Narrative:

I was on ground control position. It was during a busy period. Clearance delivery had placed an outbnd flight progress strip in the bay at my position on an outbnd IFR flight, small aircraft X, a single engine aircraft. When small aircraft X called to taxi, provided taxi instructions to runway 3. I overlooked the fact that the aircraft was IFR, and consequently failed to notify local control that he was IFR. When small aircraft X called tower, tower cleared him for takeoff. Shortly thereafter we received an IFR release from phx approach on cga Y. Cga Y was cleared for takeoff. Within a minute or so I answered a call from approach at phx asking if we had small aircraft X departure IFR. I immediately checked the bay and advised the controller at phx approach control that small aircraft X did depart west/O a release. The factors which may have contributed to this incident in my opinion are: 1) this was during a busy session. In addition to my own duties, I was assisting a recently certified new employee on flight data/clearance delivery position. 2) at sdl, local control is not notified of outbnd IFR traffic until the aircraft begins taxi. I feel if the information was passed to local control when the clearance was issued, it would have prevented the incident. 3) the flight crew of small aircraft X, while not legally at fault, could have aided in the prevention of this incident by referring to the fact that he was IFR when he called ground control, or by telling tower he was IFR when he called ready for takeoff. Most professional, conscientious pilots use the phrase, ' ready for taxi IFR to ,' and, ' ready for departure IFR to .' this is a good operating practice which the pilot of small aircraft X did not use. At no time in his communication with ground control or local control did the pilot say he was IFR. If he had, he would have had a ground delay of 10-20 mins due to 2 jet departures ahead of him and IFR inbnds. 4) if sdl had radar this incident probably would have been prevented since small aircraft X would have tagged up sooner and alerted us to the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IFR ACFT WAS INADVERTENTLY RELEASED AS A VFR ACFT AND CONFLICTED WITH A SUBSEQUENT IFR DEP.

Narrative: I WAS ON GND CTL POS. IT WAS DURING A BUSY PERIOD. CLRNC DELIVERY HAD PLACED AN OUTBND FLT PROGRESS STRIP IN THE BAY AT MY POS ON AN OUTBND IFR FLT, SMA X, A SINGLE ENG ACFT. WHEN SMA X CALLED TO TAXI, PROVIDED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO RWY 3. I OVERLOOKED THE FACT THAT THE ACFT WAS IFR, AND CONSEQUENTLY FAILED TO NOTIFY LCL CTL THAT HE WAS IFR. WHEN SMA X CALLED TWR, TWR CLRED HIM FOR TKOF. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE RECEIVED AN IFR RELEASE FROM PHX APCH ON CGA Y. CGA Y WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. WITHIN A MINUTE OR SO I ANSWERED A CALL FROM APCH AT PHX ASKING IF WE HAD SMA X DEP IFR. I IMMEDIATELY CHKED THE BAY AND ADVISED THE CTLR AT PHX APCH CTL THAT SMA X DID DEPART W/O A RELEASE. THE FACTORS WHICH MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT IN MY OPINION ARE: 1) THIS WAS DURING A BUSY SESSION. IN ADDITION TO MY OWN DUTIES, I WAS ASSISTING A RECENTLY CERTIFIED NEW EMPLOYEE ON FLT DATA/CLRNC DELIVERY POS. 2) AT SDL, LCL CTL IS NOT NOTIFIED OF OUTBND IFR TFC UNTIL THE ACFT BEGINS TAXI. I FEEL IF THE INFO WAS PASSED TO LCL CTL WHEN THE CLRNC WAS ISSUED, IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE INCIDENT. 3) THE FLT CREW OF SMA X, WHILE NOT LEGALLY AT FAULT, COULD HAVE AIDED IN THE PREVENTION OF THIS INCIDENT BY REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS IFR WHEN HE CALLED GND CTL, OR BY TELLING TWR HE WAS IFR WHEN HE CALLED READY FOR TKOF. MOST PROFESSIONAL, CONSCIENTIOUS PLTS USE THE PHRASE, ' READY FOR TAXI IFR TO ,' AND, ' READY FOR DEP IFR TO .' THIS IS A GOOD OPERATING PRACTICE WHICH THE PLT OF SMA X DID NOT USE. AT NO TIME IN HIS COM WITH GND CTL OR LCL CTL DID THE PLT SAY HE WAS IFR. IF HE HAD, HE WOULD HAVE HAD A GND DELAY OF 10-20 MINS DUE TO 2 JET DEPS AHEAD OF HIM AND IFR INBNDS. 4) IF SDL HAD RADAR THIS INCIDENT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED SINCE SMA X WOULD HAVE TAGGED UP SOONER AND ALERTED US TO THE PROB.

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.