Narrative:

We departed gate at ord in aircraft abc. We were 3 hours late due to late inbound equipment because of ord WX. We did not receive a load closeout, so the first officer called load control for a closeout. They read him the closeout numbers and when he repeated them back, he included the tail number abc in the readback. Load then informed him that our tail number should be cde. A bit of confusion followed until we discovered that our aircraft abc had been taken OTS by maintenance for a timed out MEL item. We returned to gate and changed equipment. Apparently maintenance took the aircraft OTS prior to us leaving the gate, but no one was notified, not the flight crew, the agent, or the ground crew. Communication broke down somewhere. If the first officer had not read back the tail number in the closeout, we likely would have taken off in an aircraft that was OTS. I feel that it is important to notify the crew immediately when an aircraft is taken OTS. I suggest that it be highlighted to all flcs and load agents the importance of confirming the aircraft tail number when communicating load closeout data.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF MLG INFORMED DURING TAXI OUT THAT THEY HAD AN ACFT WHICH HAD BEEN TAKEN OTS. RETURNED TO GATE AND EXCHANGED PLANES.

Narrative: WE DEPARTED GATE AT ORD IN ACFT ABC. WE WERE 3 HRS LATE DUE TO LATE INBOUND EQUIP BECAUSE OF ORD WX. WE DID NOT RECEIVE A LOAD CLOSEOUT, SO THE FO CALLED LOAD CTL FOR A CLOSEOUT. THEY READ HIM THE CLOSEOUT NUMBERS AND WHEN HE REPEATED THEM BACK, HE INCLUDED THE TAIL NUMBER ABC IN THE READBACK. LOAD THEN INFORMED HIM THAT OUR TAIL NUMBER SHOULD BE CDE. A BIT OF CONFUSION FOLLOWED UNTIL WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR ACFT ABC HAD BEEN TAKEN OTS BY MAINT FOR A TIMED OUT MEL ITEM. WE RETURNED TO GATE AND CHANGED EQUIP. APPARENTLY MAINT TOOK THE ACFT OTS PRIOR TO US LEAVING THE GATE, BUT NO ONE WAS NOTIFIED, NOT THE FLC, THE AGENT, OR THE GND CREW. COM BROKE DOWN SOMEWHERE. IF THE FO HAD NOT READ BACK THE TAIL NUMBER IN THE CLOSEOUT, WE LIKELY WOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF IN AN ACFT THAT WAS OTS. I FEEL THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTIFY THE CREW IMMEDIATELY WHEN AN ACFT IS TAKEN OTS. I SUGGEST THAT IT BE HIGHLIGHTED TO ALL FLCS AND LOAD AGENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFIRMING THE ACFT TAIL NUMBER WHEN COMMUNICATING LOAD CLOSEOUT DATA.

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.