Narrative:

After initial call to departure control, controller asked us to 'squawk XXXX.' I assumed that the first officer had set the wrong squawk in the transponder. The controller didn't say anything else about it. After we leveled at cruise, the first officer looked at the messages on the ACARS, and realized that we had never picked up our clearance on the ACARS (cpdc). This was our 6TH leg of a long, WX filled, 14 hour duty day. This was a very familiar leg to both of us, and we had tuned all of our radios and set our courses from memory and company flight plan information. Initial altitude, fix, course and departure frequency are all on the SID page of manual. The only unknown was the departure squawk, which we both forgot to check. I usually always review the pre departure clearance on the ACARS, or the written clearance. I don't know why I missed it this time. From now on I will review squawk code with first officer on the before start checklist. Also I didn't know that ground control would let you taxi without receiving a clearance. There should be some way to xchk with them. If there had been some change to our routing of altitude clearance, this could have caused a safety problem. Supplemental information from acn 274460: contributing factors to this event: crew fatigue. This was the 6TH leg of a 14 hour duty day, filled with numerous WX deviations. This was the 4TH aircraft change in 6 legs. Lack of adequate crew nourishment due to short turnaround times and numerous aircraft changes. The filed route was very familiar (standard, same route flown by both of us numerous times in the past). The radios and navigation instruments were set up prior to receiving our clearance. Corrective actions: in order to prevent this from happening again, in the future I will not set up radios and navigation instruments until our ATC route clearance is received either via ACARS or over clearance delivery frequency. I will also request the captain to verify the route clearance and squawk visually on the ACARS screen or on the paper it was copied on during the reading of the before start checklist. Numerous aircraft changes with short turnaround times and lack of adequate time to get something to eat, in addition to the proper time to set up radios and navigation equipment and ATC route clearance verification by all cockpit crew members will be brought up to the attention of union and company safety representatives.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC FAILS TO OBTAIN PDC.

Narrative: AFTER INITIAL CALL TO DEP CTL, CTLR ASKED US TO 'SQUAWK XXXX.' I ASSUMED THAT THE FO HAD SET THE WRONG SQUAWK IN THE XPONDER. THE CTLR DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT. AFTER WE LEVELED AT CRUISE, THE FO LOOKED AT THE MESSAGES ON THE ACARS, AND REALIZED THAT WE HAD NEVER PICKED UP OUR CLRNC ON THE ACARS (CPDC). THIS WAS OUR 6TH LEG OF A LONG, WX FILLED, 14 HR DUTY DAY. THIS WAS A VERY FAMILIAR LEG TO BOTH OF US, AND WE HAD TUNED ALL OF OUR RADIOS AND SET OUR COURSES FROM MEMORY AND COMPANY FLT PLAN INFO. INITIAL ALT, FIX, COURSE AND DEP FREQ ARE ALL ON THE SID PAGE OF MANUAL. THE ONLY UNKNOWN WAS THE DEP SQUAWK, WHICH WE BOTH FORGOT TO CHK. I USUALLY ALWAYS REVIEW THE PDC ON THE ACARS, OR THE WRITTEN CLRNC. I DON'T KNOW WHY I MISSED IT THIS TIME. FROM NOW ON I WILL REVIEW SQUAWK CODE WITH FO ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. ALSO I DIDN'T KNOW THAT GND CTL WOULD LET YOU TAXI WITHOUT RECEIVING A CLRNC. THERE SHOULD BE SOME WAY TO XCHK WITH THEM. IF THERE HAD BEEN SOME CHANGE TO OUR ROUTING OF ALT CLRNC, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SAFETY PROB. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 274460: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS EVENT: CREW FATIGUE. THIS WAS THE 6TH LEG OF A 14 HR DUTY DAY, FILLED WITH NUMEROUS WX DEVS. THIS WAS THE 4TH ACFT CHANGE IN 6 LEGS. LACK OF ADEQUATE CREW NOURISHMENT DUE TO SHORT TURNAROUND TIMES AND NUMEROUS ACFT CHANGES. THE FILED RTE WAS VERY FAMILIAR (STANDARD, SAME RTE FLOWN BY BOTH OF US NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST). THE RADIOS AND NAV INSTS WERE SET UP PRIOR TO RECEIVING OUR CLRNC. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT SET UP RADIOS AND NAV INSTS UNTIL OUR ATC RTE CLRNC IS RECEIVED EITHER VIA ACARS OR OVER CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ. I WILL ALSO REQUEST THE CAPT TO VERIFY THE RTE CLRNC AND SQUAWK VISUALLY ON THE ACARS SCREEN OR ON THE PAPER IT WAS COPIED ON DURING THE READING OF THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. NUMEROUS ACFT CHANGES WITH SHORT TURNAROUND TIMES AND LACK OF ADEQUATE TIME TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT, IN ADDITION TO THE PROPER TIME TO SET UP RADIOS AND NAV EQUIP AND ATC RTE CLRNC VERIFICATION BY ALL COCKPIT CREW MEMBERS WILL BE BROUGHT UP TO THE ATTN OF UNION AND COMPANY SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES.

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.