Narrative:

Around XA40 pm I got a cell signal with a message from our passenger from XA17 pm stating they'd be at the airport in 15 mins; meaning we were already late. We got to the airport as quickly as possible; arriving about XB05 pm. I hastily prepared the aircraft for takeoff. The copilot with me is an aircraft salesman; does not fly often; much less in jets; and is of little help in the cockpit. He was along since this was a demonstration flight for a potential buyer of the aircraft. We briefly agreed that due to the terrain in the area and the present WX we'd depart VFR and turn off to the north. There is a mountain ridge beginning south of the airport extending east to west. Most of the WX was west of the airport; so we chose an easterly departure as winds were calm. While completing the checklist and holding at the end of the runway I elected to contact departure on the radio to activate our IFR plan; versus the previous plan to depart VFR and get it in the air. My thought was just in case we went into inadvertent IMC we'd have someone to talk to versus being VFR with no handholding in mountainous terrain. We got the clearance which was as filed; direct abc; for the arrival. We then lined up and departed runway heading. We could clearly see the mountains to our ese and further south of us. Climb out was in good VFR at approximately 160 KTS and 3000-3500 FPM. In my haste to depart I had ignored the fact that in choosing not to do VFR; but instead departing under IFR; I was compelled to follow the odp (obstacle departure procedure) posted on the commercial chart #1. This called for turning left after departure; intercepting the ABC2 90 degree radial and climbing to 5000 ft before proceeding on course. The copilot contacted departure after we left the pattern. Out of 4000 ft or so I asked the copilot to get a suggested heading from ATC. ATC queried if we had the mountains in sight; which we did. It was clear to us with our climb rate and distance from the mountains that terrain clearance would not be a problem. The copilot; whose radio skills are poor; feebly mumbled back an unintelligible response. The controller; assuming the worst; advised us to make an 'immediate left turn to heading 280;' roughly 180 degrees from our present heading. We complied immediately as instructed. At the time we were in marginal VFR as we passed through the cloud deck. I was flying through a 'hole' in the broken layer just prior to his instruction and though I was sure we were clear of terrain it did not make sense to argue. The controller made the right call; had we been IFR at the time and closer to the rocks he could have saved our lives. We did not receive any ground proximity or taws warnings from our avionics at any time. He could have also had traffic out in our direction to the east because he was probably expecting us to turn north and then west as per the odp for the airport. The controller made no mention of our deviating from the odp or of any traffic conflict. He was friendly afterward and did not ask us to contact him later or make any mention of a deviation. I think he just saw we were below MVA for the area in mountainous terrain. What he could likely not see was the steep angle we were climbing at and he could not possibly know we were in a visual climb. The bottom line; however; is that because I was IFR I needed to read and comply with the odp on departure. In my haste I assumed we were ok to climb VFR on the runway heading east and avoid the mountains visually. This was a stupid oversight on my part. Many times I have complied with odp's in mountainous terrain; just as I should have done that day. I had not flown much recently and had little to no non-twred; non-vectored; mountainous experience over the last 6 months or so. As such I wrongly thought I'd heard runway heading when getting the clearance. I did not question departing to the east in spite of terrain to the ese because I could see we'd be able to climb visually. This was poor planning on my part and I should never have let myself be rushed by the passenger early arrival. With different (worse) WX we might have flown into inadvertent IMC and risked colliding with terrain. In the end all was well. Despite that; I did not sleep well that night and resolved to never again depart IFR without being thoroughly familiar with the odp and complying with it. Haste makes waste as they say. The hills we were flying in are littered with the remains of many hasty and bold pilots.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RUSHED DUE TO LATE ARRIVAL AT THE ACFT; FLT CREW OF CE56 DEPART IFR AND FAIL TO FOLLOW REQUIRED OBSTACLE DEP PROC.

