Narrative:

Ground gave me clearance to taxi to runway 13L. After a quick scan of the commercial airport map, I taxied northeast along alpha. The centerline curved to the right and then to the left, with hold short lines and a runway hold short sign adjacent. The sigh said '13L/31R.' the hold short lines came up sooner than I thought they would, but since I was not familiar with the airport or the approximately scale of the commercial charts, I didn't think too much of it. I saw the hold short lines and the sign, so I stopped and did my run-up there. When I was done, I called the tower and advised that I was ready for takeoff on 13L. I received clearance and taxied onto the runway. As I rolled onto the runway, I double-checked the sign to make sure it said 13L. It did. As I was in climb out, approximately 500 ft, the tower called and advised me that I had departed runway 18 instead of 13L. Runway 18 is closed. As I have retraced my steps, I found the hold short lines that I stopped at were for 18-36 and the runway hold short sign that I was looking at was the runway hold short sign for 13L-13R, but it was meant for traffic on runway 18. I was under the impression that I was holding short for 13L at the end of alpha, when in fact I was holding short for 18 on alpha. My perceptions were impaired by the construction and unfamiliarity with the airport. I would have called the control tower and requested progressive taxi if I doubted the runway I was on. My error was in failing to xchk my compass heading with the runway I was assigned. I do check compass headings if I am in doubt as to the runway, but I was in no doubt. From now on, as I taxi onto a runway, I am going to incorporate the compass into my normal scan of the engine instruments. This will aide in double-checking the runway and make sure that I am on the correct one. Supplemental information from acn 268894: about to cross runway 18/36. I cleared the right side of the aircraft and called out 'there is an aircraft on the runway.' I radioed to ground control 'confirm air carrier is cleared to cross 18.' the controller replied 'air carrier cleared to cross.' as we were crossing the runway centerline at approximately 5500 ft down runway 18, the light aircraft lifted off at approximately the first 2000 ft of the runway. The ground controller radioed back 'he took off on the wrong runway.' we exited the runway before the cherokee passed our position.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT CHEROKEE TOOK OFF OVER THE BACK OF AN ACR B-737.

Narrative: GND GAVE ME CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 13L. AFTER A QUICK SCAN OF THE COMMERCIAL ARPT MAP, I TAXIED NE ALONG ALPHA. THE CTRLINE CURVED TO THE R AND THEN TO THE L, WITH HOLD SHORT LINES AND A RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN ADJACENT. THE SIGH SAID '13L/31R.' THE HOLD SHORT LINES CAME UP SOONER THAN I THOUGHT THEY WOULD, BUT SINCE I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT OR THE APPROX SCALE OF THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS, I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH OF IT. I SAW THE HOLD SHORT LINES AND THE SIGN, SO I STOPPED AND DID MY RUN-UP THERE. WHEN I WAS DONE, I CALLED THE TWR AND ADVISED THAT I WAS READY FOR TKOF ON 13L. I RECEIVED CLRNC AND TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. AS I ROLLED ONTO THE RWY, I DOUBLE-CHKED THE SIGN TO MAKE SURE IT SAID 13L. IT DID. AS I WAS IN CLBOUT, APPROX 500 FT, THE TWR CALLED AND ADVISED ME THAT I HAD DEPARTED RWY 18 INSTEAD OF 13L. RWY 18 IS CLOSED. AS I HAVE RETRACED MY STEPS, I FOUND THE HOLD SHORT LINES THAT I STOPPED AT WERE FOR 18-36 AND THE RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN THAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS THE RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN FOR 13L-13R, BUT IT WAS MEANT FOR TFC ON RWY 18. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I WAS HOLDING SHORT FOR 13L AT THE END OF ALPHA, WHEN IN FACT I WAS HOLDING SHORT FOR 18 ON ALPHA. MY PERCEPTIONS WERE IMPAIRED BY THE CONSTRUCTION AND UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT. I WOULD HAVE CALLED THE CTL TWR AND REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE TAXI IF I DOUBTED THE RWY I WAS ON. MY ERROR WAS IN FAILING TO XCHK MY COMPASS HDG WITH THE RWY I WAS ASSIGNED. I DO CHK COMPASS HDGS IF I AM IN DOUBT AS TO THE RWY, BUT I WAS IN NO DOUBT. FROM NOW ON, AS I TAXI ONTO A RWY, I AM GOING TO INCORPORATE THE COMPASS INTO MY NORMAL SCAN OF THE ENG INSTS. THIS WILL AIDE IN DOUBLE-CHKING THE RWY AND MAKE SURE THAT I AM ON THE CORRECT ONE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 268894: ABOUT TO CROSS RWY 18/36. I CLRED THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND CALLED OUT 'THERE IS AN ACFT ON THE RWY.' I RADIOED TO GND CTL 'CONFIRM ACR IS CLRED TO CROSS 18.' THE CTLR REPLIED 'ACR CLRED TO CROSS.' AS WE WERE XING THE RWY CTRLINE AT APPROX 5500 FT DOWN RWY 18, THE LIGHT ACFT LIFTED OFF AT APPROX THE FIRST 2000 FT OF THE RWY. THE GND CTLR RADIOED BACK 'HE TOOK OFF ON THE WRONG RWY.' WE EXITED THE RWY BEFORE THE CHEROKEE PASSED OUR POS.

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.