Narrative:

For training purposes my student was explaining takeoff procedures to me as if I were a student pilot while we waited for takeoff clearance. While my student was talking about takeoff procedures; tower cleared us for takeoff and said to turn; what I thought was to the right; northeast; after departure. Since we initially requested north departure; I believed northeast was all they could give us due to the airport being busy at the time. As the tower was finishing our takeoff clearance instruction; my student stopped talking because he realized tower was talking to him. My student did not hear which direction of departure tower gave him; but he did hear that he was cleared for takeoff on runway xxl. He replied to the tower with; cleared for takeoff runway xxl. My student did not respond with which direction to turn after takeoff and tower did not ask if we understood. I was still thinking that the tower said we were cleared to turn right to the northeast. As we proceeded to takeoff; my student asked me; which direction were we cleared for departure? I replied; we requested north initially; but she just said turn right to the northeast. As we climbed off the departure end of runway xxl; we turned right towards the northeast. As we were turning right; tower instructed us to immediately turn left towards the northwest due to departing lear traffic on the parallel runway. We replied (aircraft call sign) turning left towards northwest due to parallel traffic. There was a departing learjet taking off of the parallel runway; but neither I nor my student ever saw him during the entire incident. My student and I continued to fly towards the northwest while monitoring tower for the next 4.5 mins until we were about 7 mi northwest of the field. We then switched to the practice area frequency and continued with our flight lesson. After our flight lesson as we taxied back to the ramp; ground control instructed us to contact tower about the incident. My student and I spoke to the tower and they had already spoken to the chief flight instructor at the school. We then called the chief flight instructor of the school and he had already spoken to the learjet pilot on the telephone. The lear pilot told my chief that when he looked up from his radios he was flying straight towards our plane and had to aggressively divert his jet to keep from a mid-air collision. He said that he missed our cessna by about 50 ft. This incident has brought up several good points for everyone to learn from. Always read back the entire instructions ATC gives you; including which direction to depart even if tower does not require you to verbally acknowledge. If tower assumes that pilots understand which direction to fly after takeoff; but no acknowledgement is transmitted; there is a much higher probability of an accident occurring. When 2 pilots are on board; it is advisable that both pilots confirm that they heard the same instructions; one pilot hearing ATC instructions is not always good enough because we are human and humans make mistakes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC WITH PARALLEL RWY DEP OCCURS WHEN C172 TURNS TOWARDS THE NE VICE NW AS CLRED AFTER TKOF.

Narrative: FOR TRAINING PURPOSES MY STUDENT WAS EXPLAINING TKOF PROCS TO ME AS IF I WERE A STUDENT PLT WHILE WE WAITED FOR TKOF CLRNC. WHILE MY STUDENT WAS TALKING ABOUT TKOF PROCS; TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF AND SAID TO TURN; WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TO THE R; NE; AFTER DEP. SINCE WE INITIALLY REQUESTED N DEP; I BELIEVED NE WAS ALL THEY COULD GIVE US DUE TO THE ARPT BEING BUSY AT THE TIME. AS THE TWR WAS FINISHING OUR TKOF CLRNC INSTRUCTION; MY STUDENT STOPPED TALKING BECAUSE HE REALIZED TWR WAS TALKING TO HIM. MY STUDENT DID NOT HEAR WHICH DIRECTION OF DEP TWR GAVE HIM; BUT HE DID HEAR THAT HE WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY XXL. HE REPLIED TO THE TWR WITH; CLRED FOR TKOF RWY XXL. MY STUDENT DID NOT RESPOND WITH WHICH DIRECTION TO TURN AFTER TKOF AND TWR DID NOT ASK IF WE UNDERSTOOD. I WAS STILL THINKING THAT THE TWR SAID WE WERE CLRED TO TURN R TO THE NE. AS WE PROCEEDED TO TKOF; MY STUDENT ASKED ME; WHICH DIRECTION WERE WE CLRED FOR DEP? I REPLIED; WE REQUESTED N INITIALLY; BUT SHE JUST SAID TURN R TO THE NE. AS WE CLBED OFF THE DEP END OF RWY XXL; WE TURNED R TOWARDS THE NE. AS WE WERE TURNING R; TWR INSTRUCTED US TO IMMEDIATELY TURN L TOWARDS THE NW DUE TO DEPARTING LEAR TFC ON THE PARALLEL RWY. WE REPLIED (ACFT CALL SIGN) TURNING L TOWARDS NW DUE TO PARALLEL TFC. THERE WAS A DEPARTING LEARJET TAKING OFF OF THE PARALLEL RWY; BUT NEITHER I NOR MY STUDENT EVER SAW HIM DURING THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. MY STUDENT AND I CONTINUED TO FLY TOWARDS THE NW WHILE MONITORING TWR FOR THE NEXT 4.5 MINS UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT 7 MI NW OF THE FIELD. WE THEN SWITCHED TO THE PRACTICE AREA FREQ AND CONTINUED WITH OUR FLT LESSON. AFTER OUR FLT LESSON AS WE TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP; GND CTL INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT TWR ABOUT THE INCIDENT. MY STUDENT AND I SPOKE TO THE TWR AND THEY HAD ALREADY SPOKEN TO THE CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR AT THE SCHOOL. WE THEN CALLED THE CHIEF FLT INSTRUCTOR OF THE SCHOOL AND HE HAD ALREADY SPOKEN TO THE LEARJET PLT ON THE TELEPHONE. THE LEAR PLT TOLD MY CHIEF THAT WHEN HE LOOKED UP FROM HIS RADIOS HE WAS FLYING STRAIGHT TOWARDS OUR PLANE AND HAD TO AGGRESSIVELY DIVERT HIS JET TO KEEP FROM A MID-AIR COLLISION. HE SAID THAT HE MISSED OUR CESSNA BY ABOUT 50 FT. THIS INCIDENT HAS BROUGHT UP SEVERAL GOOD POINTS FOR EVERYONE TO LEARN FROM. ALWAYS READ BACK THE ENTIRE INSTRUCTIONS ATC GIVES YOU; INCLUDING WHICH DIRECTION TO DEPART EVEN IF TWR DOES NOT REQUIRE YOU TO VERBALLY ACKNOWLEDGE. IF TWR ASSUMES THAT PLTS UNDERSTAND WHICH DIRECTION TO FLY AFTER TKOF; BUT NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IS XMITTED; THERE IS A MUCH HIGHER PROBABILITY OF AN ACCIDENT OCCURRING. WHEN 2 PLTS ARE ON BOARD; IT IS ADVISABLE THAT BOTH PLTS CONFIRM THAT THEY HEARD THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS; ONE PLT HEARING ATC INSTRUCTIONS IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD ENOUGH BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN AND HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES.

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.