Narrative:

Received IFR clearance through/via ground control frequency (even though departure airport, hpn, has a designated clearance delivery frequency, and the ground controller was working both ground and clearance delivery this day. Received IFR clearance at XA40 via ground control frequency. Ground issued clearance and rogered my readback, then he continued with normal ground controller conversations, duties, and directions as appropriate. We taxied out at XB00 but was issued and accepted a 30 min ground hold short of the runway in the run-up area, due to WX and traffic saturation at our departure airway gate white intersection. Other aircraft took and accepted ground holds and rertes, through the ground control frequency as appropriate. The ground frequency was very busy with requests for information and departure status inquiries by various holding aircraft. Later, we were released for takeoff on the normal SID at XB40. After complying with departure instructions and several frequency changes to various controllers, as normal, ZNY asked if we were showing 'on course.' I replied affirmative and he stated that he showed us 5 mi east of airway and to take up a heading of 270 degrees to establish ourselves back on J209. The controller had expected us to join J209 then and there but apparently we had missed a rerte clearance and had programmed the FMS to fly the short dog-legged portion of the airway to comply with the original clearance as opposed to the direct route that ATC had expected us to fy. We proceeded on course, apologized for our error and asked if there had been a conflict to which the controller answered 'negative.' our TCASII equipment showed that there were no traffic in our area and operated normally with no traffic alerts or resolutions signals. Our flight progressed normally thereafter. Both crew members use headsets with hot mikes on all portions of the flight. At all times, read back completely all clearance instructions from ATC. Use proper and full call signs and standard glossary terminology when there are call sign similarities on frequency. (ATC will often alert crew to similar call signs on the same frequency.) use of TCASII/GPWS and WX radar in all stages of flight (no conflict occurred this instance). It is clear that we failed to acknowledge a route segment change or did not receive the change from ground/tower prior to departure from hpn (our home base) possibly due to tower controller workload (due to ground stops/metering outbound flts, coordination of tower with TRACON, etc) or missed the change once airborne from departure or center controllers due to frequency congestion, misread call sign, or stepped on assignments. The timely catch by the radar controller averted any possible conflict or prevented safety issues. The controller was professional and non-accusing. Supplemental information from acn 542932: filed and received clearance from hpn clearance delivery, hpn, while J209-cyn-sie-J121-orf began taxi and received 40 min ground stop due to WX. After passing cyn at XF58Z, ATC said we were off the airway. In ensuing discussion they informed us that our routing was; white J209 orf. The entire east coast was blocked with WX, ATC was congested and confused. I suspect that ATC issued us a revised clearance/routing when we had the ground stop and it never got forwarded to us.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GLF-4 CREW HAD A TRACK DEV WHEN THEY WERE NOT INFORMED THE PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED CLRNC WAS CHANGED IN ZNY CLASS A AIRSPACE.

