Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Workload
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Chart Or Publication; Procedure
It is a complex departure; and we had briefed it; the FO made a note about the headings and turns; but wrote down the wrong DME. I won't make this mistake again. We were cleared LGA5 departure Whitestone climb; but misread the chart and didn't turn back left to 040 at 2.5 DME instead we saw the 4.5 and made our turn there. We had started the turn to 040 when ATC quarried us; if we were indeed on the Whitestone climb. The chart is a mess! I would recommend that Jeppesen break it up into separate departures; or reduce some of the information on it. I have highlighted the DME on it so that it is more visible to me in the future.
The crew misread the charted DME on the LGA5 departure procedure and started their turn two miles late.