Narrative:

Air carrier X large transport was issued clearance, transponder code and departure control frequency, and acknowledged each correctly. Aircraft was subsequently issued a heading of 255 degrees and cleared for takeoff. At the departure end of runway, air carrier X was told to contact departure and reissued the heading. Aircraft responded with '255, good day.' several mins later, air carrier X reported to me on local control, 'level 10000'.' aircraft was again instructed to contact departure. I then called departure and asked if they had contact with air carrier X. The response was, 'we're looking for him.' from tapes and other available information, it was determined that air carrier X did not contact departure. He also departed on the wrong transponder code, therefore not being displayed on departure control scope. The aircraft subsequently lost sep with a military fgt. Supplemental information from acn 124290: air carrier X from atl runway 27R. We were told by tower to 'fly heading 250 and contact departure.' I rogered the clearance and thought I switched over, however this was the time (about 400' AGL) first officer called for flaps up, and I either didn't switch over, or when I moved my hand across the console to the flap handle, hit a switch back to tower. I reported 'out of 9 for 10' on the radio, at which time ATC (tower) informed me I should be on departure control. I switched to departure and reported 'leveling 10000'.' departure asked me where I was. I replied, 'southwest sector atl TCA. We departed runway 27R.' departure control asked us to squawk a code and identify that had a different last digit from what we were squawking. I set the transponder and hit the identify button. After about 45 seconds, departure gave me another heading and we continued on our flight. I think I was preoccupied with some unrelated events during climb out, although I don't remember being. Any other time I would have asked for a turn sooner. Also, I was concerned that departure control didn't seem to recognize my call # when I finally did call. Supplemental information from acn 124680: air carrier X first transmission to me was, 'atl, air carrier X is level 10000.' my trainer immediately asked air carrier X for his position. The aircraft said he was approximately 20 mi southwest of atl. We then asked the aircraft to identify. Military fgt then advised that an air carrier large transport had just gone by him. The fgt estimated the large transport passed 500' above him. We turned the large transport sebnd. We told air carrier X to squawk the correct beacon code. He then did and we located the aircraft. Had air carrier X called departure radar, as he was instructed to do by tower, we would have realized the aircraft was actually airborne, even though he was on the wrong beacon code. Why an air carrier would fly 20 mi west/O talking to departure radar in one of the world's busiest airports will forever remain a mystery to me. The time from when he was instructed to contact departure until he actually called departure was a little over 3 mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION FROM MIL FGT. SYSTEM ERROR. FLT CREW FAILED TO COMPLY WITH ATC INSTRUCTIONS.

Narrative: ACR X LGT WAS ISSUED CLRNC, XPONDER CODE AND DEP CTL FREQ, AND ACKNOWLEDGED EACH CORRECTLY. ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED A HDG OF 255 DEGS AND CLRED FOR TKOF. AT THE DEP END OF RWY, ACR X WAS TOLD TO CONTACT DEP AND REISSUED THE HDG. ACFT RESPONDED WITH '255, GOOD DAY.' SEVERAL MINS LATER, ACR X RPTED TO ME ON LCL CTL, 'LEVEL 10000'.' ACFT WAS AGAIN INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT DEP. I THEN CALLED DEP AND ASKED IF THEY HAD CONTACT WITH ACR X. THE RESPONSE WAS, 'WE'RE LOOKING FOR HIM.' FROM TAPES AND OTHER AVAILABLE INFO, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ACR X DID NOT CONTACT DEP. HE ALSO DEPARTED ON THE WRONG XPONDER CODE, THEREFORE NOT BEING DISPLAYED ON DEP CTL SCOPE. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY LOST SEP WITH A MIL FGT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 124290: ACR X FROM ATL RWY 27R. WE WERE TOLD BY TWR TO 'FLY HDG 250 AND CONTACT DEP.' I ROGERED THE CLRNC AND THOUGHT I SWITCHED OVER, HOWEVER THIS WAS THE TIME (ABOUT 400' AGL) F/O CALLED FOR FLAPS UP, AND I EITHER DIDN'T SWITCH OVER, OR WHEN I MOVED MY HAND ACROSS THE CONSOLE TO THE FLAP HANDLE, HIT A SWITCH BACK TO TWR. I RPTED 'OUT OF 9 FOR 10' ON THE RADIO, AT WHICH TIME ATC (TWR) INFORMED ME I SHOULD BE ON DEP CTL. I SWITCHED TO DEP AND RPTED 'LEVELING 10000'.' DEP ASKED ME WHERE I WAS. I REPLIED, 'SW SECTOR ATL TCA. WE DEPARTED RWY 27R.' DEP CTL ASKED US TO SQUAWK A CODE AND IDENT THAT HAD A DIFFERENT LAST DIGIT FROM WHAT WE WERE SQUAWKING. I SET THE XPONDER AND HIT THE IDENT BUTTON. AFTER ABOUT 45 SECS, DEP GAVE ME ANOTHER HDG AND WE CONTINUED ON OUR FLT. I THINK I WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH SOME UNRELATED EVENTS DURING CLBOUT, ALTHOUGH I DON'T REMEMBER BEING. ANY OTHER TIME I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A TURN SOONER. ALSO, I WAS CONCERNED THAT DEP CTL DIDN'T SEEM TO RECOGNIZE MY CALL # WHEN I FINALLY DID CALL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 124680: ACR X FIRST XMISSION TO ME WAS, 'ATL, ACR X IS LEVEL 10000.' MY TRAINER IMMEDIATELY ASKED ACR X FOR HIS POS. THE ACFT SAID HE WAS APPROX 20 MI SW OF ATL. WE THEN ASKED THE ACFT TO IDENT. MIL FGT THEN ADVISED THAT AN ACR LGT HAD JUST GONE BY HIM. THE FGT ESTIMATED THE LGT PASSED 500' ABOVE HIM. WE TURNED THE LGT SEBND. WE TOLD ACR X TO SQUAWK THE CORRECT BEACON CODE. HE THEN DID AND WE LOCATED THE ACFT. HAD ACR X CALLED DEP RADAR, AS HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO DO BY TWR, WE WOULD HAVE REALIZED THE ACFT WAS ACTUALLY AIRBORNE, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ON THE WRONG BEACON CODE. WHY AN ACR WOULD FLY 20 MI W/O TALKING TO DEP RADAR IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S BUSIEST ARPTS WILL FOREVER REMAIN A MYSTERY TO ME. THE TIME FROM WHEN HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT DEP UNTIL HE ACTUALLY CALLED DEP WAS A LITTLE OVER 3 MINS.

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.