Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 6
Confusion; Distraction
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance
Procedure
I released Aircraft X to 130; SYD [Subject Your Discretion] with the inbound ROVE. Aircraft X checks in saying he's flying runway heading; despite his filed flight plan and assumed clearance to be KSAF..ZZZ. I ask him if he was assigned runway heading by SAF and they said no. He appeared unsure what to do. Had a little back and forth with him and basically told him to turn on course. I tried not to imply course guidance below the MIA as best I could; but he was flying directly at mountainous terrain immediately NE of the airport and needed to start his turn. This has happened more than a few times at SAF lately; though I don't know if it's purely pilot action or in concert with tower instructions. Scary situation for him and me both though. Pilots simply don't appear to respect the terrain; and when they file routes; they just expect ATC to take care of the problem. Incidentally; I had planned on putting in a new route to ZZZ for him for weather; but never got around to it before SAF called for release because my workload was too high with traffic with the combined sector 94.This appears to be a pilot problem; and someone is going to get themselves killed eventually. From my end everything was normal until he checked in.
ZAB Controller reported of traffic coming off SAF airport that do not know where they should be heading and enter a lower MIA [Minimum IFR Altitude]. Controller states this has happened more than a few times and is concerned that the terrain is higher on the route they are flying as opposed to what they file.