Narrative:

At approximately XA30, mar/sat/85 our crew was on a short turnaround at the first stop of a trip that was scheduled from sfo - tvl - mmh - tvl - sfo. The conditions were IFR at the time. As the first officer, my duties at this stop, the tvl station, were to go inside the station office and pick up the printed WX brief and call the mmh and bih (alternate) AWOS numbers for the most current WX. As I was inside the station office, the captain remained inside the aircraft, monitoring the ground frequency at tvl to pick up our IFR clearance to mmh. After I completed the AWOS calls and found that the current conditions were less than ideal at mmh, I called our company dispatch at lax to see if they wanted our flight to coordinate a planned diversion to bih with the northbound flight which had just departed lax. The dispatcher in lax then told me to cancel the flight to mmh and proceed to rno to pick up passenger that had been sent to rno via ground transportation and continue back to sfo, at this time he put me on hold. In an effort to expedite our anticipated new clearance to rno, I attempted to contact the captain in the aircraft via the base station radio, I was unable to raise him on company frequency so I switched to tvl ground and requested that they have the captain come up on company frequency 'as we may have to cancel our clearance to mmh and file to rno instead.' as this time the captain came inside tvl operations and asked me what was taking so long, I explained the situation and lax operations plans for us. He informed me that we had through passenger to mmh and could not cancel the next leg. I switched the base radio back to company frequency and informed the lax dispatcher of our intentions. At approximately XA45, we boarded the aircraft, received taxi and takeoff clearance from tvl tower and flew the instrument departure that the captain had received earlier. Upon contacting ZOA, we requested a vector to bih VOR and 17000 ft. It was not until center asked the nature of our flight plan that we suspected anything was wrong. ZOA later informed us that we were not on an IFR flight plan and that an aircraft had to be vectored out of our way. Apparently, tvl ground had taken my 'may have to cancel' as a request to cancel even though I had not acknowledged a cancellation or picked up a new clearance to rno. Supplemental information from acn 299763: from now on I will add to my taxi request whether I'm IFR or VFR (ready for taxi IFR) just to make sure that ATC and us are all on the same page.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT INTO IMC AND CTLED AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA30, MAR/SAT/85 OUR CREW WAS ON A SHORT TURNAROUND AT THE FIRST STOP OF A TRIP THAT WAS SCHEDULED FROM SFO - TVL - MMH - TVL - SFO. THE CONDITIONS WERE IFR AT THE TIME. AS THE FO, MY DUTIES AT THIS STOP, THE TVL STATION, WERE TO GO INSIDE THE STATION OFFICE AND PICK UP THE PRINTED WX BRIEF AND CALL THE MMH AND BIH (ALTERNATE) AWOS NUMBERS FOR THE MOST CURRENT WX. AS I WAS INSIDE THE STATION OFFICE, THE CAPT REMAINED INSIDE THE ACFT, MONITORING THE GND FREQ AT TVL TO PICK UP OUR IFR CLRNC TO MMH. AFTER I COMPLETED THE AWOS CALLS AND FOUND THAT THE CURRENT CONDITIONS WERE LESS THAN IDEAL AT MMH, I CALLED OUR COMPANY DISPATCH AT LAX TO SEE IF THEY WANTED OUR FLT TO COORDINATE A PLANNED DIVERSION TO BIH WITH THE NBOUND FLT WHICH HAD JUST DEPARTED LAX. THE DISPATCHER IN LAX THEN TOLD ME TO CANCEL THE FLT TO MMH AND PROCEED TO RNO TO PICK UP PAX THAT HAD BEEN SENT TO RNO VIA GND TRANSPORTATION AND CONTINUE BACK TO SFO, AT THIS TIME HE PUT ME ON HOLD. IN AN EFFORT TO EXPEDITE OUR ANTICIPATED NEW CLRNC TO RNO, I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE CAPT IN THE ACFT VIA THE BASE STATION RADIO, I WAS UNABLE TO RAISE HIM ON COMPANY FREQ SO I SWITCHED TO TVL GND AND REQUESTED THAT THEY HAVE THE CAPT COME UP ON COMPANY FREQ 'AS WE MAY HAVE TO CANCEL OUR CLRNC TO MMH AND FILE TO RNO INSTEAD.' AS THIS TIME THE CAPT CAME INSIDE TVL OPS AND ASKED ME WHAT WAS TAKING SO LONG, I EXPLAINED THE SIT AND LAX OPS PLANS FOR US. HE INFORMED ME THAT WE HAD THROUGH PAX TO MMH AND COULD NOT CANCEL THE NEXT LEG. I SWITCHED THE BASE RADIO BACK TO COMPANY FREQ AND INFORMED THE LAX DISPATCHER OF OUR INTENTIONS. AT APPROX XA45, WE BOARDED THE ACFT, RECEIVED TAXI AND TKOF CLRNC FROM TVL TWR AND FLEW THE INSTRUMENT DEP THAT THE CAPT HAD RECEIVED EARLIER. UPON CONTACTING ZOA, WE REQUESTED A VECTOR TO BIH VOR AND 17000 FT. IT WAS NOT UNTIL CTR ASKED THE NATURE OF OUR FLT PLAN THAT WE SUSPECTED ANYTHING WAS WRONG. ZOA LATER INFORMED US THAT WE WERE NOT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND THAT AN ACFT HAD TO BE VECTORED OUT OF OUR WAY. APPARENTLY, TVL GND HAD TAKEN MY 'MAY HAVE TO CANCEL' AS A REQUEST TO CANCEL EVEN THOUGH I HAD NOT ACKNOWLEDGED A CANCELLATION OR PICKED UP A NEW CLRNC TO RNO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 299763: FROM NOW ON I WILL ADD TO MY TAXI REQUEST WHETHER I'M IFR OR VFR (READY FOR TAXI IFR) JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT ATC AND US ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.

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.