Narrative: RECEIVED IFR CLRNC THROUGH/VIA GND CTL FREQ (EVEN THOUGH DEP ARPT, HPN, HAS A DESIGNATED CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ, AND THE GND CTLR WAS WORKING BOTH GND AND CLRNC DELIVERY THIS DAY. RECEIVED IFR CLRNC AT XA40 VIA GND CTL FREQ. GND ISSUED CLRNC AND ROGERED MY READBACK, THEN HE CONTINUED WITH NORMAL GND CTLR CONVERSATIONS, DUTIES, AND DIRECTIONS AS APPROPRIATE. WE TAXIED OUT AT XB00 BUT WAS ISSUED AND ACCEPTED A 30 MIN GND HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY IN THE RUN-UP AREA, DUE TO WX AND TFC SATURATION AT OUR DEP AIRWAY GATE WHITE INTXN. OTHER ACFT TOOK AND ACCEPTED GND HOLDS AND RERTES, THROUGH THE GND CTL FREQ AS APPROPRIATE. THE GND FREQ WAS VERY BUSY WITH REQUESTS FOR INFO AND DEP STATUS INQUIRIES BY VARIOUS HOLDING ACFT. LATER, WE WERE RELEASED FOR TKOF ON THE NORMAL SID AT XB40. AFTER COMPLYING WITH DEP INSTRUCTIONS AND SEVERAL FREQ CHANGES TO VARIOUS CTLRS, AS NORMAL, ZNY ASKED IF WE WERE SHOWING 'ON COURSE.' I REPLIED AFFIRMATIVE AND HE STATED THAT HE SHOWED US 5 MI E OF AIRWAY AND TO TAKE UP A HDG OF 270 DEGS TO ESTABLISH OURSELVES BACK ON J209. THE CTLR HAD EXPECTED US TO JOIN J209 THEN AND THERE BUT APPARENTLY WE HAD MISSED A RERTE CLRNC AND HAD PROGRAMMED THE FMS TO FLY THE SHORT DOG-LEGGED PORTION OF THE AIRWAY TO COMPLY WITH THE ORIGINAL CLRNC AS OPPOSED TO THE DIRECT RTE THAT ATC HAD EXPECTED US TO FY. WE PROCEEDED ON COURSE, APOLOGIZED FOR OUR ERROR AND ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN A CONFLICT TO WHICH THE CTLR ANSWERED 'NEGATIVE.' OUR TCASII EQUIP SHOWED THAT THERE WERE NO TFC IN OUR AREA AND OPERATED NORMALLY WITH NO TFC ALERTS OR RESOLUTIONS SIGNALS. OUR FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY THEREAFTER. BOTH CREW MEMBERS USE HEADSETS WITH HOT MIKES ON ALL PORTIONS OF THE FLT. AT ALL TIMES, READ BACK COMPLETELY ALL CLRNC INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC. USE PROPER AND FULL CALL SIGNS AND STANDARD GLOSSARY TERMINOLOGY WHEN THERE ARE CALL SIGN SIMILARITIES ON FREQ. (ATC WILL OFTEN ALERT CREW TO SIMILAR CALL SIGNS ON THE SAME FREQ.) USE OF TCASII/GPWS AND WX RADAR IN ALL STAGES OF FLT (NO CONFLICT OCCURRED THIS INSTANCE). IT IS CLR THAT WE FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE A RTE SEGMENT CHANGE OR DID NOT RECEIVE THE CHANGE FROM GND/TWR PRIOR TO DEP FROM HPN (OUR HOME BASE) POSSIBLY DUE TO TWR CTLR WORKLOAD (DUE TO GND STOPS/METERING OUTBOUND FLTS, COORD OF TWR WITH TRACON, ETC) OR MISSED THE CHANGE ONCE AIRBORNE FROM DEP OR CTR CTLRS DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION, MISREAD CALL SIGN, OR STEPPED ON ASSIGNMENTS. THE TIMELY CATCH BY THE RADAR CTLR AVERTED ANY POSSIBLE CONFLICT OR PREVENTED SAFETY ISSUES. THE CTLR WAS PROFESSIONAL AND NON-ACCUSING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 542932: FILED AND RECEIVED CLRNC FROM HPN CLRNC DELIVERY, HPN, WHILE J209-CYN-SIE-J121-ORF BEGAN TAXI AND RECEIVED 40 MIN GND STOP DUE TO WX. AFTER PASSING CYN AT XF58Z, ATC SAID WE WERE OFF THE AIRWAY. IN ENSUING DISCUSSION THEY INFORMED US THAT OUR ROUTING WAS; WHITE J209 ORF. THE ENTIRE EAST COAST WAS BLOCKED WITH WX, ATC WAS CONGESTED AND CONFUSED. I SUSPECT THAT ATC ISSUED US A REVISED CLRNC/ROUTING WHEN WE HAD THE GND STOP AND IT NEVER GOT FORWARDED TO US.

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.