Narrative:

I misread the pre departure clearance or did not notice the revision within the slashes to our route. Originally cleared per release via the LOOP4 and pre departure clearance amendment was the oshnn departure. Upon takeoff; flew the loop and we were given a heading by ATC; and then cleared to sli which he referred to as 'seal beach.' however; he said it in such a way that it sounded like sebby (he said 'see-bee' with no 'ch' sound). We read back direct sebby (see-bee) and he did not correct us. No one used the phonetic spelling at this time. We were told that we were supposed to be on a different departure than the loop. I think he said the oshnn but after he cleared us direct sebby; we assumed the sebby departure. Things were getting very busy now with trying to program the FMC and finding the right departure. We started LNAV toward sebby and started looking for our chart and then ATC told us to turn back to a heading of 150 degrees and asked us where we were going and also informed us that we should be direct seal beach (sli) and should be on the oshnn and not the sebby departure. Early after takeoff; when he discovered we were doing the loop; ATC commented that this mistake has been occurring frequently and that the loop is never used after XA00. This was unnecessary communication by him and only added to the distraction and workload. Finally now we were going seal beach and on the oshnn departure. They handed us off to another controller but we asked them to verify what route they now wanted us on as we wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing. Incredibly; he could not tell us as our strip had already been sent somewhere else. We proceeded to contact the next controller and he cleared us direct dag on course without further incident. At no time did we appear to get near any other aircraft or lose required separation (thankfully). Change the flight plan to reflect the actual one we should get for that time. Provide a training product instead of WX packet textual description that shows exactly what an amended pre departure clearance looks like. Change the name of the fixes that sound similar. Emphasize both crew looking for plus (+) or minus (-) in the pre departure clearance. Get rid of the old route in the pre departure clearance format and only have the actual now cleared route (I have the old route on my release). In absence of the aforementioned; have both crew review the pre departure clearance and make a statement to the effect 'no pluses or minuses.' supplemental information from acn 780956: first officer gave complete clearance briefing. While there has been a lot of training about the pre departure clearance process from the training department; I will no longer assume that the first officer understands how it works. Our procedure has historically been for the first officer to get the clearance; and then give briefing. Captain generally did not listen to ATC give clearance. I have been content to listen to first officer give briefing; check against flight plan; and verify FMC programming. I will now look at the actual pre departure clearance while first officer gives briefing. This would have caught the error.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CONFUSION AND TRACK DEVS RESULT FROM B737-700 FLT CREW FAILING TO RECOGNIZE THE REVISED SEGMENT PORTION OF THEIR PDC WHICH CHANGED FROM THE LOOP SID TO THE OSHNN RNAV SID.

Narrative: I MISREAD THE PDC OR DID NOT NOTICE THE REVISION WITHIN THE SLASHES TO OUR RTE. ORIGINALLY CLRED PER RELEASE VIA THE LOOP4 AND PDC AMENDMENT WAS THE OSHNN DEP. UPON TKOF; FLEW THE LOOP AND WE WERE GIVEN A HDG BY ATC; AND THEN CLRED TO SLI WHICH HE REFERRED TO AS 'SEAL BEACH.' HOWEVER; HE SAID IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE SEBBY (HE SAID 'SEE-BEE' WITH NO 'CH' SOUND). WE READ BACK DIRECT SEBBY (SEE-BEE) AND HE DID NOT CORRECT US. NO ONE USED THE PHONETIC SPELLING AT THIS TIME. WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON A DIFFERENT DEP THAN THE LOOP. I THINK HE SAID THE OSHNN BUT AFTER HE CLRED US DIRECT SEBBY; WE ASSUMED THE SEBBY DEP. THINGS WERE GETTING VERY BUSY NOW WITH TRYING TO PROGRAM THE FMC AND FINDING THE RIGHT DEP. WE STARTED LNAV TOWARD SEBBY AND STARTED LOOKING FOR OUR CHART AND THEN ATC TOLD US TO TURN BACK TO A HDG OF 150 DEGS AND ASKED US WHERE WE WERE GOING AND ALSO INFORMED US THAT WE SHOULD BE DIRECT SEAL BEACH (SLI) AND SHOULD BE ON THE OSHNN AND NOT THE SEBBY DEP. EARLY AFTER TKOF; WHEN HE DISCOVERED WE WERE DOING THE LOOP; ATC COMMENTED THAT THIS MISTAKE HAS BEEN OCCURRING FREQUENTLY AND THAT THE LOOP IS NEVER USED AFTER XA00. THIS WAS UNNECESSARY COM BY HIM AND ONLY ADDED TO THE DISTR AND WORKLOAD. FINALLY NOW WE WERE GOING SEAL BEACH AND ON THE OSHNN DEP. THEY HANDED US OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR BUT WE ASKED THEM TO VERIFY WHAT RTE THEY NOW WANTED US ON AS WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING. INCREDIBLY; HE COULD NOT TELL US AS OUR STRIP HAD ALREADY BEEN SENT SOMEWHERE ELSE. WE PROCEEDED TO CONTACT THE NEXT CTLR AND HE CLRED US DIRECT DAG ON COURSE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT NO TIME DID WE APPEAR TO GET NEAR ANY OTHER ACFT OR LOSE REQUIRED SEPARATION (THANKFULLY). CHANGE THE FLT PLAN TO REFLECT THE ACTUAL ONE WE SHOULD GET FOR THAT TIME. PROVIDE A TRAINING PRODUCT INSTEAD OF WX PACKET TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION THAT SHOWS EXACTLY WHAT AN AMENDED PDC LOOKS LIKE. CHANGE THE NAME OF THE FIXES THAT SOUND SIMILAR. EMPHASIZE BOTH CREW LOOKING FOR PLUS (+) OR MINUS (-) IN THE PDC. GET RID OF THE OLD RTE IN THE PDC FORMAT AND ONLY HAVE THE ACTUAL NOW CLRED RTE (I HAVE THE OLD RTE ON MY RELEASE). IN ABSENCE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED; HAVE BOTH CREW REVIEW THE PDC AND MAKE A STATEMENT TO THE EFFECT 'NO PLUSES OR MINUSES.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 780956: FO GAVE COMPLETE CLRNC BRIEFING. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TRAINING ABOUT THE PDC PROCESS FROM THE TRAINING DEPT; I WILL NO LONGER ASSUME THAT THE FO UNDERSTANDS HOW IT WORKS. OUR PROC HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN FOR THE FO TO GET THE CLRNC; AND THEN GIVE BRIEFING. CAPT GENERALLY DID NOT LISTEN TO ATC GIVE CLRNC. I HAVE BEEN CONTENT TO LISTEN TO FO GIVE BRIEFING; CHK AGAINST FLT PLAN; AND VERIFY FMC PROGRAMMING. I WILL NOW LOOK AT THE ACTUAL PDC WHILE FO GIVES BRIEFING. THIS WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE ERROR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.