Narrative:

I was a new captain undergoing IOE training. We had been assigned an aircraft which I felt had particularly difficult nose wheel steering qualities in hard (90 degree) turns. We were taxiing on taxiway B to runway 5R for departure. At intersection B/B9, the IOE captain called the tower 'air carrier flight is ready.' we were still moving toward the runway end when the tower came back with 'air carrier flight is cleared....' at this point, we were at the end of the taxiway and I began a 90 degree turn to the left. However, I had some difficulty doing this due to the nose wheel steering. The focus of my attention at that time became keeping the aircraft nose wheel near the centerline. Simultaneously, per company procedure, I reached down and disengaged the control gust lock. This is a 2 pilot action and is the silent signal for the first officer (in this case IOE captain) to begin the final takeoff checklist). As we advanced toward the runway, the assisting pilot said 'clear right' and I looked and responded 'clear left.' we entered the runway area and as I lined up on the centerline, again experiencing some difficulty with the nose wheel, I asked the assisting pilot if we were cleared to go to which he responded 'that's a fact.' he simultaneously completed the checklist which is a company procedure accomplished only after takeoff clearance has been received, ie, landing lights 'on,' takeoff inhibit 'on.' we proceeded with a normal takeoff procedure. About 500-700 ft down the runway the tower controller came on and said 'air carrier flight XXX,' then nothing more until, after talking to another aircraft or two, she assigned us a heading of 250 degrees and contact departure. Our curiosity was then aroused as we thought we had been cleared for takeoff, but the ensuing transmissions from tower seemed to connote otherwise. A check back with tower indicated a need to call them by telephone upon arrival in clt. We did this and were informed that they did not think we had been cleared to takeoff due to a departing aircraft on the parallel runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LTT TOOK OFF WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I WAS A NEW CAPT UNDERGOING IOE TRAINING. WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED AN ACFT WHICH I FELT HAD PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT NOSE WHEEL STEERING QUALITIES IN HARD (90 DEG) TURNS. WE WERE TAXIING ON TAXIWAY B TO RWY 5R FOR DEP. AT INTXN B/B9, THE IOE CAPT CALLED THE TWR 'ACR FLT IS READY.' WE WERE STILL MOVING TOWARD THE RWY END WHEN THE TWR CAME BACK WITH 'ACR FLT IS CLRED....' AT THIS POINT, WE WERE AT THE END OF THE TAXIWAY AND I BEGAN A 90 DEG TURN TO THE L. HOWEVER, I HAD SOME DIFFICULTY DOING THIS DUE TO THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING. THE FOCUS OF MY ATTN AT THAT TIME BECAME KEEPING THE ACFT NOSE WHEEL NEAR THE CTRLINE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, PER COMPANY PROC, I REACHED DOWN AND DISENGAGED THE CTL GUST LOCK. THIS IS A 2 PLT ACTION AND IS THE SILENT SIGNAL FOR THE FO (IN THIS CASE IOE CAPT) TO BEGIN THE FINAL TKOF CHKLIST). AS WE ADVANCED TOWARD THE RWY, THE ASSISTING PLT SAID 'CLR R' AND I LOOKED AND RESPONDED 'CLR L.' WE ENTERED THE RWY AREA AND AS I LINED UP ON THE CTRLINE, AGAIN EXPERIENCING SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE NOSE WHEEL, I ASKED THE ASSISTING PLT IF WE WERE CLRED TO GO TO WHICH HE RESPONDED 'THAT'S A FACT.' HE SIMULTANEOUSLY COMPLETED THE CHKLIST WHICH IS A COMPANY PROC ACCOMPLISHED ONLY AFTER TKOF CLRNC HAS BEEN RECEIVED, IE, LNDG LIGHTS 'ON,' TKOF INHIBIT 'ON.' WE PROCEEDED WITH A NORMAL TKOF PROC. ABOUT 500-700 FT DOWN THE RWY THE TWR CTLR CAME ON AND SAID 'ACR FLT XXX,' THEN NOTHING MORE UNTIL, AFTER TALKING TO ANOTHER ACFT OR TWO, SHE ASSIGNED US A HDG OF 250 DEGS AND CONTACT DEP. OUR CURIOSITY WAS THEN AROUSED AS WE THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF, BUT THE ENSUING TRANSMISSIONS FROM TWR SEEMED TO CONNOTE OTHERWISE. A CHK BACK WITH TWR INDICATED A NEED TO CALL THEM BY TELEPHONE UPON ARR IN CLT. WE DID THIS AND WERE INFORMED THAT THEY DID NOT THINK WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO TKOF DUE TO A DEPARTING ACFT ON THE PARALLEL RWY.

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.