Narrative:

Our aircraft arrived late by about 40 mins. We boarded our passenger, and during fueling had a fuel spill. That made our delay grow longer. I had to remove a drunk passenger during the boarding process, while making sure the fuel spill and fueling process were being taken care of. We finally pushed back 1:15 late with an inoperative APU, also. We elected to single-engine taxi and started the other engine while crossing runway 27R (the active runway at phl). After crossing the active runway we were busy with checklists and passenger announcements, while changing to tower frequency. Tower cleared us for immediate takeoff, and even though we had not finished our checklists, I taxied the aircraft into position and started to advance the power for takeoff. I told the first officer to continue the takeoff, and we did, as he was finishing the checklists. After about 1000' of takeoff roll, tower cancelled our takeoff clearance and said to do a 180 degree turn. I did the 180 and thought the runway was kind of narrow, but asked the tower why we had our takeoff clearance cancelled. He said 'look off to your right.' I still couldn't see a problem, until the first officer said 'we're not in the runway.' at that point I realized we had started our takeoff roll on an active taxiway (parallel to runway 27L). Tower cleared us into position again and we took off on runway 27L bnd for our destination. The taxiway lights at phl are green C/left lights instead of blue edge lights, like everywhere else. That is confusing to say the least, and it is hard to know where you are in phl, especially at night. I should have stopped the aircraft to finish our before-takeoff check, and not let us get rushed by the tower giving us takeoff clearance before we were ready. Also, since we were 1:15 late already, another 30 seconds to 1 min wouldn't have made any difference. Those C/left lights on the taxiway looked good as we started the first takeoff roll, and I had my head inside watching INS and setting power. Supplemental information from acn 135180: during much of this time my attention was in the cockpit putting information into the FMC and running the checklists. As I looked outside we were moving for takeoff. The throttles were at the 40% N1 position. I then pressed the takeoff/GA button. The throttles advanced. This is about when tower stopped our takeoff, approximately 30 KTS.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG STARTS TKOF ROLL ON THE CENTER TXWY AT PHL. TWR CALLED ABORT.

Narrative: OUR ACFT ARRIVED LATE BY ABOUT 40 MINS. WE BOARDED OUR PAX, AND DURING FUELING HAD A FUEL SPILL. THAT MADE OUR DELAY GROW LONGER. I HAD TO REMOVE A DRUNK PAX DURING THE BOARDING PROCESS, WHILE MAKING SURE THE FUEL SPILL AND FUELING PROCESS WERE BEING TAKEN CARE OF. WE FINALLY PUSHED BACK 1:15 LATE WITH AN INOP APU, ALSO. WE ELECTED TO SINGLE-ENG TAXI AND STARTED THE OTHER ENG WHILE XING RWY 27R (THE ACTIVE RWY AT PHL). AFTER XING THE ACTIVE RWY WE WERE BUSY WITH CHKLISTS AND PAX ANNOUNCEMENTS, WHILE CHANGING TO TWR FREQ. TWR CLRED US FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF, AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAD NOT FINISHED OUR CHKLISTS, I TAXIED THE ACFT INTO POS AND STARTED TO ADVANCE THE PWR FOR TKOF. I TOLD THE F/O TO CONTINUE THE TKOF, AND WE DID, AS HE WAS FINISHING THE CHKLISTS. AFTER ABOUT 1000' OF TKOF ROLL, TWR CANCELLED OUR TKOF CLRNC AND SAID TO DO A 180 DEG TURN. I DID THE 180 AND THOUGHT THE RWY WAS KIND OF NARROW, BUT ASKED THE TWR WHY WE HAD OUR TKOF CLRNC CANCELLED. HE SAID 'LOOK OFF TO YOUR RIGHT.' I STILL COULDN'T SEE A PROB, UNTIL THE F/O SAID 'WE'RE NOT IN THE RWY.' AT THAT POINT I REALIZED WE HAD STARTED OUR TKOF ROLL ON AN ACTIVE TXWY (PARALLEL TO RWY 27L). TWR CLRED US INTO POS AGAIN AND WE TOOK OFF ON RWY 27L BND FOR OUR DEST. THE TXWY LIGHTS AT PHL ARE GREEN C/L LIGHTS INSTEAD OF BLUE EDGE LIGHTS, LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE. THAT IS CONFUSING TO SAY THE LEAST, AND IT IS HARD TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE IN PHL, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED THE ACFT TO FINISH OUR BEFORE-TKOF CHK, AND NOT LET US GET RUSHED BY THE TWR GIVING US TKOF CLRNC BEFORE WE WERE READY. ALSO, SINCE WE WERE 1:15 LATE ALREADY, ANOTHER 30 SECS TO 1 MIN WOULDN'T HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE. THOSE C/L LIGHTS ON THE TXWY LOOKED GOOD AS WE STARTED THE FIRST TKOF ROLL, AND I HAD MY HEAD INSIDE WATCHING INS AND SETTING PWR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 135180: DURING MUCH OF THIS TIME MY ATTN WAS IN THE COCKPIT PUTTING INFO INTO THE FMC AND RUNNING THE CHKLISTS. AS I LOOKED OUTSIDE WE WERE MOVING FOR TKOF. THE THROTTLES WERE AT THE 40% N1 POS. I THEN PRESSED THE TKOF/GA BUTTON. THE THROTTLES ADVANCED. THIS IS ABOUT WHEN TWR STOPPED OUR TKOF, APPROX 30 KTS.

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.