Narrative:

I was the first officer on flight from bwi to ord. Inadvertently, I entered bwi as the departure and arrival station in ACARS. The flight number and the other information were entered correctly. The departure clearance that we received was in error as a result. The clearance we received was for a flight from dfw to bwi that operated the night before. I neglected to check the entire clearance, but only set the departure frequency, the initial altitude, and the transponder code. I had flown this same sequence the entire month before with the same captain and I was complacent. After takeoff we tried to call departure and after getting no reply, we returned to tower and received the correct frequency. We informed departure control that we were climbing to 10000 ft, the initial altitude on the erroneous clearance. Departure cleared us to 17000 ft and did not question our original altitude. I do not believe there was a conflict with other traffic. Later, washington center had us change our transponder code, which led us to check our original clearance and detect the error. After entering the correct destination, we received a valid clearance through ACARS. I had never encountered a problem like this before and was very surprised to find that it was possible to get a clearance for a different flight number, from a different departure station that had previously departed. Complacency was the biggest problem in this instance. A contributing factor was the possibility of getting an erroneous clearance with no double checks on the system. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. The flight crew does bring a flight plan to the aircraft from the operations office but they did not compare the 2. Reporter says some stations request a readback of the transponder code when takeoff clearance is requested but that bwi does not request a readback of any flight plan information. Reporter has talked with other flcs about this problem but non have ever experienced this and he now thinks it was perhaps just a 1 time computer glitch.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF ACR LGT ADVANCED COCKPIT PUT THE WRONG DEST INTO ACARS WHEN REQUESTING DEP CLRNC. ACARS GAVE BACK AN INCORRECT CLRNC AND TRANSPONDER CODE THAT WAS NOT CHKED BY THE FLC. ERROR WAS DETECTED AFTER TKOF WHEN CTLR REQUESTED A MODE C CHANGE.

Narrative: I WAS THE FO ON FLT FROM BWI TO ORD. INADVERTENTLY, I ENTERED BWI AS THE DEP AND ARR STATION IN ACARS. THE FLT NUMBER AND THE OTHER INFO WERE ENTERED CORRECTLY. THE DEP CLRNC THAT WE RECEIVED WAS IN ERROR AS A RESULT. THE CLRNC WE RECEIVED WAS FOR A FLT FROM DFW TO BWI THAT OPERATED THE NIGHT BEFORE. I NEGLECTED TO CHK THE ENTIRE CLRNC, BUT ONLY SET THE DEP FREQ, THE INITIAL ALT, AND THE TRANSPONDER CODE. I HAD FLOWN THIS SAME SEQUENCE THE ENTIRE MONTH BEFORE WITH THE SAME CAPT AND I WAS COMPLACENT. AFTER TKOF WE TRIED TO CALL DEP AND AFTER GETTING NO REPLY, WE RETURNED TO TWR AND RECEIVED THE CORRECT FREQ. WE INFORMED DEP CTL THAT WE WERE CLBING TO 10000 FT, THE INITIAL ALT ON THE ERRONEOUS CLRNC. DEP CLRED US TO 17000 FT AND DID NOT QUESTION OUR ORIGINAL ALT. I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS A CONFLICT WITH OTHER TFC. LATER, WASHINGTON CENTER HAD US CHANGE OUR TRANSPONDER CODE, WHICH LED US TO CHK OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC AND DETECT THE ERROR. AFTER ENTERING THE CORRECT DEST, WE RECEIVED A VALID CLRNC THROUGH ACARS. I HAD NEVER ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE AND WAS VERY SURPRISED TO FIND THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET A CLRNC FOR A DIFFERENT FLT NUMBER, FROM A DIFFERENT DEP STATION THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY DEPARTED. COMPLACENCY WAS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THIS INSTANCE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING AN ERRONEOUS CLRNC WITH NO DOUBLE CHKS ON THE SYS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE FLC DOES BRING A FLT PLAN TO THE ACFT FROM THE OPS OFFICE BUT THEY DID NOT COMPARE THE 2. RPTR SAYS SOME STATIONS REQUEST A READBACK OF THE TRANSPONDER CODE WHEN TKOF CLRNC IS REQUESTED BUT THAT BWI DOES NOT REQUEST A READBACK OF ANY FLT PLAN INFO. RPTR HAS TALKED WITH OTHER FLCS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT NON HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED THIS AND HE NOW THINKS IT WAS PERHAPS JUST A 1 TIME COMPUTER GLITCH.

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.