MD80 crew departed sna with the autothrust recovery system disengaged.

Attributes
ACN	447094
Time
Date	199908
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sna.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : sna.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	other
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 8500
ASRS Report	447094
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe maintenance problem : non compliance with mel maintenance problem : improper documentation non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Factors
Maintenance	contributing factor : schedule pressure performance deficiency : non compliance with legal requirements
Supplementary
Problem Areas	FAA Aircraft Airport Maintenance Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance Company
Primary Problem	Company
Situations
Airport	procedure or policy : sna.airport

Narrative:

Afm requires MD80 takeoffs at sna (cutback procedure) to be accomplished using autothrottles so that the autothrust recovery system is enabled. Any takeoff with air conditioning unit inoperative requires an autothrottle off takeoff. Therefore you cannot take off out of sna in an aircraft with an inoperative air conditioning unit, unless a special procedure is prescribed requiring both air conditioning packs to be off until crossing the shoreline and autothrottles on. I took off with autothrottles off at sna because that was the aircraft I was given by dispatch. (They were not aware of the restr.) the MEL does not prohibit cutback procedures if autothrottles are off or an air conditioning unit is inoperative. The only place a pilot is made aware of this is in a recent change to the airport procedures page in the commercial chart manual, which is written by the company. This restr is in the middle of a large paragraph which pilots do not read on every takeoff if they are familiar with the takeoff procedures from previous experience. I am told this problem was brought up to the attention of flight control several months ago. Obviously, nothing concrete was accomplished. The main reason for this occurrence is that the company did not make this restr obvious so that dispatchers and pilots would be made aware of it automatically. Air conditioning units fail occasionally, but only one airport (sna) has a restr that prevents takeoffs under these conditions. Dispatch and pilots simply will not remember that.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD80 CREW DEPARTED SNA WITH THE AUTOTHRUST RECOVERY SYS DISENGAGED.

Narrative: AFM REQUIRES MD80 TKOFS AT SNA (CUTBACK PROC) TO BE ACCOMPLISHED USING AUTOTHROTTLES SO THAT THE AUTOTHRUST RECOVERY SYS IS ENABLED. ANY TKOF WITH AIR CONDITIONING UNIT INOP REQUIRES AN AUTOTHROTTLE OFF TKOF. THEREFORE YOU CANNOT TAKE OFF OUT OF SNA IN AN ACFT WITH AN INOP AIR CONDITIONING UNIT, UNLESS A SPECIAL PROC IS PRESCRIBED REQUIRING BOTH AIR CONDITIONING PACKS TO BE OFF UNTIL XING THE SHORELINE AND AUTOTHROTTLES ON. I TOOK OFF WITH AUTOTHROTTLES OFF AT SNA BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ACFT I WAS GIVEN BY DISPATCH. (THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE RESTR.) THE MEL DOES NOT PROHIBIT CUTBACK PROCS IF AUTOTHROTTLES ARE OFF OR AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT IS INOP. THE ONLY PLACE A PLT IS MADE AWARE OF THIS IS IN A RECENT CHANGE TO THE ARPT PROCS PAGE IN THE COMMERCIAL CHART MANUAL, WHICH IS WRITTEN BY THE COMPANY. THIS RESTR IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A LARGE PARAGRAPH WHICH PLTS DO NOT READ ON EVERY TKOF IF THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE TKOF PROCS FROM PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. I AM TOLD THIS PROB WAS BROUGHT UP TO THE ATTN OF FLT CTL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. OBVIOUSLY, NOTHING CONCRETE WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS OCCURRENCE IS THAT THE COMPANY DID NOT MAKE THIS RESTR OBVIOUS SO THAT DISPATCHERS AND PLTS WOULD BE MADE AWARE OF IT AUTOMATICALLY. AIR CONDITIONING UNITS FAIL OCCASIONALLY, BUT ONLY ONE ARPT (SNA) HAS A RESTR THAT PREVENTS TKOFS UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. DISPATCH AND PLTS SIMPLY WILL NOT REMEMBER THAT.

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.