Flight crew of an medium large transport air carrier aircraft failed to retrieve their pre departure...

Attributes
ACN	253819
Time
Date	199310
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : phl
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : phl tracon : roc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff climbout : initial ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 800
ASRS Report	253819
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We were flight phl-alb (captain is flying). Taxi out and takeoff were uneventful and nothing appeared to be wrong. When tower turned us over to departure control, I dialed in the frequency (into #1 communication), set in #3 communication (this is common practice -- to set the #3 communication to departure control frequency so it is readily available where you need to set it in #1 -- #1 is used for ATC communications). I was unable to reach anybody and returned to tower to verify the frequency. A different frequency was given so I called departure on this new frequency. Departure said 'verify squawk xx.' this was not the squawk in our transponder, so I changed it and said: 'we're squawking XXXX.' it was then I realized I had never retrieved our clearance from the pre departure clearance. I advised the captain of this. He called departure control and asked them to verify we were cleared as filed. He verified this. I tried several times then to get our clearance out of our ACARS through pre departure clearance, but the only message it sent was 'no pre departure clearance on file, contact clearance delivery' which is normal when a clearance is already pulled out as well as when it is too early or several other instances. Setting transponder to all '0' might have prevented this or never ever set expected altitude in altitude alerter, even if you get that 99.9 percent of the time. I was surprised however that neither ground nor tower caught it and said something.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MLG ACR ACFT FAILED TO RETRIEVE THEIR PDC FROM ACARS PRIOR TO TKOF RESULTING IN NOT HAVING THE CORRECT DEP FREQ OR XPONDER CODE AFTER TKOF.

Narrative: WE WERE FLT PHL-ALB (CAPT IS FLYING). TAXI OUT AND TKOF WERE UNEVENTFUL AND NOTHING APPEARED TO BE WRONG. WHEN TWR TURNED US OVER TO DEP CTL, I DIALED IN THE FREQ (INTO #1 COM), SET IN #3 COM (THIS IS COMMON PRACTICE -- TO SET THE #3 COM TO DEP CTL FREQ SO IT IS READILY AVAILABLE WHERE YOU NEED TO SET IT IN #1 -- #1 IS USED FOR ATC COMS). I WAS UNABLE TO REACH ANYBODY AND RETURNED TO TWR TO VERIFY THE FREQ. A DIFFERENT FREQ WAS GIVEN SO I CALLED DEP ON THIS NEW FREQ. DEP SAID 'VERIFY SQUAWK XX.' THIS WAS NOT THE SQUAWK IN OUR XPONDER, SO I CHANGED IT AND SAID: 'WE'RE SQUAWKING XXXX.' IT WAS THEN I REALIZED I HAD NEVER RETRIEVED OUR CLRNC FROM THE PDC. I ADVISED THE CAPT OF THIS. HE CALLED DEP CTL AND ASKED THEM TO VERIFY WE WERE CLRED AS FILED. HE VERIFIED THIS. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES THEN TO GET OUR CLRNC OUT OF OUR ACARS THROUGH PDC, BUT THE ONLY MESSAGE IT SENT WAS 'NO PDC ON FILE, CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY' WHICH IS NORMAL WHEN A CLRNC IS ALREADY PULLED OUT AS WELL AS WHEN IT IS TOO EARLY OR SEVERAL OTHER INSTANCES. SETTING XPONDER TO ALL '0' MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THIS OR NEVER EVER SET EXPECTED ALT IN ALT ALERTER, EVEN IF YOU GET THAT 99.9 PERCENT OF THE TIME. I WAS SURPRISED HOWEVER THAT NEITHER GND NOR TWR CAUGHT IT AND SAID SOMETHING.

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.

Flight crew of an medium large transport air carrier aircraft failed to retrieve their pre departure clearance from ACARS prior to takeoff resulting in not having the correct departure frequency or transponder code after takeoff.