Narrative:

Our flight left the concourse in mke, wi, as air carrier abc for a flight to appleton, wi. We were given a taxi clearance to runway 7R which we complied with. The after start and before takeoff checks were completed and the captain subsequently transferred the controls to the first officer. The first officer taxied up to the hold short lines for runway 7R and stopped. We waited for an air carrier widebody transport to touch down and then we were given the clearance, abc taxi into position and hold runway 7R. The captain acknowledged the clearance and scoured the approach and departure paths. The first officer taxied the aircraft onto the runway. At this time a corporate jet called the tower and stated he was on the visual approach for runway 7R. Tower told him there was 1 departure prior to his arrival. Mke was using runway 19R as well and the tower gave clearance for an medium large transport to taxi into position and hold. The widebody transport was beginning to exit runway 7R when the tower said the following: 'abc cleared for immediate takeoff.' the captain acknowledged this clearance, scanned the departure area and the first officer advanced the throttles. At this time the captain saw that the widebody transport jet had not completely exited the runway and proceeded to apply partial brakes. He told the first officer to continue to bring up the power and as widebody transport cleared the runway, he released the brakes. The aircraft traveled about 500 ft down the runway then the tower told the aircraft to stop the takeoff roll. He subsequently stated to the pilots he told them to plan an immediate takeoff and had not cleared them for an immediate takeoff. The tower controller then cleared the aircraft for takeoff and the captain stated he wanted to exit the runway and go back to the threshold. The captain taxied off the runway and took the aircraft back to the hold short lines. An aircraft in position and hold for an extended period of time is an unsafe situation when that particular runway is being used for lndgs as well. The flight crew was situationally aware of the aircraft on the visual to the runway they were on. The controller may have meant to say the word 'plan' instead of cleared, but over the radio it sounded like cleared for immediate takeoff to both pilots. After the incident, the captain repeatedly questioned the first officer and the first officer concurred that he heard exactly what the captain had heard.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT IN POS AND HOLD HEARS IMMEDIATE TKOF CLRNC. TOLD TO ABORT TKOF, THEN CLRED AGAIN.

Narrative: OUR FLT LEFT THE CONCOURSE IN MKE, WI, AS ACR ABC FOR A FLT TO APPLETON, WI. WE WERE GIVEN A TAXI CLRNC TO RWY 7R WHICH WE COMPLIED WITH. THE AFTER START AND BEFORE TKOF CHKS WERE COMPLETED AND THE CAPT SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSFERRED THE CTLS TO THE FO. THE FO TAXIED UP TO THE HOLD SHORT LINES FOR RWY 7R AND STOPPED. WE WAITED FOR AN ACR WDB TO TOUCH DOWN AND THEN WE WERE GIVEN THE CLRNC, ABC TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 7R. THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC AND SCOURED THE APCH AND DEP PATHS. THE FO TAXIED THE ACFT ONTO THE RWY. AT THIS TIME A CORPORATE JET CALLED THE TWR AND STATED HE WAS ON THE VISUAL APCH FOR RWY 7R. TWR TOLD HIM THERE WAS 1 DEP PRIOR TO HIS ARR. MKE WAS USING RWY 19R AS WELL AND THE TWR GAVE CLRNC FOR AN MLG TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. THE WDB WAS BEGINNING TO EXIT RWY 7R WHEN THE TWR SAID THE FOLLOWING: 'ABC CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF.' THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS CLRNC, SCANNED THE DEP AREA AND THE FO ADVANCED THE THROTTLES. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT SAW THAT THE WDB JET HAD NOT COMPLETELY EXITED THE RWY AND PROCEEDED TO APPLY PARTIAL BRAKES. HE TOLD THE FO TO CONTINUE TO BRING UP THE PWR AND AS WDB CLRED THE RWY, HE RELEASED THE BRAKES. THE ACFT TRAVELED ABOUT 500 FT DOWN THE RWY THEN THE TWR TOLD THE ACFT TO STOP THE TKOF ROLL. HE SUBSEQUENTLY STATED TO THE PLTS HE TOLD THEM TO PLAN AN IMMEDIATE TKOF AND HAD NOT CLRED THEM FOR AN IMMEDIATE TKOF. THE TWR CTLR THEN CLRED THE ACFT FOR TKOF AND THE CAPT STATED HE WANTED TO EXIT THE RWY AND GO BACK TO THE THRESHOLD. THE CAPT TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND TOOK THE ACFT BACK TO THE HOLD SHORT LINES. AN ACFT IN POS AND HOLD FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME IS AN UNSAFE SIT WHEN THAT PARTICULAR RWY IS BEING USED FOR LNDGS AS WELL. THE FLC WAS SITUATIONALLY AWARE OF THE ACFT ON THE VISUAL TO THE RWY THEY WERE ON. THE CTLR MAY HAVE MEANT TO SAY THE WORD 'PLAN' INSTEAD OF CLRED, BUT OVER THE RADIO IT SOUNDED LIKE CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF TO BOTH PLTS. AFTER THE INCIDENT, THE CAPT REPEATEDLY QUESTIONED THE FO AND THE FO CONCURRED THAT HE HEARD EXACTLY WHAT THE CAPT HAD HEARD.

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.