Narrative:

Duty day 2 of 4 day trip. Leg 6 on 12 hour 27 min duty day. Inadvertently pushed back, taxied out for runway 36 departure at dca and took off without IFR clearance normally received via ACARS predep clearance. First officer and myself had just rushed into terminal for take-out food and returned to aircraft 10 mins prior to departure, and completed before start check. During 'departure review' I briefed the standard clearance from dca as well as engine fail departure. Also read anticipated departure (set in #3 VHF communication panel) as well as squawk. Unfortunately, these were left selected from previous flight. Many first officer's select '1200' squawk in transponder control panel to preclude errors, but this was not the case in our event. Upon arrival at destination, called dca tower and spoke to supervisor who assured me no adverse sits were caused by our error, in fact, he stated that once the flight data specialist enters the clearance for predep clearance acceptance, it is presumed the clearance was received. Further, his comment was that dca did not require squawk verification as some predep clearance airports do. Perhaps this should become a standard procedure where predep clearance is available. The first time we realized we left without predep clearance was upon being switched to departure control and getting no response. When we attempted to determine the correct frequency by retrieving our ACARS predep clearance message -- there was none. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that he simply forgot to request the predep clearance via ACARS. The flight crew had gone into the terminal to get something to eat between legs, this was their sixth that day, and when they returned with the food they forgot to check the predep clearance as they usually did during their preflight preparations. The oversight was not noticed until after takeoff when they did not have the frequency for departure control. The flight crew got the correct frequency and confirmed the flight plan with the departure controller. No further action was required. The departure controller allegedly said that this happens all the time at dca because they do not require confirmation of receipt by the ground controllers.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC DEPARTS WITHOUT THEIR PREDEP CLRNC MESSAGE. THE DEP CTLR WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THE FLT PLAN.

Narrative: DUTY DAY 2 OF 4 DAY TRIP. LEG 6 ON 12 HR 27 MIN DUTY DAY. INADVERTENTLY PUSHED BACK, TAXIED OUT FOR RWY 36 DEP AT DCA AND TOOK OFF WITHOUT IFR CLRNC NORMALLY RECEIVED VIA ACARS PREDEP CLRNC. FO AND MYSELF HAD JUST RUSHED INTO TERMINAL FOR TAKE-OUT FOOD AND RETURNED TO ACFT 10 MINS PRIOR TO DEP, AND COMPLETED BEFORE START CHK. DURING 'DEP REVIEW' I BRIEFED THE STANDARD CLRNC FROM DCA AS WELL AS ENG FAIL DEP. ALSO READ ANTICIPATED DEP (SET IN #3 VHF COM PANEL) AS WELL AS SQUAWK. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE WERE LEFT SELECTED FROM PREVIOUS FLT. MANY FO'S SELECT '1200' SQUAWK IN XPONDER CTL PANEL TO PRECLUDE ERRORS, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE IN OUR EVENT. UPON ARR AT DEST, CALLED DCA TWR AND SPOKE TO SUPVR WHO ASSURED ME NO ADVERSE SITS WERE CAUSED BY OUR ERROR, IN FACT, HE STATED THAT ONCE THE FLT DATA SPECIALIST ENTERS THE CLRNC FOR PREDEP CLRNC ACCEPTANCE, IT IS PRESUMED THE CLRNC WAS RECEIVED. FURTHER, HIS COMMENT WAS THAT DCA DID NOT REQUIRE SQUAWK VERIFICATION AS SOME PREDEP CLRNC ARPTS DO. PERHAPS THIS SHOULD BECOME A STANDARD PROC WHERE PREDEP CLRNC IS AVAILABLE. THE FIRST TIME WE REALIZED WE LEFT WITHOUT PREDEP CLRNC WAS UPON BEING SWITCHED TO DEP CTL AND GETTING NO RESPONSE. WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE THE CORRECT FREQ BY RETRIEVING OUR ACARS PREDEP CLRNC MESSAGE -- THERE WAS NONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT HE SIMPLY FORGOT TO REQUEST THE PREDEP CLRNC VIA ACARS. THE FLC HAD GONE INTO THE TERMINAL TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT BTWN LEGS, THIS WAS THEIR SIXTH THAT DAY, AND WHEN THEY RETURNED WITH THE FOOD THEY FORGOT TO CHK THE PREDEP CLRNC AS THEY USUALLY DID DURING THEIR PREFLT PREPARATIONS. THE OVERSIGHT WAS NOT NOTICED UNTIL AFTER TKOF WHEN THEY DID NOT HAVE THE FREQ FOR DEP CTL. THE FLC GOT THE CORRECT FREQ AND CONFIRMED THE FLT PLAN WITH THE DEP CTLR. NO FURTHER ACTION WAS REQUIRED. THE DEP CTLR ALLEGEDLY SAID THAT THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AT DCA BECAUSE THEY DO NOT REQUIRE CONFIRMATION OF RECEIPT BY THE GND CTLRS.

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.