MD-83
Communication Breakdown
Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Chart Or Publication; Human Factors; Manuals
We departed 32L at ORD. While climbing through 13;000 FT and accelerating to normal climb speed ATC asked our speed. I responded 280 accelerating to 300 KTS. ATC advised we were limited to 250 KTS per the O'Hare SIX departure. We immediately reduced speed to 250 KTS. We re-examined the chart. The new chart had been revised to state 'turbojet departures all directions maintain 250 KT until advised by ATC'. The previous restriction only applied to fixes to the south for years! Surely an error on our part not to notice the change; ATC also stated many other aircraft had been making the same error. Maybe if the commercial aero chart provider were to have revised the chart by placing the speed restriction box in all quadrants rather than just changing the wording in the box in the south quadrant the change would have been more noticeable.
An MD-83 flight crew accelerated toward normal climb speed in violation of the recently revised restriction of 250 KTS until advised for all departures on the O'HARE SIX SID from ORD.