Narrative:

Departure from dca. Clearance was 'runway 1, after takeoff, left turn as soon as practicable to intercept the dca 328 degree radial, noise abatement procedure, maintain 5000 ft.' we use government charts and searched the dca procedures for any reference to noise abatement and found none. There is no SID at dca but in the 'takeoff minimums' section of the government book we found a departure procedure for runway 1 that states 'turn left as soon as practicable, intercept dca 328 degree radial. Climb to 5000 ft or as assigned.' after takeoff, I turned left to intercept the 328 degree radial, climbing to initial altitude of 5000 ft. Shortly after the turn to intercept, the PNF informed me that I had overshot the radial, so I began a turn to the right to reintercept. At that point the controller called and asked us what we were doing. The PNF stated that we were intercepting the 328 degree radial. The controller then stated that we were 'supposed to follow the river' on the assigned departure. He made no further comments about our 'mistake' but informed us that he would have to turn us north to avoid other traffic that was west of our course. We followed his vector instructions and proceeded on the departure under positive radar control. After reaching cruise flight, we researched all of the government documents that we had on the aircraft and found no reference to the procedure that we were given at dca. After the flight we contacted another department that uses commercial charts and were informed that their charts have a detailed textual account of the procedure that the controller had given us, with instructions to follow the river during the initial phase of the departure. This lack of pertinent information can create serious hazards as well as confusion for the crew during a critical phase of flight. I don't understand why the government charts would not contain information of this sort for an airport as busy as dca. Any departure procedure such as this should be located in the IAP book just after the airport diagram page, just as the sids usually are, so that the pilots can readily locate them when they are assigned. Notwithstanding the lack of information available to us in the cockpit, we should have clarified the departure procedure with clearance delivery and informed them that we did not have the procedure in question in our pubs. Dca is a very busy place and we all hesitate to add to the frequency congestion with queries like this, but in the future I will definitely ask for clarification of a clearance that I don't understand or have in my pubs.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C560 CREW HAD TRACK DEV DEPARTING DCA.

Narrative: DEP FROM DCA. CLRNC WAS 'RWY 1, AFTER TKOF, L TURN AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE TO INTERCEPT THE DCA 328 DEG RADIAL, NOISE ABATEMENT PROC, MAINTAIN 5000 FT.' WE USE GOV CHARTS AND SEARCHED THE DCA PROCS FOR ANY REF TO NOISE ABATEMENT AND FOUND NONE. THERE IS NO SID AT DCA BUT IN THE 'TKOF MINIMUMS' SECTION OF THE GOV BOOK WE FOUND A DEP PROC FOR RWY 1 THAT STATES 'TURN L AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE, INTERCEPT DCA 328 DEG RADIAL. CLB TO 5000 FT OR AS ASSIGNED.' AFTER TKOF, I TURNED L TO INTERCEPT THE 328 DEG RADIAL, CLBING TO INITIAL ALT OF 5000 FT. SHORTLY AFTER THE TURN TO INTERCEPT, THE PNF INFORMED ME THAT I HAD OVERSHOT THE RADIAL, SO I BEGAN A TURN TO THE R TO REINTERCEPT. AT THAT POINT THE CTLR CALLED AND ASKED US WHAT WE WERE DOING. THE PNF STATED THAT WE WERE INTERCEPTING THE 328 DEG RADIAL. THE CTLR THEN STATED THAT WE WERE 'SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE RIVER' ON THE ASSIGNED DEP. HE MADE NO FURTHER COMMENTS ABOUT OUR 'MISTAKE' BUT INFORMED US THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO TURN US N TO AVOID OTHER TFC THAT WAS W OF OUR COURSE. WE FOLLOWED HIS VECTOR INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEEDED ON THE DEP UNDER POSITIVE RADAR CTL. AFTER REACHING CRUISE FLT, WE RESEARCHED ALL OF THE GOV DOCUMENTS THAT WE HAD ON THE ACFT AND FOUND NO REF TO THE PROC THAT WE WERE GIVEN AT DCA. AFTER THE FLT WE CONTACTED ANOTHER DEPT THAT USES COMMERCIAL CHARTS AND WERE INFORMED THAT THEIR CHARTS HAVE A DETAILED TEXTUAL ACCOUNT OF THE PROC THAT THE CTLR HAD GIVEN US, WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW THE RIVER DURING THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE DEP. THIS LACK OF PERTINENT INFO CAN CREATE SERIOUS HAZARDS AS WELL AS CONFUSION FOR THE CREW DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE GOV CHARTS WOULD NOT CONTAIN INFO OF THIS SORT FOR AN ARPT AS BUSY AS DCA. ANY DEP PROC SUCH AS THIS SHOULD BE LOCATED IN THE IAP BOOK JUST AFTER THE ARPT DIAGRAM PAGE, JUST AS THE SIDS USUALLY ARE, SO THAT THE PLTS CAN READILY LOCATE THEM WHEN THEY ARE ASSIGNED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE LACK OF INFO AVAILABLE TO US IN THE COCKPIT, WE SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED THE DEP PROC WITH CLRNC DELIVERY AND INFORMED THEM THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE PROC IN QUESTION IN OUR PUBS. DCA IS A VERY BUSY PLACE AND WE ALL HESITATE TO ADD TO THE FREQ CONGESTION WITH QUERIES LIKE THIS, BUT IN THE FUTURE I WILL DEFINITELY ASK FOR CLARIFICATION OF A CLRNC THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND OR HAVE IN MY PUBS.

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.