Narrative:

We were scheduled to depart oakland at AA30 PST nov 1995 on a time sensitive next day air cargo flight to louisville. Our flight is one of the last ones scheduled to arrival in sdf and any delay can disrupt the outbound next day package sort at sdf. We experienced a slight loading delay at oakland and were finally ready to taxi at AA43 PST (13 min late). We were parked on the uncontrolled ramp at oakland and the marshall signaled for us to taxi forward toward taxiway B, about 50 ft ahead. The first officer called for taxi clearance as I spooled up the engines and started moving slowly toward taxiway B. Oakland responded with our call sign 'K K,' hesitated, and then told us to contact 'oak ground control.' that is when we realized that we had the 'oakland tower' frequency selected instead of 'oakland ground control.' taxiway B appeared clear (a xx DC8 had just passed by on taxiway B toward the active runway) and I anticipated that we would immediately be cleared to follow him. By this time I had started the turn from the cargo ramp onto taxiway B. I stopped the aircraft about halfway onto the taxiway as the first officer made contact with oakland ground control. Oakland ground control asked our position and we told him that we were just leaving the ramp and that we had in fact entered taxiway B. He was upset that we had taxied onto the active taxiway without clearance and told us that a zz DC8 was coming off their unlit ramp, on the other side of taxiway B, and they had already been cleared onto taxiway B. Oakland ground control then cleared us to taxi to runway 29 and the zz DC8 followed us. Taxiing onto taxiway B without a clearance occurred because I was trying to expedite our departure and incorrectly 'anticipated' our taxi clearance as I approached taxiway B. When I first heard the oakland tower respond with our call sign, I continued to roll toward the taxiway and I was unable to stop prior to the active taxiway when I realized that we were not talking to oakland ground control. This was a good lesson for a very experienced flight crew to avoid the complacency that routine and repetitive flts from familiar airports can breed. Never taxi prior to receiving a taxi clearance! Supplemental information from acn 319866: a DC8 had just passed and we anticipated we would follow them. Oakland ground started to respond to one taxi request, we had taxied approximately halfway onto taxiway 'B.' they (oakland ground) asked our position, we advised oakland we were in fact on taxiway 'B.' oakland ground advised us to not take the active taxiway without a clearance and informed us that a DC8 was cleared onto taxiway 'B.' oakland ground then cleared us to taxi to runway 29 and zz to follow us. Taxi onto taxiway 'B' without a clearance occurred because we incorrectly anticipated our taxi clearance and were trying to expedite the flight. As an experienced flight crew we learned that routine and repetitive flts can bring on complacency and this must be avoided. Listen to clearance and don't anticipate a response, especially from a familiar airport, wait for taxi clearance before moving aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAXI WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: WE WERE SCHEDULED TO DEPART OAKLAND AT AA30 PST NOV 1995 ON A TIME SENSITIVE NEXT DAY AIR CARGO FLT TO LOUISVILLE. OUR FLT IS ONE OF THE LAST ONES SCHEDULED TO ARR IN SDF AND ANY DELAY CAN DISRUPT THE OUTBOUND NEXT DAY PACKAGE SORT AT SDF. WE EXPERIENCED A SLIGHT LOADING DELAY AT OAKLAND AND WERE FINALLY READY TO TAXI AT AA43 PST (13 MIN LATE). WE WERE PARKED ON THE UNCTLED RAMP AT OAKLAND AND THE MARSHALL SIGNALED FOR US TO TAXI FORWARD TOWARD TXWY B, ABOUT 50 FT AHEAD. THE FO CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC AS I SPOOLED UP THE ENGS AND STARTED MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD TXWY B. OAKLAND RESPONDED WITH OUR CALL SIGN 'K K,' HESITATED, AND THEN TOLD US TO CONTACT 'OAK GND CTL.' THAT IS WHEN WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD THE 'OAKLAND TWR' FREQ SELECTED INSTEAD OF 'OAKLAND GND CTL.' TXWY B APPEARED CLR (A XX DC8 HAD JUST PASSED BY ON TXWY B TOWARD THE ACTIVE RWY) AND I ANTICIPATED THAT WE WOULD IMMEDIATELY BE CLRED TO FOLLOW HIM. BY THIS TIME I HAD STARTED THE TURN FROM THE CARGO RAMP ONTO TXWY B. I STOPPED THE ACFT ABOUT HALFWAY ONTO THE TXWY AS THE FO MADE CONTACT WITH OAKLAND GND CTL. OAKLAND GND CTL ASKED OUR POS AND WE TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE JUST LEAVING THE RAMP AND THAT WE HAD IN FACT ENTERED TXWY B. HE WAS UPSET THAT WE HAD TAXIED ONTO THE ACTIVE TXWY WITHOUT CLRNC AND TOLD US THAT A ZZ DC8 WAS COMING OFF THEIR UNLIT RAMP, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TXWY B, AND THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED ONTO TXWY B. OAKLAND GND CTL THEN CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 29 AND THE ZZ DC8 FOLLOWED US. TAXIING ONTO TXWY B WITHOUT A CLRNC OCCURRED BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO EXPEDITE OUR DEP AND INCORRECTLY 'ANTICIPATED' OUR TAXI CLRNC AS I APCHED TXWY B. WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE OAKLAND TWR RESPOND WITH OUR CALL SIGN, I CONTINUED TO ROLL TOWARD THE TXWY AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP PRIOR TO THE ACTIVE TXWY WHEN I REALIZED THAT WE WERE NOT TALKING TO OAKLAND GND CTL. THIS WAS A GOOD LESSON FOR A VERY EXPERIENCED FLC TO AVOID THE COMPLACENCY THAT ROUTINE AND REPETITIVE FLTS FROM FAMILIAR ARPTS CAN BREED. NEVER TAXI PRIOR TO RECEIVING A TAXI CLRNC! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 319866: A DC8 HAD JUST PASSED AND WE ANTICIPATED WE WOULD FOLLOW THEM. OAKLAND GND STARTED TO RESPOND TO ONE TAXI REQUEST, WE HAD TAXIED APPROX HALFWAY ONTO TXWY 'B.' THEY (OAKLAND GND) ASKED OUR POS, WE ADVISED OAKLAND WE WERE IN FACT ON TXWY 'B.' OAKLAND GND ADVISED US TO NOT TAKE THE ACTIVE TXWY WITHOUT A CLRNC AND INFORMED US THAT A DC8 WAS CLRED ONTO TXWY 'B.' OAKLAND GND THEN CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 29 AND ZZ TO FOLLOW US. TAXI ONTO TXWY 'B' WITHOUT A CLRNC OCCURRED BECAUSE WE INCORRECTLY ANTICIPATED OUR TAXI CLRNC AND WERE TRYING TO EXPEDITE THE FLT. AS AN EXPERIENCED FLC WE LEARNED THAT ROUTINE AND REPETITIVE FLTS CAN BRING ON COMPLACENCY AND THIS MUST BE AVOIDED. LISTEN TO CLRNC AND DON'T ANTICIPATE A RESPONSE, ESPECIALLY FROM A FAMILIAR ARPT, WAIT FOR TAXI CLRNC BEFORE MOVING ACFT.

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.