Narrative:

On feb/xa/98 my crew arrived at the airplane at least 45 mins before departure time. Since ATC does not release clrncs until 20 mins before departure, the first officer was unable to verify our company filed flight plan. So he and I did other preflight functions during the interim time. 15 mins before departure, we performed the originating and before start checklist. A part of the before start checklist calls for a departure briefing. This covers cleared as filed, first fix, initial altitude, heading, and sids we are responsible for flying. The 'cleared as filed' portion of the briefing has us doublechk the clearance with our release. We were, and are, familiar with this SID out of tampa, fl. This is where the checks and balances of crew coordination could have prevented an oversight. A simple doublechk of our knowledge, with the verbal clearance or pre departure clearance, would have prevented this oversight -- familiarity breeds complacency. Neither of us actually checked the squawk or departure frequency. If we had, our departure would never have taken place without a transponder code or departure frequency. The contributing factors were: 1) familiarity with airport SID and the heading requirements for departures of runway 18R. 2) furthermore, early hour of the day with an XA30 morning wakeup, also contributed to our oversight because we are not as alert in the morning. 3) as a captain, flying with a 10 yr first officer affords me the luxury of reducing my oversight of his duties and responsibilities. Moreover, this luxury is enhanced by having flown with this first officer for the last 4 days without a problem -- especially in the area of his clearance responsibility. The error was discovered after departure and no departure frequency was known. I had the tower verify the frequency. Additional confirmation came when the departure controller asked me to reset transponder and squawk a certain code. I knew the flight plan had been filed by my dispatcher because the controller had the squawk code available immediately. With this knowledge, I allowed the flight to continue to destination. Supplemental information from acn 394710: ground and tower never mentioned that we had no clearance!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG FLC TKOF WITHOUT HAVING OBTAINED AN IFR CLRNC FROM CLRNC DELIVERY AT TPA. DEP CTLR GIVES CREW A WAKEUP CALL WHEN HE NOTES THE WRONG XPONDER CODE.

Narrative: ON FEB/XA/98 MY CREW ARRIVED AT THE AIRPLANE AT LEAST 45 MINS BEFORE DEP TIME. SINCE ATC DOES NOT RELEASE CLRNCS UNTIL 20 MINS BEFORE DEP, THE FO WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY OUR COMPANY FILED FLT PLAN. SO HE AND I DID OTHER PREFLT FUNCTIONS DURING THE INTERIM TIME. 15 MINS BEFORE DEP, WE PERFORMED THE ORIGINATING AND BEFORE START CHKLIST. A PART OF THE BEFORE START CHKLIST CALLS FOR A DEP BRIEFING. THIS COVERS CLRED AS FILED, FIRST FIX, INITIAL ALT, HDG, AND SIDS WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FLYING. THE 'CLRED AS FILED' PORTION OF THE BRIEFING HAS US DOUBLECHK THE CLRNC WITH OUR RELEASE. WE WERE, AND ARE, FAMILIAR WITH THIS SID OUT OF TAMPA, FL. THIS IS WHERE THE CHKS AND BALS OF CREW COORD COULD HAVE PREVENTED AN OVERSIGHT. A SIMPLE DOUBLECHK OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, WITH THE VERBAL CLRNC OR PDC, WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS OVERSIGHT -- FAMILIARITY BREEDS COMPLACENCY. NEITHER OF US ACTUALLY CHKED THE SQUAWK OR DEP FREQ. IF WE HAD, OUR DEP WOULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN PLACE WITHOUT A XPONDER CODE OR DEP FREQ. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: 1) FAMILIARITY WITH ARPT SID AND THE HDG REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPS OF RWY 18R. 2) FURTHERMORE, EARLY HR OF THE DAY WITH AN XA30 MORNING WAKEUP, ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO OUR OVERSIGHT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT AS ALERT IN THE MORNING. 3) AS A CAPT, FLYING WITH A 10 YR FO AFFORDS ME THE LUXURY OF REDUCING MY OVERSIGHT OF HIS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. MOREOVER, THIS LUXURY IS ENHANCED BY HAVING FLOWN WITH THIS FO FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS WITHOUT A PROB -- ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF HIS CLRNC RESPONSIBILITY. THE ERROR WAS DISCOVERED AFTER DEP AND NO DEP FREQ WAS KNOWN. I HAD THE TWR VERIFY THE FREQ. ADDITIONAL CONFIRMATION CAME WHEN THE DEP CTLR ASKED ME TO RESET XPONDER AND SQUAWK A CERTAIN CODE. I KNEW THE FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED BY MY DISPATCHER BECAUSE THE CTLR HAD THE SQUAWK CODE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY. WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, I ALLOWED THE FLT TO CONTINUE TO DEST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 394710: GND AND TWR NEVER MENTIONED THAT WE HAD NO CLRNC!

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.