MD80 departing on worth SID from dfw fails to turn to 185 degrees as charted.

Attributes
ACN	725774
Time
Date	200701
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw.airport
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl single value : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : d10.tracon
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Route In Use	departure sid : worth
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tracon : d10.tracon
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 4500
ASRS Report	725774
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : wake turbulence non adherence : clearance non adherence : published procedure other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

After departure fort worth center requested that I call dfw TRACON on landing regarding a possible pilot deviation. The first officer and I were puzzled by this request; as we both believed that the departure had been normal and properly flown. After thinking about it for a bit; I thought that possibly departure had expected us to be on one of the RNAV departures; when we were on the worth 5; due to an inoperative FMS. I called back to departure on the radio; and asked if that were the problem. He replied that we should have been on a 185 degree heading; and possibly had a wind drift problem. The first officer and I discussed this. We believe we had been on the correct heading. We did think that possibly a momentary heading deviation caused by a wake turbulence encounter we had experienced had been the problem. On arrival; I called the TRACON. The gentleman on the phone informed me that our track had not agreed with what they had anticipated; or observed from other departing aircraft; that they were going to file a pilot deviation; and that there had been no loss of separation. This was a VMC departure; and as such a substantial portion of our attention was outside. Of particular concern was the B757 ahead of us; as we appeared to have less separation from him than normal. There was the wake turbulence encounter; which though not severe; did demand some attention. Particularly from the first officer who was flying. I was also trying to locate visually an aircraft departing the east side and observed roughly abeam us on TCAS. After some more discussion; and considering the TRACON manager's information regarding our track versus that of the other departing aircraft; we think it is possible that we failed to change the heading to the required 185 degrees when we selected heading select; and then failed to notice and/or correct that error. The solution appears to be more frequent; and better cross-check; not only on the flight deck and the salmon bugs; but the raw data.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 DEPARTING ON WORTH SID FROM DFW FAILS TO TURN TO 185 DEGS AS CHARTED.

Narrative: AFTER DEPARTURE FORT WORTH CTR REQUESTED THAT I CALL DFW TRACON ON LNDG REGARDING A POSSIBLE PLT DEV. THE FO AND I WERE PUZZLED BY THIS REQUEST; AS WE BOTH BELIEVED THAT THE DEP HAD BEEN NORMAL AND PROPERLY FLOWN. AFTER THINKING ABOUT IT FOR A BIT; I THOUGHT THAT POSSIBLY DEP HAD EXPECTED US TO BE ON ONE OF THE RNAV DEPS; WHEN WE WERE ON THE WORTH 5; DUE TO AN INOP FMS. I CALLED BACK TO DEP ON THE RADIO; AND ASKED IF THAT WERE THE PROB. HE REPLIED THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON A 185 DEG HEADING; AND POSSIBLY HAD A WIND DRIFT PROB. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED THIS. WE BELIEVE WE HAD BEEN ON THE CORRECT HEADING. WE DID THINK THAT POSSIBLY A MOMENTARY HEADING DEVIATION CAUSED BY A WAKE TURB ENCOUNTER WE HAD EXPERIENCED HAD BEEN THE PROB. ON ARR; I CALLED THE TRACON. THE GENTLEMAN ON THE PHONE INFORMED ME THAT OUR TRACK HAD NOT AGREED WITH WHAT THEY HAD ANTICIPATED; OR OBSERVED FROM OTHER DEPARTING ACFT; THAT THEY WERE GOING TO FILE A PLT DEVIATION; AND THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO LOSS OF SEPARATION. THIS WAS A VMC DEP; AND AS SUCH A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF OUR ATTENTION WAS OUTSIDE. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN WAS THE B757 AHEAD OF US; AS WE APPEARED TO HAVE LESS SEPARATION FROM HIM THAN NORMAL. THERE WAS THE WAKE TURB ENCOUNTER; WHICH THOUGH NOT SEVERE; DID DEMAND SOME ATTENTION. PARTICULARLY FROM THE FO WHO WAS FLYING. I WAS ALSO TRYING TO LOCATE VISUALLY AN ACFT DEPARTING THE EAST SIDE AND OBSERVED ROUGHLY ABEAM US ON TCAS. AFTER SOME MORE DISCUSSION; AND CONSIDERING THE TRACON MANAGER'S INFORMATION REGARDING OUR TRACK VERSUS THAT OF THE OTHER DEPARTING ACFT; WE THINK IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WE FAILED TO CHANGE THE HEADING TO THE REQUIRED 185 DEGS WHEN WE SELECTED HEADING SELECT; AND THEN FAILED TO NOTICE AND/OR CORRECT THAT ERROR. THE SOLUTION APPEARS TO BE MORE FREQUENT; AND BETTER CROSS-CHECK; NOT ONLY ON THE FLT DECK AND THE SALMON BUGS; BUT THE RAW DATA.

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.