Narrative:

Aborted takeoff (low speed) confign. On third day of a 3-DAY pairing. Our first 2 legs were to be good VFR conditions, so I told first officer to take the left seat since he is captain qualified. We performed our normal duties, including a thorough briefing stating to watch each other closely since I have not been in the right seat in a couple of yrs. I flew the first leg -- normal flight. Flight was normal pushback and start and I called for taxi. At this point, first officer remembers calling flaps 5 degrees. I do not remember the call and I by no means am stating that the call was not made. I just do not remember it. The taxi line facing west. I was checking left during initial taxi just to verify clear of equipment. We were cleared to taxi and hold short of runway 8/24 for landing traffic. Cleared to cross runway 8 to runway 15. After crossing, first officer called for the pretkof checklist. We ran the checklist. During taxi, we were told by tower to hold short waiting IFR release. Before we came to a full stop we were cleared for takeoff. Below the line was completed. As first officer brought the throttles up we heard the takeoff warning horn and he retarded the throttles to idle immediately. The takeoff was aborted before any indicated airspeed -- about a slow taxi speed. We notified tower that we needed to taxi back for takeoff. During the abort we noticed our flaps had not been set. While on the taxiway we set flaps 5 degrees and checked the takeoff warning horn. No horn -- operations normal. We then completed the pretkof checklist very carefully. Cleared for takeoff. Completed below the line and had a normal takeoff and departure. First of all I would like to state that there is no excuse for what happened and I take full responsibility. The reason this happened is easy. Read the checklist and verify. I feel like that is my normal procedure as a captain in the left seat as I verify by putting my hand on the flap handle and pointing at the gauge for flaps 5 degrees when called. As a first officer I also always verified my callouts from the checklist. The first officer and I discussed that if we feel that this would have happened had we been in our regular seats. We both, without a doubt, feel that this event would not have occurred. It has been quite a while since I had been in the right seat. I want to swap with the first officer but after this I am not quite as comfortable. It comes down to I missed it. Big lesson learned and I will do my best to not let this happen again. Supplemental information from acn 536062: started day in ZZZ and decided to seat swap since I was captain qualified. Discussed normal briefing items plus to take extra care since both would be in a different than normal seat position. In ZZZ pushback and engine start was uneventful. Cleared to taxi to runway 15, hold short of runway 8. First time at ZZZ in left seat and was checking hold short line. Called for flaps and began the taxi to hold short of runway 8. Crossed runway 8 and went to runway 15. Ran pretkof checklist. Was told to hold short of runway 15 for IFR release. Prior to stopping at hold short line was cleared to take off. Ran 'below the line' checklist and rolled onto runway. As I brought the throttles up for takeoff, we got a takeoff warning horn. I immediately brought the throttles to idle before we registered any speed. We were below taxi speed when abort was initiated. We saw we had missed the flaps during our pretkof checklist and they had caused the horn. We set the takeoff flaps and rechked the warning horn. We completed the pretkof checklist again and told tower we were ready for takeoff. We did clear the runway while we checked the system and re-ran the checklist. A normal takeoff and departure was completed. Somehow during the taxi we had become distraction during the running of the checklist. I remember putting my hand on the flap lever to check the detent, but didn't notice their position. I was concentrating on the taxi out. I feel that if we had been in our regular seats that this would not have happened. However, I have been captain qualified since first week in november and have not been able to fly once as a captain. Seat swapping is my only choice to try and stay current in the left seat and that has been scarce. I will probably go to my 6 month pt with no captain experience. I know senior capts are very uncomfortable sitting in the right seat because they just don't do it enough. I feel that once you go through upgrade you should at least be allowed to try and get some experience. Bottom line: there is still no excuse for missing items on the checklist no matter what seat you're in, but I feel both our lack of experience in the different position contributed to our mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 CAPT AND FO SWAPPED SEAS FOR THE LEG. THE CREW FORGOT TO PUT THE FLAPS DOWN FOR TKOF.

