARPTS. THE WORKLOAD FACED BY CTLRS AND PLTS EVEN DURING 'NORMAL' OPS CAN BE QUITE HVY, THUS INCREASING THE CHANCE FOR MISTAKES. AS CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT TOOLS ARE IMPLEMENTED (LAND AND HOLD SHORT OPS, PRM APCHS, ETC), WORKLOAD AND ERRORS WILL RISE. ALSO DISTURBING IS THE FACT THAT THE FAA HAS RECENTLY ABSOLVED CTLRS FROM THE REQUIREMENT TO CORRECT INCORRECT PLT READBACKS. THIS POLICY IS CLRLY A DETRIMENT TO SAFETY AND IS THE PRIMARY REASON I AM FILING THIS NASA RPT. IT IS GERMANE TO THE SIT DESCRIBED ABOVE. IF OUR READBACK WAS INCORRECT, THE TWR CTLR SHOULD HAVE CORRECTED IT.

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.