Narrative:

First officer was PNF, flight from bos-phl. Takeoff on runway 27, standard SID. When switched to departure control, frequency was busy so continued on SID and waiting for radio traffic to clear so I could make initial contact with ATC. Finally did, and after a short while, departure came back and asked us what our heading was. I read back 315 degree heading. ATC then asked what runway we departed from. At this point something seemed amiss, so I told ATC to standby. After discussion with captain as to departure runway, ATC came back to give us an immediate vector to the south, and again reiterated that we had departed from runway 27. We then realized that we had briefed the departure for runway 33L, but had departed runway 27. ATC said it had been no big problem, but that we should 'be more careful next time.' this was an understatement, and a charitable one at that. The postmortem: captain briefed wrong SID, and first officer did not catch it. The following factors all contributed to this. Lack of attention to SID briefing, a bit complacent -- not having been to bos much lately, and especially not having taken off on runway 27 for over a yr, so the normal turn to the south, and away from downtown boston, was not stored in the mental 'memory banks,' although in retrospect, both the captain and first officer admitted that turning over the city of boston 'didn't seem right,' but not wrong enough to look again at the SID. WX was great, and traffic not too bad, so it was easy to lose a bit of the 'concentrated effort' bad WX might have given us. Also, on the logan 2 departure page, then instructions for runways 33L and 27 are right next to each other, and it would have been easy to think I was reading one, when actually reading the other. Again, complacency. How to avoid in future: be sure to read and look at departure instructions when briefed, instead of just listening to them. Pay more attention to detail, especially when not real familiar with the airport. And if something in the back of my mind says something doesn't feel right, I better start thinking and looking faster and harder because after 30 yrs in aviation -- something probably is wrong. Supplemental information from acn 473714: upon taxi for takeoff, I wrongly presumed the departure runway to be runway 33L, because I was distracted, and read departure instructions for this runway during the before takeoff checklist. Upon arriving at the runway (runway 27) several mins later, I again read out loud the departure instructions for runway 33L as we took the runway for takeoff. The cause of this deviation was without a doubt carelessness initiated by distraction during a period of feeling rushed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DEP B737-300 FLIES THE SOUND ABATEMENT HEADING FOR RWY 33L AFTER DEP FROM RWY 27 AT BOS, MA.

Narrative: FO WAS PNF, FLT FROM BOS-PHL. TKOF ON RWY 27, STANDARD SID. WHEN SWITCHED TO DEP CTL, FREQ WAS BUSY SO CONTINUED ON SID AND WAITING FOR RADIO TFC TO CLR SO I COULD MAKE INITIAL CONTACT WITH ATC. FINALLY DID, AND AFTER A SHORT WHILE, DEP CAME BACK AND ASKED US WHAT OUR HEADING WAS. I READ BACK 315 DEG HDG. ATC THEN ASKED WHAT RWY WE DEPARTED FROM. AT THIS POINT SOMETHING SEEMED AMISS, SO I TOLD ATC TO STANDBY. AFTER DISCUSSION WITH CAPT AS TO DEP RWY, ATC CAME BACK TO GIVE US AN IMMEDIATE VECTOR TO THE S, AND AGAIN REITERATED THAT WE HAD DEPARTED FROM RWY 27. WE THEN REALIZED THAT WE HAD BRIEFED THE DEP FOR RWY 33L, BUT HAD DEPARTED RWY 27. ATC SAID IT HAD BEEN NO BIG PROB, BUT THAT WE SHOULD 'BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME.' THIS WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT, AND A CHARITABLE ONE AT THAT. THE POSTMORTEM: CAPT BRIEFED WRONG SID, AND FO DID NOT CATCH IT. THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS. LACK OF ATTN TO SID BRIEFING, A BIT COMPLACENT -- NOT HAVING BEEN TO BOS MUCH LATELY, AND ESPECIALLY NOT HAVING TAKEN OFF ON RWY 27 FOR OVER A YR, SO THE NORMAL TURN TO THE S, AND AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN BOSTON, WAS NOT STORED IN THE MENTAL 'MEMORY BANKS,' ALTHOUGH IN RETROSPECT, BOTH THE CAPT AND FO ADMITTED THAT TURNING OVER THE CITY OF BOSTON 'DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT,' BUT NOT WRONG ENOUGH TO LOOK AGAIN AT THE SID. WX WAS GREAT, AND TFC NOT TOO BAD, SO IT WAS EASY TO LOSE A BIT OF THE 'CONCENTRATED EFFORT' BAD WX MIGHT HAVE GIVEN US. ALSO, ON THE LOGAN 2 DEP PAGE, THEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR RWYS 33L AND 27 ARE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO THINK I WAS READING ONE, WHEN ACTUALLY READING THE OTHER. AGAIN, COMPLACENCY. HOW TO AVOID IN FUTURE: BE SURE TO READ AND LOOK AT DEP INSTRUCTIONS WHEN BRIEFED, INSTEAD OF JUST LISTENING TO THEM. PAY MORE ATTN TO DETAIL, ESPECIALLY WHEN NOT REAL FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. AND IF SOMETHING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND SAYS SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT, I BETTER START THINKING AND LOOKING FASTER AND HARDER BECAUSE AFTER 30 YRS IN AVIATION -- SOMETHING PROBABLY IS WRONG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 473714: UPON TAXI FOR TKOF, I WRONGLY PRESUMED THE DEP RWY TO BE RWY 33L, BECAUSE I WAS DISTRACTED, AND READ DEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS RWY DURING THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. UPON ARRIVING AT THE RWY (RWY 27) SEVERAL MINS LATER, I AGAIN READ OUT LOUD THE DEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR RWY 33L AS WE TOOK THE RWY FOR TKOF. THE CAUSE OF THIS DEV WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT CARELESSNESS INITIATED BY DISTR DURING A PERIOD OF FEELING RUSHED.

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.