Narrative:

I was departing on an IFR clearance from oak to O61. I inadvertently deviated from my initial assigned altitude and heading. I was waiting to be handed off to departure from the tower when the tower called and told me that if I was still on frequency and to go to departure. It all went downhill from there. When I switched to departure, they were in the middle of calling me and immediately accused me of not checking in. I was surprised at this since I don't recall the tower handing me off and I'm not in the habit of automatically switching to departure without the tower clearing to do so at twred airports. I was not on a good intercept for V6 and departure stated to query me about my clearance and during this exchange and subsequent confusion I busted my initial altitude restr of 3000 ft MSL. Departure assigned me a vector and was told to climb and maintain 5000 ft. Departure had to correct my vector at least once after that and then dumped me off to travis approach in disgust. The flight was executed with no issues from that point forward. Factors contributing to this mess were many: 1) I don't fly into oak all that much. 2) prior to my departing oak, I had just completed 2 IFR legs in solid IMC and was fatigued. 3) the ground controller was not very helpful and did not issue clear instructions. I was also annoyed at the ground controller throwing a hissy fit when I asked for clarification of my taxi instructions. 4) when I finished my runup, I contacted ground and asked for clearance to proceed to runway 27R and after being ignored initially was told that he didn't need to do that and that I should just taxi to runway 27R and contact the tower. 5) I had programmed my departure into my GPS as a backup to the assigned route, but selected and activated the wrong route in the GPS before departing. This contributed to my lack of situational awareness on departure. 6) the taxiway markings were not clear and it was hard to determine if I was on the right taxiway. I turned around and headed back towards the FBO and was told by ground to turn around and given instructions to cross runway 274 on taxiway a and then to proceed to the runup area. Corrective actions: 1) I will try and do a better job of familiarizing myself with the airport and issued NOTAMS and ask for progressives on the ground when in doubt. 2) when fatigued, I will doublechk every item before any operation or delay my departure. 3) I will try to not lose my composure when cranky controllers are being uncooperative and condescending. 4) review ground and departure operation procedures and to be more consistent in the area of situational awareness. 5) try to keep a good attitude about the whole thing and let it be a learning experience instead of an excuse to blame it O someone else. Having said that, I feel this should be a 2-WAY street an FAA controllers have an obligation to be helpful and professional and realize that their actions add to potential accident chains in the same way as the actions of any pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SELF ANALYSIS BY A GA PLT OF THE CHAIN OF EVENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO A 500 FT ALT OVERSHOOT DEPARTING OAK, CA, ON THE THIRD IFR LEG OF THE DAY.

Narrative: I WAS DEPARTING ON AN IFR CLRNC FROM OAK TO O61. I INADVERTENTLY DEVIATED FROM MY INITIAL ASSIGNED ALT AND HDG. I WAS WAITING TO BE HANDED OFF TO DEP FROM THE TWR WHEN THE TWR CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT IF I WAS STILL ON FREQ AND TO GO TO DEP. IT ALL WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE. WHEN I SWITCHED TO DEP, THEY WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF CALLING ME AND IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED ME OF NOT CHKING IN. I WAS SURPRISED AT THIS SINCE I DON'T RECALL THE TWR HANDING ME OFF AND I'M NOT IN THE HABIT OF AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHING TO DEP WITHOUT THE TWR CLRING TO DO SO AT TWRED ARPTS. I WAS NOT ON A GOOD INTERCEPT FOR V6 AND DEP STATED TO QUERY ME ABOUT MY CLRNC AND DURING THIS EXCHANGE AND SUBSEQUENT CONFUSION I BUSTED MY INITIAL ALT RESTR OF 3000 FT MSL. DEP ASSIGNED ME A VECTOR AND WAS TOLD TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT. DEP HAD TO CORRECT MY VECTOR AT LEAST ONCE AFTER THAT AND THEN DUMPED ME OFF TO TRAVIS APCH IN DISGUST. THE FLT WAS EXECUTED WITH NO ISSUES FROM THAT POINT FORWARD. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MESS WERE MANY: 1) I DON'T FLY INTO OAK ALL THAT MUCH. 2) PRIOR TO MY DEPARTING OAK, I HAD JUST COMPLETED 2 IFR LEGS IN SOLID IMC AND WAS FATIGUED. 3) THE GND CTLR WAS NOT VERY HELPFUL AND DID NOT ISSUE CLR INSTRUCTIONS. I WAS ALSO ANNOYED AT THE GND CTLR THROWING A HISSY FIT WHEN I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION OF MY TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. 4) WHEN I FINISHED MY RUNUP, I CONTACTED GND AND ASKED FOR CLRNC TO PROCEED TO RWY 27R AND AFTER BEING IGNORED INITIALLY WAS TOLD THAT HE DIDN'T NEED TO DO THAT AND THAT I SHOULD JUST TAXI TO RWY 27R AND CONTACT THE TWR. 5) I HAD PROGRAMMED MY DEP INTO MY GPS AS A BACKUP TO THE ASSIGNED RTE, BUT SELECTED AND ACTIVATED THE WRONG RTE IN THE GPS BEFORE DEPARTING. THIS CONTRIBUTED TO MY LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ON DEP. 6) THE TXWY MARKINGS WERE NOT CLR AND IT WAS HARD TO DETERMINE IF I WAS ON THE RIGHT TXWY. I TURNED AROUND AND HEADED BACK TOWARDS THE FBO AND WAS TOLD BY GND TO TURN AROUND AND GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CROSS RWY 274 ON TXWY A AND THEN TO PROCEED TO THE RUNUP AREA. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) I WILL TRY AND DO A BETTER JOB OF FAMILIARIZING MYSELF WITH THE ARPT AND ISSUED NOTAMS AND ASK FOR PROGRESSIVES ON THE GND WHEN IN DOUBT. 2) WHEN FATIGUED, I WILL DOUBLECHK EVERY ITEM BEFORE ANY OP OR DELAY MY DEP. 3) I WILL TRY TO NOT LOSE MY COMPOSURE WHEN CRANKY CTLRS ARE BEING UNCOOPERATIVE AND CONDESCENDING. 4) REVIEW GND AND DEP OP PROCS AND TO BE MORE CONSISTENT IN THE AREA OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. 5) TRY TO KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE ABOUT THE WHOLE THING AND LET IT BE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE INSTEAD OF AN EXCUSE TO BLAME IT O SOMEONE ELSE. HAVING SAID THAT, I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A 2-WAY STREET AN FAA CTLRS HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BE HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL AND REALIZE THAT THEIR ACTIONS ADD TO POTENTIAL ACCIDENT CHAINS IN THE SAME WAY AS THE ACTIONS OF ANY PLT.

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.