Narrative:

I filed my flight plan from oakland to sedona as a complete route including the departure procedure suggested by my flight planning software. I preprogrammed this route into my IFR GPS. Upon engine startup and contacting clearance, they gave me a new full route clearance with a new departure procedure (nimitz 2 radar vectors V244 V585 panoache avanol ehf). Upon receiving this, I went to my commercial binder for the appropriate low altitude charts. Much to my surprise, I found that when I recently filed revised hi maps, I had placed them in the low pockets and hence had no low charts aboard. I located the san francisco area chart and that defined most of V244. I had to make a reasonable guess about the B585 part and reprogrammed my GPS. At this point, I'd been sitting on the ramp for over 10 mins with noisy engines running and a line guy waiting to marshal me out of the parking area. He kept looking at me like 'are you ever going to be ready?' I tried not to be pressured, but the combination of the chart mess-up, the rerte from ATC and not having the exact definition for V585 was stressful. I decided to depart and figure out the V585 part while airborne since it was over 150 NM away. At this point, I made a critical mistake -- I forgot to program the GPS with the nimitz 2 departure procedure. I believe this was caused when I reviewed my copy of the clearance and saw the words 'radar vectors V244' and so I just programmed in the first waypoint to V244. After takeoff and being handed over to departure, they told me to intercept the 331 (as I recall) degree radial and inform them when established. Since this radial was nearly 180 degrees left of my first waypoint (the one that I was presumably being vectored toward), I turned right and tracked it outbound. (A later review of the departure procedure of course calls for the left turn to intercept the 331 degree radial.) after a min or so, departure control called and chewed me out for turning the wrong way and read me the text of the departure procedure. I immediately turned left and started to establish but in less than 1 minute was given radar vectors and a right turn back to the first waypoint on V244. I believe the major causes of this error were: 1) last min change of route including a new departure procedure (as an aside, how is a pilot to know what should be filed so the workload can be balanced before engine start? And 2) rushing the departure when I should have asked clearance delivery for the waypoints that make up V585 and 'fessed up' that I didn't have the required low chart. My only excuse for not 'fessing up' is that I was worried about irritating the controller and perhaps being violated for admitting over the radio (therefore on tape) that I was missing required charts. This kind of error can best be prevented by the pilot always focusing on the departure procedure as the most important initial navigation chore and realizing that many departure procedures will turn you away from the initial on-route fix and may require other circuitous or not obvious rtes when departing complex airspace such as san francisco.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AC90 PLT TURNS WRONG WAY DURING DEP ASSIGNED SID DUE TO LACK OF PROGRAMMING THE SID IN GPS AUTO NAVAID.

Narrative: I FILED MY FLT PLAN FROM OAKLAND TO SEDONA AS A COMPLETE RTE INCLUDING THE DEP PROC SUGGESTED BY MY FLT PLANNING SOFTWARE. I PREPROGRAMMED THIS RTE INTO MY IFR GPS. UPON ENG STARTUP AND CONTACTING CLRNC, THEY GAVE ME A NEW FULL RTE CLRNC WITH A NEW DEP PROC (NIMITZ 2 RADAR VECTORS V244 V585 PANOACHE AVANOL EHF). UPON RECEIVING THIS, I WENT TO MY COMMERCIAL BINDER FOR THE APPROPRIATE LOW ALT CHARTS. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, I FOUND THAT WHEN I RECENTLY FILED REVISED HI MAPS, I HAD PLACED THEM IN THE LOW POCKETS AND HENCE HAD NO LOW CHARTS ABOARD. I LOCATED THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA CHART AND THAT DEFINED MOST OF V244. I HAD TO MAKE A REASONABLE GUESS ABOUT THE B585 PART AND REPROGRAMMED MY GPS. AT THIS POINT, I'D BEEN SITTING ON THE RAMP FOR OVER 10 MINS WITH NOISY ENGS RUNNING AND A LINE GUY WAITING TO MARSHAL ME OUT OF THE PARKING AREA. HE KEPT LOOKING AT ME LIKE 'ARE YOU EVER GOING TO BE READY?' I TRIED NOT TO BE PRESSURED, BUT THE COMBINATION OF THE CHART MESS-UP, THE RERTE FROM ATC AND NOT HAVING THE EXACT DEFINITION FOR V585 WAS STRESSFUL. I DECIDED TO DEPART AND FIGURE OUT THE V585 PART WHILE AIRBORNE SINCE IT WAS OVER 150 NM AWAY. AT THIS POINT, I MADE A CRITICAL MISTAKE -- I FORGOT TO PROGRAM THE GPS WITH THE NIMITZ 2 DEP PROC. I BELIEVE THIS WAS CAUSED WHEN I REVIEWED MY COPY OF THE CLRNC AND SAW THE WORDS 'RADAR VECTORS V244' AND SO I JUST PROGRAMMED IN THE FIRST WAYPOINT TO V244. AFTER TKOF AND BEING HANDED OVER TO DEP, THEY TOLD ME TO INTERCEPT THE 331 (AS I RECALL) DEG RADIAL AND INFORM THEM WHEN ESTABLISHED. SINCE THIS RADIAL WAS NEARLY 180 DEGS L OF MY FIRST WAYPOINT (THE ONE THAT I WAS PRESUMABLY BEING VECTORED TOWARD), I TURNED R AND TRACKED IT OUTBOUND. (A LATER REVIEW OF THE DEP PROC OF COURSE CALLS FOR THE L TURN TO INTERCEPT THE 331 DEG RADIAL.) AFTER A MIN OR SO, DEP CTL CALLED AND CHEWED ME OUT FOR TURNING THE WRONG WAY AND READ ME THE TEXT OF THE DEP PROC. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L AND STARTED TO ESTABLISH BUT IN LESS THAN 1 MINUTE WAS GIVEN RADAR VECTORS AND A R TURN BACK TO THE FIRST WAYPOINT ON V244. I BELIEVE THE MAJOR CAUSES OF THIS ERROR WERE: 1) LAST MIN CHANGE OF RTE INCLUDING A NEW DEP PROC (AS AN ASIDE, HOW IS A PLT TO KNOW WHAT SHOULD BE FILED SO THE WORKLOAD CAN BE BALANCED BEFORE ENG START? AND 2) RUSHING THE DEP WHEN I SHOULD HAVE ASKED CLRNC DELIVERY FOR THE WAYPOINTS THAT MAKE UP V585 AND 'FESSED UP' THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE REQUIRED LOW CHART. MY ONLY EXCUSE FOR NOT 'FESSING UP' IS THAT I WAS WORRIED ABOUT IRRITATING THE CTLR AND PERHAPS BEING VIOLATED FOR ADMITTING OVER THE RADIO (THEREFORE ON TAPE) THAT I WAS MISSING REQUIRED CHARTS. THIS KIND OF ERROR CAN BEST BE PREVENTED BY THE PLT ALWAYS FOCUSING ON THE DEP PROC AS THE MOST IMPORTANT INITIAL NAV CHORE AND REALIZING THAT MANY DEP PROCS WILL TURN YOU AWAY FROM THE INITIAL ON-RTE FIX AND MAY REQUIRE OTHER CIRCUITOUS OR NOT OBVIOUS RTES WHEN DEPARTING COMPLEX AIRSPACE SUCH AS SAN FRANCISCO.

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.