Narrative:

The occurrence happened shortly after a thunderstorm had passed over the airport from southwest to northeast. There had been rain, but was light during the incident. The airport remained VFR the entire time of the thunderstorm passing. The facility is a lawrs station, and additional WX was being taken due to the thunderstorm. ZSE was trying to get an air taxi small transport into the airport, but that aircraft elected to hold east until the storm passed. A GA aircraft called clearance delivery for an IFR clearance and it was received by the pilot. Clearance delivery, ground control and flight data are combined at our tower. The aircraft taxied to the active runway west/O contacting ground control. In our facility, when a GA aircraft is IFR, ground control coordinates that with local control when the aircraft calls for taxi and then passes the strip to local control. Since the aircraft did not call for taxi clearance, the fact that he was IFR was not passed to local. I was working the local position and cleared the aircraft for takeoff. Since the airport was VFR and I had other VFR traffic I didn't question if the aircraft was IFR or not. The ground controller was busy with the WX and coordinating with the center to try and get the IFR small transport into the airport and did not notice the aircraft had taxied to the runway. Also, the ground controller was busy and did not hear me clear the GA for departure. In short, a GA aircraft with an IFR clearance taxied to a runway west/O clearance. The facility procedures were not good enough to ensure that an IFR clearance would not be missed in the event the coordination was not done. The aircraft departed in the same general direction that the IFR small transport was inbound and minimum sep was lost. I first learned of the incident when the center supervisor called and said the pilot claimed to have an IFR clearance. I feel that on the pilot's part the situation might have not happened had he called for taxi clearance, and if that was missed pilot could inform the tower controller that he is IFR, 'this is small transport, IFR, ready for takeoff.' on the controller's part, a better strip management procedure and better awareness could have prevented this incident. Supplemental information from acn 109531: center advised me of the incident when we broke sep 10 mi east of psc.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT X WITH AN IFR CLRNC TAXIED TO RWY WITHOUT CONTACTING GND CTL AND SUBSEQUENTLY CLEARED FOR TKOF AS A VFR ACFT. SMT X CAME IN CLOSE PROX TO A LNDG SMT Y. PLT DEVIATION.

Narrative: THE OCCURRENCE HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER A TSTM HAD PASSED OVER THE ARPT FROM SW TO NE. THERE HAD BEEN RAIN, BUT WAS LIGHT DURING THE INCIDENT. THE ARPT REMAINED VFR THE ENTIRE TIME OF THE TSTM PASSING. THE FAC IS A LAWRS STATION, AND ADDITIONAL WX WAS BEING TAKEN DUE TO THE TSTM. ZSE WAS TRYING TO GET AN AIR TAXI SMT INTO THE ARPT, BUT THAT ACFT ELECTED TO HOLD E UNTIL THE STORM PASSED. A GA ACFT CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY FOR AN IFR CLRNC AND IT WAS RECEIVED BY THE PLT. CLRNC DELIVERY, GND CTL AND FLT DATA ARE COMBINED AT OUR TWR. THE ACFT TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE RWY W/O CONTACTING GND CTL. IN OUR FAC, WHEN A GA ACFT IS IFR, GND CTL COORDINATES THAT WITH LCL CTL WHEN THE ACFT CALLS FOR TAXI AND THEN PASSES THE STRIP TO LCL CTL. SINCE THE ACFT DID NOT CALL FOR TAXI CLRNC, THE FACT THAT HE WAS IFR WAS NOT PASSED TO LCL. I WAS WORKING THE LCL POS AND CLRED THE ACFT FOR TKOF. SINCE THE ARPT WAS VFR AND I HAD OTHER VFR TFC I DIDN'T QUESTION IF THE ACFT WAS IFR OR NOT. THE GND CTLR WAS BUSY WITH THE WX AND COORDINATING WITH THE CENTER TO TRY AND GET THE IFR SMT INTO THE ARPT AND DID NOT NOTICE THE ACFT HAD TAXIED TO THE RWY. ALSO, THE GND CTLR WAS BUSY AND DID NOT HEAR ME CLR THE GA FOR DEP. IN SHORT, A GA ACFT WITH AN IFR CLRNC TAXIED TO A RWY W/O CLRNC. THE FAC PROCS WERE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO ENSURE THAT AN IFR CLRNC WOULD NOT BE MISSED IN THE EVENT THE COORD WAS NOT DONE. THE ACFT DEPARTED IN THE SAME GENERAL DIRECTION THAT THE IFR SMT WAS INBND AND MINIMUM SEP WAS LOST. I FIRST LEARNED OF THE INCIDENT WHEN THE CENTER SUPVR CALLED AND SAID THE PLT CLAIMED TO HAVE AN IFR CLRNC. I FEEL THAT ON THE PLT'S PART THE SITUATION MIGHT HAVE NOT HAPPENED HAD HE CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC, AND IF THAT WAS MISSED PLT COULD INFORM THE TWR CTLR THAT HE IS IFR, 'THIS IS SMT, IFR, READY FOR TKOF.' ON THE CTLR'S PART, A BETTER STRIP MGMNT PROC AND BETTER AWARENESS COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 109531: CENTER ADVISED ME OF THE INCIDENT WHEN WE BROKE SEP 10 MI E OF PSC.

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.