Narrative:

WX at dca at time of departure was 500 ft overcast; 1 3/4 mi visibility winds 200 degrees at 4 KTS departing runway 1. The captain was making the takeoff and executed a turn using the HUD to intercept the 328 degree radial off of dca frequency 111.00 as is required under IMC conditions. The turn was made at 300 ft following the HUD heading select commands towards the 328 degree radial. The first officer noticed the ground track with the shallow bank programmed in the flight director system was not turning us away from the prohibited airspace. The first officer announced a need to increase the bank angle to take up a more westerly heading to get over to the 328 degree radial. During the turn away from the prohibited airspace; departure called us to advise us of our proximity to the prohibited boundaries. After making the turn and joining the 328 degree radial outbound; we inquired with departure as to our compliance with the departure procedure. Departure indicated we reached the 'line' that defines the prohibited airspace. On further inquiry departure did not see a problem with our ground track or compliance with the departure procedure. During the cruise portion of the flight the first officer and I discussed what might have caused us to come so close to the departure limitations. First the quartering tailwind which was not a takeoff problem did affect our ground track in such a way as to cause us to drift out of the turn radius. Also the HUD which is valuable in takeoff particularly in IMC does not aggressively control the aircraft as is needed in this departure. Finally; the flight director system has limitations built in to provide bank angle limits during low altitude low airspace flight and if followed do not comply with the departure restrs. The noise abatement procedure/P56 avoidance departure procedure runway 1 at dca is a demanding departure requiring situational awareness and specific conditional interpretation to comply with it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW NEARLY PENETRATES P56 DEPARTING DCA RWY 1 BY NOT TURNING AGGRESSIVELY ENOUGH.

Narrative: WX AT DCA AT TIME OF DEP WAS 500 FT OVCST; 1 3/4 MI VISIBILITY WINDS 200 DEGS AT 4 KTS DEPARTING RWY 1. THE CAPT WAS MAKING THE TKOF AND EXECUTED A TURN USING THE HUD TO INTERCEPT THE 328 DEG RADIAL OFF OF DCA FREQ 111.00 AS IS REQUIRED UNDER IMC CONDITIONS. THE TURN WAS MADE AT 300 FT FOLLOWING THE HUD HDG SELECT COMMANDS TOWARDS THE 328 DEG RADIAL. THE FO NOTICED THE GND TRACK WITH THE SHALLOW BANK PROGRAMMED IN THE FLT DIRECTOR SYS WAS NOT TURNING US AWAY FROM THE PROHIBITED AIRSPACE. THE FO ANNOUNCED A NEED TO INCREASE THE BANK ANGLE TO TAKE UP A MORE WESTERLY HDG TO GET OVER TO THE 328 DEG RADIAL. DURING THE TURN AWAY FROM THE PROHIBITED AIRSPACE; DEP CALLED US TO ADVISE US OF OUR PROX TO THE PROHIBITED BOUNDARIES. AFTER MAKING THE TURN AND JOINING THE 328 DEG RADIAL OUTBOUND; WE INQUIRED WITH DEP AS TO OUR COMPLIANCE WITH THE DEP PROC. DEP INDICATED WE REACHED THE 'LINE' THAT DEFINES THE PROHIBITED AIRSPACE. ON FURTHER INQUIRY DEP DID NOT SEE A PROB WITH OUR GND TRACK OR COMPLIANCE WITH THE DEP PROC. DURING THE CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT THE FO AND I DISCUSSED WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED US TO COME SO CLOSE TO THE DEP LIMITATIONS. FIRST THE QUARTERING TAILWIND WHICH WAS NOT A TKOF PROB DID AFFECT OUR GND TRACK IN SUCH A WAY AS TO CAUSE US TO DRIFT OUT OF THE TURN RADIUS. ALSO THE HUD WHICH IS VALUABLE IN TKOF PARTICULARLY IN IMC DOES NOT AGGRESSIVELY CTL THE ACFT AS IS NEEDED IN THIS DEP. FINALLY; THE FLT DIRECTOR SYS HAS LIMITATIONS BUILT IN TO PROVIDE BANK ANGLE LIMITS DURING LOW ALT LOW AIRSPACE FLT AND IF FOLLOWED DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE DEP RESTRS. THE NOISE ABATEMENT PROC/P56 AVOIDANCE DEP PROC RWY 1 AT DCA IS A DEMANDING DEP REQUIRING SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND SPECIFIC CONDITIONAL INTERP TO COMPLY WITH IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.