Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 83; Flight Crew Total 6300; Flight Crew Type 1456
Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
I was departing to go back home. As I remember it; I departed on runway heading and upon reaching safe altitude; engaged heading function of the autopilot and was told to contact departure. After my first contact with departure I know I turned in a westerly direction; I'm not sure whether I was instructed to a heading or was instructed to join the outbound radial on the departure procedure; and/or both. This is about the time that I realized the departure procedure was not loaded in my NAV plan. I believe this is when ATC informed me to expect radar vectors of 090 degrees after I was established on the outbound radial of the departure procedure. (Thinking I still had time to load the departure procedure before I reached the outbound radial) I loaded the departure procedure and about the same time I swung the heading bug to the north to intercept the 313 degree radial to then track the next fix on the departure procedure. At this same moment; ATC calls me to verify if I'm established on outbound radial. I believe I responded that I was turning to that radial now; ATC calls back within a few seconds and then gives me instructions to turn 180 degrees to a heading of 090 and informs me that I was in an area below the minimum vectoring altitude. I can't remember how busy ATC was in the moments of discovering that the departure procedure wasn't in my flight plan; but I should have acknowledged to ATC as soon as I realized that I didn't have the departure procedure loaded; that I needed to ask for radar vectors while I reloaded departure procedure. But if the frequency was busy; I knew that I couldn't wait-- I had to load the departure procedure ASAP. But by the time I was correcting to get back on course; I was informed that I had flown below the minimum vectoring altitude. In analyzing the sequence of events; I made an error due to the fact that I loaded the flight plan into the Garmin 430; omitting the departure procedure that was given to me in the clearance due to the fact that I noticed a plane departing on the opposite direction of that runway of the departure procedure they had just given me. This made me wonder if there was going to be a runway change; which I would confirm with taxi instructions. Therefore; I hesitated to load that departure procedure at that time instead of following my normal routine. Looking back on it; I realize that this is where I made my first mistake; because after getting my taxi instructions for the runway that was in my clearance with the proper departure procedure; I got busy and forgot to input the departure procedure into my navigation plan. My second mistake was not verifying what my next fix in the GPS was indicating. In retrospect; what I should have done and will be doing in the future is to load the whole clearance into the flight plan as given to me from ATC; which has always been my procedure. I know I can go back and change any part of the navigational flight plan if ATC amends it. I will also be very vigilant in verifying my next fix in my GPS that is my clearance before I depart the runway.
Aircraft was issued an IFR clearance; with a SID right turn. Aircraft was radar identified; and issued climb to 7;000. Aircraft was observed off route; and flying toward high terrain at low altitude. Aircraft was advised to reverse course to the east to re-intercept the departure route. Aircraft when above minimum vectoring altitude was issued heading to climb. Aircraft was advised to call the facility. Had this sector been busy and actual IFR conditions; this could have resulted in a very dangerous if not fatal occurrence. Many procedures in the valley point aircraft directly at high terrain; and if a turn is missed; and the controller is busy or distracted and does not notice pilot deviation; a bad situation could occur.
The pilot of a SR22 turned towards higher terrain as he attempted to reload the departure procedure. He was operating below the minimim vectoring altitude so the Air Traffic Controller advised the pilot to reverse course until able to become established on the departure route.