Narrative:

When we called to taxi out ground told us we had a wheels up time and to taxi onto runway 28 to wait and monitor tower. While we waited on runway 28 we completed the before takeoff checklist. When I noticed that there was no activity on the radio I checked the frequency and saw we were not on the correct one. I set the correct frequency and called the tower. They said they had been trying to reach us and we were to taxi to runway 23R, cleared for takeoff, and that an aircraft to our left had been waiting for us. Now I hurried to get airborne, and in so doing I taxied past the route to the full length of runway 23R and took off using less than the full length. This happened because I let myself get in a hurry, as well as because this part of the cle airport is very confusing due to the many runways, txwys and intxns in a small area. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a B737-400 captain for a major air carrier who found himself on runway 28 at cle with the wrong radio frequency in his communication radio. He said that he flew with the same first officer several days later and this time the departure frequency was put in the radio prior to the proper time. The last frequency error occurred while he watched and he was able to bring this to the first officer's attention. He felt that the first officer was attempting to stay ahead of the aircraft, and simply lost situational awareness. This behavior was further enhanced in the cle incident by the controller's urgency. The reporter said that the controller was very demanding and he was told to depart quickly as there were other aircraft waiting for them. He also said that the distance from the departure end of runway 23R to the intersection where he started his takeoff roll was not very far and the takeoff performance of the B737-400 was so good that he did not think about the takeoff until later. Then he remembered that the takeoff performance data was based on using the whole runway at cle.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B737 FLC TOOK OFF FROM RWY 23R'S INTXN WITH RWY 28 INSTEAD OF THE DEP END OF RWY 23R. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE ALLOWED HIMSELF TO GET RUSHED AS A RESULT OF A PREVIOUS COM PROB AND THE URGENCY OF THE TWR CTLR.

Narrative: WHEN WE CALLED TO TAXI OUT GND TOLD US WE HAD A WHEELS UP TIME AND TO TAXI ONTO RWY 28 TO WAIT AND MONITOR TWR. WHILE WE WAITED ON RWY 28 WE COMPLETED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. WHEN I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY ON THE RADIO I CHKED THE FREQ AND SAW WE WERE NOT ON THE CORRECT ONE. I SET THE CORRECT FREQ AND CALLED THE TWR. THEY SAID THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH US AND WE WERE TO TAXI TO RWY 23R, CLRED FOR TKOF, AND THAT AN ACFT TO OUR L HAD BEEN WAITING FOR US. NOW I HURRIED TO GET AIRBORNE, AND IN SO DOING I TAXIED PAST THE RTE TO THE FULL LENGTH OF RWY 23R AND TOOK OFF USING LESS THAN THE FULL LENGTH. THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I LET MYSELF GET IN A HURRY, AS WELL AS BECAUSE THIS PART OF THE CLE ARPT IS VERY CONFUSING DUE TO THE MANY RWYS, TXWYS AND INTXNS IN A SMALL AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A B737-400 CAPT FOR A MAJOR ACR WHO FOUND HIMSELF ON RWY 28 AT CLE WITH THE WRONG RADIO FREQ IN HIS COM RADIO. HE SAID THAT HE FLEW WITH THE SAME FO SEVERAL DAYS LATER AND THIS TIME THE DEP FREQ WAS PUT IN THE RADIO PRIOR TO THE PROPER TIME. THE LAST FREQ ERROR OCCURRED WHILE HE WATCHED AND HE WAS ABLE TO BRING THIS TO THE FO'S ATTN. HE FELT THAT THE FO WAS ATTEMPTING TO STAY AHEAD OF THE ACFT, AND SIMPLY LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. THIS BEHAVIOR WAS FURTHER ENHANCED IN THE CLE INCIDENT BY THE CTLR'S URGENCY. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE CTLR WAS VERY DEMANDING AND HE WAS TOLD TO DEPART QUICKLY AS THERE WERE OTHER ACFT WAITING FOR THEM. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE DISTANCE FROM THE DEP END OF RWY 23R TO THE INTXN WHERE HE STARTED HIS TKOF ROLL WAS NOT VERY FAR AND THE TKOF PERFORMANCE OF THE B737-400 WAS SO GOOD THAT HE DID NOT THINK ABOUT THE TKOF UNTIL LATER. THEN HE REMEMBERED THAT THE TKOF PERFORMANCE DATA WAS BASED ON USING THE WHOLE RWY AT CLE.

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.