Narrative:

I received student's cross country planning for a cross country enl-huf-spi-enl for long solo cross country. I spent 1 hour and went over each check point and ensured she had 2 methods of identing each one. I checked WX -- no factor. I signed her logbook and far 141 folder and began work with another student. She asked to speak with me privately about a personal problem. She asked if she should go on her cross country. I told her that I feel very good when I fly alone and that my confidence is high in the air. I asked her how she felt. She said 'yes, I know what you mean, I feel that way too.' I told her to have a good flight. On departure from terre haute, she became confused about the location of the departure runway 23. There was also a larger airplane behind her during her runup. She felt internal pressure from 'delaying' the larger aircraft behind her. She asked for takeoff and was cleared. She queried the controller about the runway since she noticed her aircraft heading and the runway heading did not match. The controller ascertained that she was alone and said in a very irritated voice, 'you are at the runway, cleared for takeoff.' she went straight ahead, across the approach end of the runway, and barely cleared military jets and buildings. She said she kept asking if she was at the right place and the controller sounded really angry, like he wanted to get her out of the way. She decided to go and figured he would tell her to stop if she was doing the wrong thing. She asked me 'how many times was I supposed to ask for clarification?' before she went, I told her that when you say you are a student pilot, controllers watch you more closely and are more careful. 'You are at the runway' was misunderstood. Supplemental information from acn 250131: on the ground at terre haute an FSS briefer advised me to consult my instructor regarding marginal WX for the continued flight. I was told by my instructor to discontinue the planned flight and expedite my departure back to base to avoid the approaching bad WX. The delay in departure caused by my preflight check further increased my anxiety level. When I called for taxi I had forgotten to listen to the ATIS. When the controller asked me if I had ATIS information I didn't realize what he was referring to and when he had to tell me, I felt embarrassed for having asked a stupid question. I informed him that I was a student pilot on a solo training flight! Taxiing to the runway, I was further stressed by a fairly big multi-engine behind me. Furthermore, it was my impression that tower's transmission (regarding traffic in the area) was interrupted and I asked for the information to be repeated. At this point I felt the tower was getting impatient with me which also added up on my uneasiness and my inability to clearly assess the situation. Before entering the runway, I decided to confirm with the tower that I was cleared to take off. The very impatient reply from the tower was, 'you are at the runway and cleared to take off!' in spite of the fact that I initially knew that I wasn't on runway 23 but on the taxiway, the reply from the tower convinced me that I was in error, that this was the runway and that I was expected to initiate my takeoff from this position! During the ensuing takeoff, I barely missed a person on the ground, some jet fighters, buildings and wires!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SPI ON SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT DEPARTS ACROSS THE RWY INSTEAD OF ITS LENGTH BARELY MISSING A PERSON, JET FIGHTERS, BUILDINGS AND WIRES.

