Narrative:

Took off on taxi strip parallel to runway 13. Unfamiliar with the airport, using government chart with smaller airport diagram than commercial, high grass, long day -- tired. My day started at XA00, little rock adams field. The aircraft assigned for the mission had low tires, which required myself and a crew member to air them up, pushing the airplane as required to find valve stems, etc. My assignment for the day was expanded to fly 2 grids rather than 1. This required redoing the preflight grids, flight plans, and file flight plan. Our departure was over 1 hour late because of the above. None of the above were any real problem, just time, and additional workload. A couple of hours into the mission there was a call of headquarters advising a mission to muskogee, ok, which was scheduled for me to fly on friday had been moved up to today, departure from lit at XI00. Requested if I would be able to take it. After hesitation, and conferring with my observer (a private pilot, not current for 2 yrs, however he does fly a lot of right seat when we are on a long mission, so is very knowledgeable, capable, just has not had a cap check ride for PIC) if he could ride with me. I never allow him to take off or land the aircraft, and he is always in the right seat since I am not a CFI. My hesitation was because I knew it would be a long day, but would be more comfortable with another pilot riding right seat. Told headquarters I would have to go home to get my oklahoma charts (the books are so cumbersome I only carry arkansas approach charts when flying cap). They advised would have the government approach charts at wing for me. The flight was planned with another pilot flying to muskogee. He then wanted to get some hood time in, so I was tasked to fly right seat safety. I had really planned to ride back seat and rest. During the landing at muskogee the pilot noted the grass was so high, it was hard to find the taxiway. The aircraft I was to fly back to lit had been used for cadet flying for 2 weeks. The landing light was burned out, and the intercom system was not working very well, very, very weak. After runup and taxi off of ramp, I was not sure where I was on txwys, no markers were visible, just the yellow line. So I turned at the taxiway for departure. The width of the wide taxiway did not get my attention since I fly off of many narrow runways. Just before liftoff, it kicked in 'the yellow line continued on -- so I was on a taxiway.' this experience is just like all others I read about -- accidents are not just one thing, they are a lot of little things building until 'I got you.' the need to get to lit before dark because of the landing light, the difficulty in talking to my fellow pilot because of the intercom, where we would have discussed our position on the airport and most likely figured it out with 2 heads better than 1, the end of a long tiring day, plus the fact I prefer commercial charts -- use them all of the time -- larger airport diagram. Eliminate any one of the above and the takeoff would most likely not have happened. Add them all together it did happen. I feel very dumb about this. I assure you I will be more careful about building problems -- say no way today.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAP PLT ON FERRY MISSION DEPARTS GRASS STRIP ON TXWY PARALLEL TO RWY.

Narrative: TOOK OFF ON TAXI STRIP PARALLEL TO RWY 13. UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT, USING GOV CHART WITH SMALLER ARPT DIAGRAM THAN COMMERCIAL, HIGH GRASS, LONG DAY -- TIRED. MY DAY STARTED AT XA00, LITTLE ROCK ADAMS FIELD. THE ACFT ASSIGNED FOR THE MISSION HAD LOW TIRES, WHICH REQUIRED MYSELF AND A CREW MEMBER TO AIR THEM UP, PUSHING THE AIRPLANE AS REQUIRED TO FIND VALVE STEMS, ETC. MY ASSIGNMENT FOR THE DAY WAS EXPANDED TO FLY 2 GRIDS RATHER THAN 1. THIS REQUIRED REDOING THE PREFLT GRIDS, FLT PLANS, AND FILE FLT PLAN. OUR DEP WAS OVER 1 HR LATE BECAUSE OF THE ABOVE. NONE OF THE ABOVE WERE ANY REAL PROB, JUST TIME, AND ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD. A COUPLE OF HRS INTO THE MISSION THERE WAS A CALL OF HEADQUARTERS ADVISING A MISSION TO MUSKOGEE, OK, WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR ME TO FLY ON FRIDAY HAD BEEN MOVED UP TO TODAY, DEP FROM LIT AT XI00. REQUESTED IF I WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE IT. AFTER HESITATION, AND CONFERRING WITH MY OBSERVER (A PVT PLT, NOT CURRENT FOR 2 YRS, HOWEVER HE DOES FLY A LOT OF R SEAT WHEN WE ARE ON A LONG MISSION, SO IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, CAPABLE, JUST HAS NOT HAD A CAP CHK RIDE FOR PIC) IF HE COULD RIDE WITH ME. I NEVER ALLOW HIM TO TAKE OFF OR LAND THE ACFT, AND HE IS ALWAYS IN THE R SEAT SINCE I AM NOT A CFI. MY HESITATION WAS BECAUSE I KNEW IT WOULD BE A LONG DAY, BUT WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH ANOTHER PLT RIDING R SEAT. TOLD HEADQUARTERS I WOULD HAVE TO GO HOME TO GET MY OKLAHOMA CHARTS (THE BOOKS ARE SO CUMBERSOME I ONLY CARRY ARKANSAS APCH CHARTS WHEN FLYING CAP). THEY ADVISED WOULD HAVE THE GOV APCH CHARTS AT WING FOR ME. THE FLT WAS PLANNED WITH ANOTHER PLT FLYING TO MUSKOGEE. HE THEN WANTED TO GET SOME HOOD TIME IN, SO I WAS TASKED TO FLY R SEAT SAFETY. I HAD REALLY PLANNED TO RIDE BACK SEAT AND REST. DURING THE LNDG AT MUSKOGEE THE PLT NOTED THE GRASS WAS SO HIGH, IT WAS HARD TO FIND THE TXWY. THE ACFT I WAS TO FLY BACK TO LIT HAD BEEN USED FOR CADET FLYING FOR 2 WKS. THE LNDG LIGHT WAS BURNED OUT, AND THE INTERCOM SYS WAS NOT WORKING VERY WELL, VERY, VERY WEAK. AFTER RUNUP AND TAXI OFF OF RAMP, I WAS NOT SURE WHERE I WAS ON TXWYS, NO MARKERS WERE VISIBLE, JUST THE YELLOW LINE. SO I TURNED AT THE TXWY FOR DEP. THE WIDTH OF THE WIDE TXWY DID NOT GET MY ATTN SINCE I FLY OFF OF MANY NARROW RWYS. JUST BEFORE LIFTOFF, IT KICKED IN 'THE YELLOW LINE CONTINUED ON -- SO I WAS ON A TXWY.' THIS EXPERIENCE IS JUST LIKE ALL OTHERS I READ ABOUT -- ACCIDENTS ARE NOT JUST ONE THING, THEY ARE A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS BUILDING UNTIL 'I GOT YOU.' THE NEED TO GET TO LIT BEFORE DARK BECAUSE OF THE LNDG LIGHT, THE DIFFICULTY IN TALKING TO MY FELLOW PLT BECAUSE OF THE INTERCOM, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE DISCUSSED OUR POS ON THE ARPT AND MOST LIKELY FIGURED IT OUT WITH 2 HEADS BETTER THAN 1, THE END OF A LONG TIRING DAY, PLUS THE FACT I PREFER COMMERCIAL CHARTS -- USE THEM ALL OF THE TIME -- LARGER ARPT DIAGRAM. ELIMINATE ANY ONE OF THE ABOVE AND THE TKOF WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT HAVE HAPPENED. ADD THEM ALL TOGETHER IT DID HAPPEN. I FEEL VERY DUMB ABOUT THIS. I ASSURE YOU I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL ABOUT BUILDING PROBS -- SAY NO WAY TODAY.

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.