Narrative: AROUND XA40 PM I GOT A CELL SIGNAL WITH A MESSAGE FROM OUR PAX FROM XA17 PM STATING THEY'D BE AT THE ARPT IN 15 MINS; MEANING WE WERE ALREADY LATE. WE GOT TO THE ARPT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE; ARRIVING ABOUT XB05 PM. I HASTILY PREPARED THE ACFT FOR TKOF. THE COPLT WITH ME IS AN ACFT SALESMAN; DOES NOT FLY OFTEN; MUCH LESS IN JETS; AND IS OF LITTLE HELP IN THE COCKPIT. HE WAS ALONG SINCE THIS WAS A DEMO FLT FOR A POTENTIAL BUYER OF THE ACFT. WE BRIEFLY AGREED THAT DUE TO THE TERRAIN IN THE AREA AND THE PRESENT WX WE'D DEPART VFR AND TURN OFF TO THE N. THERE IS A MOUNTAIN RIDGE BEGINNING S OF THE ARPT EXTENDING E TO W. MOST OF THE WX WAS W OF THE ARPT; SO WE CHOSE AN EASTERLY DEP AS WINDS WERE CALM. WHILE COMPLETING THE CHKLIST AND HOLDING AT THE END OF THE RWY I ELECTED TO CONTACT DEP ON THE RADIO TO ACTIVATE OUR IFR PLAN; VERSUS THE PREVIOUS PLAN TO DEPART VFR AND GET IT IN THE AIR. MY THOUGHT WAS JUST IN CASE WE WENT INTO INADVERTENT IMC WE'D HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK TO VERSUS BEING VFR WITH NO HANDHOLDING IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. WE GOT THE CLRNC WHICH WAS AS FILED; DIRECT ABC; FOR THE ARR. WE THEN LINED UP AND DEPARTED RWY HDG. WE COULD CLRLY SEE THE MOUNTAINS TO OUR ESE AND FURTHER S OF US. CLBOUT WAS IN GOOD VFR AT APPROX 160 KTS AND 3000-3500 FPM. IN MY HASTE TO DEPART I HAD IGNORED THE FACT THAT IN CHOOSING NOT TO DO VFR; BUT INSTEAD DEPARTING UNDER IFR; I WAS COMPELLED TO FOLLOW THE ODP (OBSTACLE DEP PROC) POSTED ON THE COMMERCIAL CHART #1. THIS CALLED FOR TURNING L AFTER DEP; INTERCEPTING THE ABC2 90 DEG RADIAL AND CLBING TO 5000 FT BEFORE PROCEEDING ON COURSE. THE COPLT CONTACTED DEP AFTER WE LEFT THE PATTERN. OUT OF 4000 FT OR SO I ASKED THE COPLT TO GET A SUGGESTED HDG FROM ATC. ATC QUERIED IF WE HAD THE MOUNTAINS IN SIGHT; WHICH WE DID. IT WAS CLR TO US WITH OUR CLB RATE AND DISTANCE FROM THE MOUNTAINS THAT TERRAIN CLRNC WOULD NOT BE A PROB. THE COPLT; WHOSE RADIO SKILLS ARE POOR; FEEBLY MUMBLED BACK AN UNINTELLIGIBLE RESPONSE. THE CTLR; ASSUMING THE WORST; ADVISED US TO MAKE AN 'IMMEDIATE L TURN TO HDG 280;' ROUGHLY 180 DEGS FROM OUR PRESENT HDG. WE COMPLIED IMMEDIATELY AS INSTRUCTED. AT THE TIME WE WERE IN MARGINAL VFR AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE CLOUD DECK. I WAS FLYING THROUGH A 'HOLE' IN THE BROKEN LAYER JUST PRIOR TO HIS INSTRUCTION AND THOUGH I WAS SURE WE WERE CLR OF TERRAIN IT DID NOT MAKE SENSE TO ARGUE. THE CTLR MADE THE RIGHT CALL; HAD WE BEEN IFR AT THE TIME AND CLOSER TO THE ROCKS HE COULD HAVE SAVED OUR LIVES. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY GND PROX OR TAWS WARNINGS FROM OUR AVIONICS AT ANY TIME. HE COULD HAVE ALSO HAD TFC OUT IN OUR DIRECTION TO THE E BECAUSE HE WAS PROBABLY EXPECTING US TO TURN N AND THEN W AS PER THE ODP FOR THE ARPT. THE CTLR MADE NO MENTION OF OUR DEVIATING FROM THE ODP OR OF ANY TFC CONFLICT. HE WAS FRIENDLY AFTERWARD AND DID NOT ASK US TO CONTACT HIM LATER OR MAKE ANY MENTION OF A DEV. I THINK HE JUST SAW WE WERE BELOW MVA FOR THE AREA IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. WHAT HE COULD LIKELY NOT SEE WAS THE STEEP ANGLE WE WERE CLBING AT AND HE COULD NOT POSSIBLY KNOW WE WERE IN A VISUAL CLB. THE BOTTOM LINE; HOWEVER; IS THAT BECAUSE I WAS IFR I NEEDED TO READ AND COMPLY WITH THE ODP ON DEP. IN MY HASTE I ASSUMED WE WERE OK TO CLB VFR ON THE RWY HDG E AND AVOID THE MOUNTAINS VISUALLY. THIS WAS A STUPID OVERSIGHT ON MY PART. MANY TIMES I HAVE COMPLIED WITH ODP'S IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN; JUST AS I SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT DAY. I HAD NOT FLOWN MUCH RECENTLY AND HAD LITTLE TO NO NON-TWRED; NON-VECTORED; MOUNTAINOUS EXPERIENCE OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS OR SO. AS SUCH I WRONGLY THOUGHT I'D HEARD RWY HDG WHEN GETTING THE CLRNC. I DID NOT QUESTION DEPARTING TO THE E IN SPITE OF TERRAIN TO THE ESE BECAUSE I COULD SEE WE'D BE ABLE TO CLB VISUALLY. THIS WAS POOR PLANNING ON MY PART AND I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LET MYSELF BE RUSHED BY THE PAX EARLY ARR. WITH DIFFERENT (WORSE) WX WE MIGHT HAVE FLOWN INTO INADVERTENT IMC AND RISKED COLLIDING WITH TERRAIN. IN THE END ALL WAS WELL. DESPITE THAT; I DID NOT SLEEP WELL THAT NIGHT AND RESOLVED TO NEVER AGAIN DEPART IFR WITHOUT BEING THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH THE ODP AND COMPLYING WITH IT. HASTE MAKES WASTE AS THEY SAY. THE HILLS WE WERE FLYING IN ARE LITTERED WITH THE REMAINS OF MANY HASTY AND BOLD PLTS.

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.