Narrative: I RECEIVED STUDENT'S XCOUNTRY PLANNING FOR A XCOUNTRY ENL-HUF-SPI-ENL FOR LONG SOLO XCOUNTRY. I SPENT 1 HR AND WENT OVER EACH CHK POINT AND ENSURED SHE HAD 2 METHODS OF IDENTING EACH ONE. I CHKED WX -- NO FACTOR. I SIGNED HER LOGBOOK AND FAR 141 FOLDER AND BEGAN WORK WITH ANOTHER STUDENT. SHE ASKED TO SPEAK WITH ME PRIVATELY ABOUT A PERSONAL PROB. SHE ASKED IF SHE SHOULD GO ON HER XCOUNTRY. I TOLD HER THAT I FEEL VERY GOOD WHEN I FLY ALONE AND THAT MY CONFIDENCE IS HIGH IN THE AIR. I ASKED HER HOW SHE FELT. SHE SAID 'YES, I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN, I FEEL THAT WAY TOO.' I TOLD HER TO HAVE A GOOD FLT. ON DEP FROM TERRE HAUTE, SHE BECAME CONFUSED ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE DEP RWY 23. THERE WAS ALSO A LARGER AIRPLANE BEHIND HER DURING HER RUNUP. SHE FELT INTERNAL PRESSURE FROM 'DELAYING' THE LARGER ACFT BEHIND HER. SHE ASKED FOR TKOF AND WAS CLRED. SHE QUERIED THE CTLR ABOUT THE RWY SINCE SHE NOTICED HER ACFT HDG AND THE RWY HDG DID NOT MATCH. THE CTLR ASCERTAINED THAT SHE WAS ALONE AND SAID IN A VERY IRRITATED VOICE, 'YOU ARE AT THE RWY, CLRED FOR TKOF.' SHE WENT STRAIGHT AHEAD, ACROSS THE APCH END OF THE RWY, AND BARELY CLRED MIL JETS AND BUILDINGS. SHE SAID SHE KEPT ASKING IF SHE WAS AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE CTLR SOUNDED REALLY ANGRY, LIKE HE WANTED TO GET HER OUT OF THE WAY. SHE DECIDED TO GO AND FIGURED HE WOULD TELL HER TO STOP IF SHE WAS DOING THE WRONG THING. SHE ASKED ME 'HOW MANY TIMES WAS I SUPPOSED TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION?' BEFORE SHE WENT, I TOLD HER THAT WHEN YOU SAY YOU ARE A STUDENT PLT, CTLRS WATCH YOU MORE CLOSELY AND ARE MORE CAREFUL. 'YOU ARE AT THE RWY' WAS MISUNDERSTOOD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 250131: ON THE GND AT TERRE HAUTE AN FSS BRIEFER ADVISED ME TO CONSULT MY INSTRUCTOR REGARDING MARGINAL WX FOR THE CONTINUED FLT. I WAS TOLD BY MY INSTRUCTOR TO DISCONTINUE THE PLANNED FLT AND EXPEDITE MY DEP BACK TO BASE TO AVOID THE APCHING BAD WX. THE DELAY IN DEP CAUSED BY MY PREFLT CHK FURTHER INCREASED MY ANXIETY LEVEL. WHEN I CALLED FOR TAXI I HAD FORGOTTEN TO LISTEN TO THE ATIS. WHEN THE CTLR ASKED ME IF I HAD ATIS INFO I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO AND WHEN HE HAD TO TELL ME, I FELT EMBARRASSED FOR HAVING ASKED A STUPID QUESTION. I INFORMED HIM THAT I WAS A STUDENT PLT ON A SOLO TRAINING FLT! TAXIING TO THE RWY, I WAS FURTHER STRESSED BY A FAIRLY BIG MULTI-ENG BEHIND ME. FURTHERMORE, IT WAS MY IMPRESSION THAT TWR'S XMISSION (REGARDING TFC IN THE AREA) WAS INTERRUPTED AND I ASKED FOR THE INFO TO BE REPEATED. AT THIS POINT I FELT THE TWR WAS GETTING IMPATIENT WITH ME WHICH ALSO ADDED UP ON MY UNEASINESS AND MY INABILITY TO CLRLY ASSESS THE SIT. BEFORE ENTERING THE RWY, I DECIDED TO CONFIRM WITH THE TWR THAT I WAS CLRED TO TAKE OFF. THE VERY IMPATIENT REPLY FROM THE TWR WAS, 'YOU ARE AT THE RWY AND CLRED TO TAKE OFF!' IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I INITIALLY KNEW THAT I WASN'T ON RWY 23 BUT ON THE TXWY, THE REPLY FROM THE TWR CONVINCED ME THAT I WAS IN ERROR, THAT THIS WAS THE RWY AND THAT I WAS EXPECTED TO INITIATE MY TKOF FROM THIS POS! DURING THE ENSUING TKOF, I BARELY MISSED A PERSON ON THE GND, SOME JET FIGHTERS, BUILDINGS AND WIRES!

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.