Narrative:

Z time: XA35Z. Frequency/altitude: 124.0/airport elevation. ATC facility: sjc tower. Location: sjc. Cleared onto runway 30L position and hold. Our flight given to company arrival flight as traffic on runway. Company flight asked tower if we were going to initiate takeoff in time for their landing. Tower then advised us, begin takeoff roll without delay, traffic short final. First officer acknowledged. I wanted tower to clarify instructions but could not get to microphone before tower issued go around to landing company flight. Decided to continue takeoff in interest of safety. Issue: tower cleared us into position but did not issue standard takeoff clearance. Issue: tower did not realize he had failed to issue standard takeoff clearance. Only recognized conflict when reported by arriving company flight. Issue: visibility was poor and we could not see landing aircraft when we took the runway. I was concerned about aborting takeoff with landing aircraft close behind. Tower did not give us information on landing aircraft but did advise landing aircraft of our position on runway. Controller put us in a very bad position by clearing us into position on runway, with traffic on runway, without advising us of traffic landing behind us or telling us to prepare for immediate takeoff. He also further neglected to issue standard takeoff clearance. In the future I would attempt to override first officer and ask for takeoff clearance to be repeated. Contributing: haze and early morning sun prevented us from seeing landing traffic.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATCT LCL CTLR AT SJC DID NOT ISSUE TIMELY TKOF INSTRUCTIONS TO AN ACR IN POS RESULTING IN A GAR BY A COMPANY ACR ON SHORT FINAL.

Narrative: Z TIME: XA35Z. FREQ/ALT: 124.0/ARPT ELEVATION. ATC FACILITY: SJC TWR. LOCATION: SJC. CLRED ONTO RWY 30L POS AND HOLD. OUR FLT GIVEN TO COMPANY ARR FLT AS TFC ON RWY. COMPANY FLT ASKED TWR IF WE WERE GOING TO INITIATE TKOF IN TIME FOR THEIR LNDG. TWR THEN ADVISED US, BEGIN TKOF ROLL WITHOUT DELAY, TFC SHORT FINAL. FO ACKNOWLEDGED. I WANTED TWR TO CLARIFY INSTRUCTIONS BUT COULD NOT GET TO MIKE BEFORE TWR ISSUED GAR TO LNDG COMPANY FLT. DECIDED TO CONTINUE TKOF IN INTEREST OF SAFETY. ISSUE: TWR CLRED US INTO POS BUT DID NOT ISSUE STANDARD TKOF CLRNC. ISSUE: TWR DID NOT REALIZE HE HAD FAILED TO ISSUE STANDARD TKOF CLRNC. ONLY RECOGNIZED CONFLICT WHEN RPTED BY ARRIVING COMPANY FLT. ISSUE: VISIBILITY WAS POOR AND WE COULD NOT SEE LNDG ACFT WHEN WE TOOK THE RWY. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT ABORTING TKOF WITH LNDG ACFT CLOSE BEHIND. TWR DID NOT GIVE US INFO ON LNDG ACFT BUT DID ADVISE LNDG ACFT OF OUR POS ON RWY. CTLR PUT US IN A VERY BAD POS BY CLRING US INTO POS ON RWY, WITH TFC ON RWY, WITHOUT ADVISING US OF TFC LNDG BEHIND US OR TELLING US TO PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF. HE ALSO FURTHER NEGLECTED TO ISSUE STANDARD TKOF CLRNC. IN THE FUTURE I WOULD ATTEMPT TO OVERRIDE FO AND ASK FOR TKOF CLRNC TO BE REPEATED. CONTRIBUTING: HAZE AND EARLY MORNING SUN PREVENTED US FROM SEEING LNDG TFC.

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.