Narrative:

The incident occurred at the start of the second leg of our trip. We started the trip in phx. My first officer was new and had only been on line a couple of months. He is from a country in the mid-east and has a heavy accent. As we started the trip I briefed him, as I do all my first officer's, that 'I try to do everything as standard as possible. If you see me do anything that doesn't look right to you please question it, I may be making a mistake.' I don't want any first officer to be afraid to question me as the captain--after all, I am still human. As we approached the end of the runway (26 at abq) we switched to tower. I didn't see any traffic but tower hadn't said anything to us, so we let them know we were ready. I believe that tower probably said, '(call sign) position and hold, runway 26, fly runway heading for departure.' while my first officer read it back I was turning onto the runway and accomplishing my takeoff flow. Since we had just changed to a brand new procedure which eliminated a takeoff checklist, I was concentrating more on my flow (only 3 items) than on the radio. Since my first officer was new and it was his first time with the new procedures, I was also concentrating on him. So, after he read back the clearance, I said out loud to him, 'cleared for takeoff, fly runway heading.' and I began to advance the throttles. My first officer looked a little confused, but he didn't say anything. So, I assumed he was just trying to remember his new procedures, although it made me wonder if I had really been cleared for takeoff. The takeoff was normal but after we broke ground and climbed 200' or so tower came on and said, '(call sign) you were told to position and hold.' so, we apologized and tower said, 'no problem, traffic departed runway 32(?) is 1 O'clock low, contact departure.' we never saw the light airplane that departed the crossing runway and I had looked extra carefully as we rolled down the runway because I began to question my clearance. Because the runway doesn't cross until the far end of ours and we had a short takeoff roll and rapid climb and the other guy had a lead on us, we were never very close. But it still scared me to think what could have happened. Probable causes for this incident are: doing tasks in cockpit while receiving clearance caused partial inattn. The only thing that really stuck in my mind was, 'fly runway heading for departure.' giving departure instructions along with 'position and hold' was slightly confusing unless you're really listening. Departure instructions are usually given with takeoff clearance, or less frequently with 'hold short,' but rarely with 'position and hold.' my first officer should have said something. Crews need to work as a team. He later said that he just thought he missed a radio call somehow. We were just starting a new checklist procedure. Although it has great improvements and will work much better for us, the changeover is fairly major. Thus it takes more concentration during this transition to get used to the new way. The lesson is to not do anything when receiving a clearance. Apparently we were only seconds from being cleared for takeoff anyway because there was no close conflict. But I still am deeply troubled that such a situation could have meant a crash at the runway intersection. I will listen more carefully to all instructions from ATC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TKOF WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE START OF THE SECOND LEG OF OUR TRIP. WE STARTED THE TRIP IN PHX. MY F/O WAS NEW AND HAD ONLY BEEN ON LINE A COUPLE OF MONTHS. HE IS FROM A COUNTRY IN THE MID-EAST AND HAS A HEAVY ACCENT. AS WE STARTED THE TRIP I BRIEFED HIM, AS I DO ALL MY F/O'S, THAT 'I TRY TO DO EVERYTHING AS STANDARD AS POSSIBLE. IF YOU SEE ME DO ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT TO YOU PLEASE QUESTION IT, I MAY BE MAKING A MISTAKE.' I DON'T WANT ANY F/O TO BE AFRAID TO QUESTION ME AS THE CAPT--AFTER ALL, I AM STILL HUMAN. AS WE APCHED THE END OF THE RWY (26 AT ABQ) WE SWITCHED TO TWR. I DIDN'T SEE ANY TFC BUT TWR HADN'T SAID ANYTHING TO US, SO WE LET THEM KNOW WE WERE READY. I BELIEVE THAT TWR PROBABLY SAID, '(CALL SIGN) POS AND HOLD, RWY 26, FLY RWY HDG FOR DEP.' WHILE MY F/O READ IT BACK I WAS TURNING ONTO THE RWY AND ACCOMPLISHING MY TKOF FLOW. SINCE WE HAD JUST CHANGED TO A BRAND NEW PROC WHICH ELIMINATED A TKOF CHKLIST, I WAS CONCENTRATING MORE ON MY FLOW (ONLY 3 ITEMS) THAN ON THE RADIO. SINCE MY F/O WAS NEW AND IT WAS HIS FIRST TIME WITH THE NEW PROCS, I WAS ALSO CONCENTRATING ON HIM. SO, AFTER HE READ BACK THE CLRNC, I SAID OUT LOUD TO HIM, 'CLRED FOR TKOF, FLY RWY HDG.' AND I BEGAN TO ADVANCE THE THROTTLES. MY F/O LOOKED A LITTLE CONFUSED, BUT HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. SO, I ASSUMED HE WAS JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER HIS NEW PROCS, ALTHOUGH IT MADE ME WONDER IF I HAD REALLY BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF. THE TKOF WAS NORMAL BUT AFTER WE BROKE GND AND CLBED 200' OR SO TWR CAME ON AND SAID, '(CALL SIGN) YOU WERE TOLD TO POS AND HOLD.' SO, WE APOLOGIZED AND TWR SAID, 'NO PROB, TFC DEPARTED RWY 32(?) IS 1 O'CLOCK LOW, CONTACT DEP.' WE NEVER SAW THE LIGHT AIRPLANE THAT DEPARTED THE XING RWY AND I HAD LOOKED EXTRA CAREFULLY AS WE ROLLED DOWN THE RWY BECAUSE I BEGAN TO QUESTION MY CLRNC. BECAUSE THE RWY DOESN'T CROSS UNTIL THE FAR END OF OURS AND WE HAD A SHORT TKOF ROLL AND RAPID CLB AND THE OTHER GUY HAD A LEAD ON US, WE WERE NEVER VERY CLOSE. BUT IT STILL SCARED ME TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. PROBABLE CAUSES FOR THIS INCIDENT ARE: DOING TASKS IN COCKPIT WHILE RECEIVING CLRNC CAUSED PARTIAL INATTN. THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY STUCK IN MY MIND WAS, 'FLY RWY HDG FOR DEP.' GIVING DEP INSTRUCTIONS ALONG WITH 'POS AND HOLD' WAS SLIGHTLY CONFUSING UNLESS YOU'RE REALLY LISTENING. DEP INSTRUCTIONS ARE USUALLY GIVEN WITH TKOF CLRNC, OR LESS FREQUENTLY WITH 'HOLD SHORT,' BUT RARELY WITH 'POS AND HOLD.' MY F/O SHOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING. CREWS NEED TO WORK AS A TEAM. HE LATER SAID THAT HE JUST THOUGHT HE MISSED A RADIO CALL SOMEHOW. WE WERE JUST STARTING A NEW CHKLIST PROC. ALTHOUGH IT HAS GREAT IMPROVEMENTS AND WILL WORK MUCH BETTER FOR US, THE CHANGEOVER IS FAIRLY MAJOR. THUS IT TAKES MORE CONCENTRATION DURING THIS TRANSITION TO GET USED TO THE NEW WAY. THE LESSON IS TO NOT DO ANYTHING WHEN RECEIVING A CLRNC. APPARENTLY WE WERE ONLY SECONDS FROM BEING CLRED FOR TKOF ANYWAY BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CLOSE CONFLICT. BUT I STILL AM DEEPLY TROUBLED THAT SUCH A SITUATION COULD HAVE MEANT A CRASH AT THE RWY INTXN. I WILL LISTEN MORE CAREFULLY TO ALL INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.