Narrative: ABORTED TKOF (LOW SPD) CONFIGN. ON THIRD DAY OF A 3-DAY PAIRING. OUR FIRST 2 LEGS WERE TO BE GOOD VFR CONDITIONS, SO I TOLD FO TO TAKE THE L SEAT SINCE HE IS CAPT QUALIFIED. WE PERFORMED OUR NORMAL DUTIES, INCLUDING A THOROUGH BRIEFING STATING TO WATCH EACH OTHER CLOSELY SINCE I HAVE NOT BEEN IN THE R SEAT IN A COUPLE OF YRS. I FLEW THE FIRST LEG -- NORMAL FLT. FLT WAS NORMAL PUSHBACK AND START AND I CALLED FOR TAXI. AT THIS POINT, FO REMEMBERS CALLING FLAPS 5 DEGS. I DO NOT REMEMBER THE CALL AND I BY NO MEANS AM STATING THAT THE CALL WAS NOT MADE. I JUST DO NOT REMEMBER IT. THE TAXI LINE FACING W. I WAS CHKING L DURING INITIAL TAXI JUST TO VERIFY CLR OF EQUIP. WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8/24 FOR LNDG TFC. CLRED TO CROSS RWY 8 TO RWY 15. AFTER XING, FO CALLED FOR THE PRETKOF CHKLIST. WE RAN THE CHKLIST. DURING TAXI, WE WERE TOLD BY TWR TO HOLD SHORT WAITING IFR RELEASE. BEFORE WE CAME TO A FULL STOP WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. BELOW THE LINE WAS COMPLETED. AS FO BROUGHT THE THROTTLES UP WE HEARD THE TKOF WARNING HORN AND HE RETARDED THE THROTTLES TO IDLE IMMEDIATELY. THE TKOF WAS ABORTED BEFORE ANY INDICATED AIRSPD -- ABOUT A SLOW TAXI SPD. WE NOTIFIED TWR THAT WE NEEDED TO TAXI BACK FOR TKOF. DURING THE ABORT WE NOTICED OUR FLAPS HAD NOT BEEN SET. WHILE ON THE TXWY WE SET FLAPS 5 DEGS AND CHKED THE TKOF WARNING HORN. NO HORN -- OPS NORMAL. WE THEN COMPLETED THE PRETKOF CHKLIST VERY CAREFULLY. CLRED FOR TKOF. COMPLETED BELOW THE LINE AND HAD A NORMAL TKOF AND DEP. FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT HAPPENED AND I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY. THE REASON THIS HAPPENED IS EASY. READ THE CHKLIST AND VERIFY. I FEEL LIKE THAT IS MY NORMAL PROC AS A CAPT IN THE L SEAT AS I VERIFY BY PUTTING MY HAND ON THE FLAP HANDLE AND POINTING AT THE GAUGE FOR FLAPS 5 DEGS WHEN CALLED. AS A FO I ALSO ALWAYS VERIFIED MY CALLOUTS FROM THE CHKLIST. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED THAT IF WE FEEL THAT THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD WE BEEN IN OUR REGULAR SEATS. WE BOTH, WITHOUT A DOUBT, FEEL THAT THIS EVENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. IT HAS BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE I HAD BEEN IN THE R SEAT. I WANT TO SWAP WITH THE FO BUT AFTER THIS I AM NOT QUITE AS COMFORTABLE. IT COMES DOWN TO I MISSED IT. BIG LESSON LEARNED AND I WILL DO MY BEST TO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 536062: STARTED DAY IN ZZZ AND DECIDED TO SEAT SWAP SINCE I WAS CAPT QUALIFIED. DISCUSSED NORMAL BRIEFING ITEMS PLUS TO TAKE EXTRA CARE SINCE BOTH WOULD BE IN A DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL SEAT POS. IN ZZZ PUSHBACK AND ENG START WAS UNEVENTFUL. CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 15, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8. FIRST TIME AT ZZZ IN L SEAT AND WAS CHKING HOLD SHORT LINE. CALLED FOR FLAPS AND BEGAN THE TAXI TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8. CROSSED RWY 8 AND WENT TO RWY 15. RAN PRETKOF CHKLIST. WAS TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 15 FOR IFR RELEASE. PRIOR TO STOPPING AT HOLD SHORT LINE WAS CLRED TO TAKE OFF. RAN 'BELOW THE LINE' CHKLIST AND ROLLED ONTO RWY. AS I BROUGHT THE THROTTLES UP FOR TKOF, WE GOT A TKOF WARNING HORN. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE THROTTLES TO IDLE BEFORE WE REGISTERED ANY SPD. WE WERE BELOW TAXI SPD WHEN ABORT WAS INITIATED. WE SAW WE HAD MISSED THE FLAPS DURING OUR PRETKOF CHKLIST AND THEY HAD CAUSED THE HORN. WE SET THE TKOF FLAPS AND RECHKED THE WARNING HORN. WE COMPLETED THE PRETKOF CHKLIST AGAIN AND TOLD TWR WE WERE READY FOR TKOF. WE DID CLR THE RWY WHILE WE CHKED THE SYS AND RE-RAN THE CHKLIST. A NORMAL TKOF AND DEP WAS COMPLETED. SOMEHOW DURING THE TAXI WE HAD BECOME DISTR DURING THE RUNNING OF THE CHKLIST. I REMEMBER PUTTING MY HAND ON THE FLAP LEVER TO CHK THE DETENT, BUT DIDN'T NOTICE THEIR POS. I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE TAXI OUT. I FEEL THAT IF WE HAD BEEN IN OUR REGULAR SEATS THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN CAPT QUALIFIED SINCE FIRST WK IN NOVEMBER AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FLY ONCE AS A CAPT. SEAT SWAPPING IS MY ONLY CHOICE TO TRY AND STAY CURRENT IN THE L SEAT AND THAT HAS BEEN SCARCE. I WILL PROBABLY GO TO MY 6 MONTH PT WITH NO CAPT EXPERIENCE. I KNOW SENIOR CAPTS ARE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE SITTING IN THE R SEAT BECAUSE THEY JUST DON'T DO IT ENOUGH. I FEEL THAT ONCE YOU GO THROUGH UPGRADE YOU SHOULD AT LEAST BE ALLOWED TO TRY AND GET SOME EXPERIENCE. BOTTOM LINE: THERE IS STILL NO EXCUSE FOR MISSING ITEMS ON THE CHKLIST NO MATTER WHAT SEAT YOU'RE IN, BUT I FEEL BOTH OUR LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE DIFFERENT POS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR MISTAKE.

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.