Narrative:

After normal taxi for runway 36L at dfw, holding short of runway at intersection 31 for landing traffic. Air carrier traffic landed normally and was continuing landing roll. Local controller cleared our aircraft 'into position and hold'. While holding on runway previous traffic appeared to be turning off the runway. Tower then cleared us for takeoff and the rest of the takeoff checklist was completed. After initiating the takeoff roll normal company callouts were made. The runway ahead appeared clear with only what appeared to be the flashing light of a service vehicle on the service road at the north end of the runway. While the normal callouts were made by the first officer a radio transmission was made by the local controller which was unreadable. After our aircraft was airborne it became apparent that the flashing light was in reality the rotating beacon of an air carrier large transport type aircraft still on the runway near or at the north boundary. This conflict was the result of a chain of circumstances. 1) anticipated separation of aircraft by the local controller, 2) existence of street and service lighting at departure threshold and the common occurrence of emergency and service vehicles with flashing lights in close proximity to runways, 3) the concentration and attention required by crew members to procedures and cockpit indicators during initial takeoff roll, 4) failure in communication between aircraft and ATC during critical phases of operation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLOSE PROX COMMUTER MDT ACR-LGT.

Narrative: AFTER NORMAL TAXI FOR RWY 36L AT DFW, HOLDING SHORT OF RWY AT INTXN 31 FOR LNDG TFC. AIR CARRIER TFC LANDED NORMALLY AND WAS CONTINUING LNDG ROLL. LCL CTLR CLRED OUR ACFT 'INTO POSITION AND HOLD'. WHILE HOLDING ON RWY PREVIOUS TFC APPEARED TO BE TURNING OFF THE RWY. TWR THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF AND THE REST OF THE TKOF CHECKLIST WAS COMPLETED. AFTER INITIATING THE TKOF ROLL NORMAL COMPANY CALLOUTS WERE MADE. THE RWY AHEAD APPEARED CLEAR WITH ONLY WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE FLASHING LIGHT OF A SERVICE VEHICLE ON THE SERVICE ROAD AT THE NORTH END OF THE RWY. WHILE THE NORMAL CALLOUTS WERE MADE BY THE F/O A RADIO XMISSION WAS MADE BY THE LCL CTLR WHICH WAS UNREADABLE. AFTER OUR ACFT WAS AIRBORNE IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE FLASHING LIGHT WAS IN REALITY THE ROTATING BEACON OF AN ACR LGT TYPE ACFT STILL ON THE RWY NEAR OR AT THE NORTH BOUNDARY. THIS CONFLICT WAS THE RESULT OF A CHAIN OF CIRCUMSTANCES. 1) ANTICIPATED SEPARATION OF ACFT BY THE LCL CTLR, 2) EXISTENCE OF STREET AND SERVICE LIGHTING AT DEP THRESHOLD AND THE COMMON OCCURRENCE OF EMER AND SERVICE VEHICLES WITH FLASHING LIGHTS IN CLOSE PROX TO RWYS, 3) THE CONCENTRATION AND ATTN REQUIRED BY CREW MEMBERS TO PROCS AND COCKPIT INDICATORS DURING INITIAL TKOF ROLL, 4) FAILURE IN COM BETWEEN ACFT AND ATC DURING CRITICAL PHASES OF OPERATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.