Narrative:

1ST leg new pairing. 1ST aircraft had FOD (foreign object damage) tire, so we were swapped. 2ND aircraft had damaged radome, so we were swapped. Aircraft #3 was ok, but by now the WX had started to affect ord. At the top of the alley we were given a reroute. Dispatch sent us new numbers and we elected to go out and wait for WX to clear. On taxi several times ground asked us where we were -- they seemed to have misplaced our strip and even said so. We asked for our original routing, but were told that south and sebounds were shut down. We went back to new routing and confirmed that we had the fuel for the trip (it was almost 2 times the distance and now we had 2 alternates). ATC changed our runway assignment again to get us out quickly. Finishing up taxi checklist after 2ND engine start and was talking to flight attendant to make sure the cabin was ready as we were going right out. Tower cleared us to take off and gave us a heading to turn to once airborne. We finished the before takeoff checklist and then first officer took aircraft on the roll. I asked the captain 'did we get cleared for takeoff?' since the clearance was earlier and we were still finishing checklists. He was trying to ask tower to confirm takeoff clearance when tower asked us, 'where are you,' right as we were passing 80 KTS. We called for the abort. The captain told ATC that we were on the roll and had been cleared for takeoff -- and we aborted without using anything, but light braking. ATC then realized what they had done, apologized and told us to back-taxi on the active which was pretty weird considering it was ord. Then we taxied off and made an uneventful departure. ATC was overloaded with whining about fuel state and when would things open up. He was clearly task saturated and he lost track of us. Fortunately, not a big deal, but good thing there was no conflicting traffic. When these guys get busy perhaps a supervisor could give updates or sequences and not leave it to 1 guy in the tower running 1/2 of the airport. Oh yeah - he also forgot to change us to departure, then commented that he was off in 10 mins.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMJ FLT CREW IS CONFUSED WITH QUESTIONABLE TKOF CLRNC AT ORD AND ABORTS.

Narrative: 1ST LEG NEW PAIRING. 1ST ACFT HAD FOD (FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE) TIRE, SO WE WERE SWAPPED. 2ND ACFT HAD DAMAGED RADOME, SO WE WERE SWAPPED. ACFT #3 WAS OK, BUT BY NOW THE WX HAD STARTED TO AFFECT ORD. AT THE TOP OF THE ALLEY WE WERE GIVEN A REROUTE. DISPATCH SENT US NEW NUMBERS AND WE ELECTED TO GO OUT AND WAIT FOR WX TO CLR. ON TAXI SEVERAL TIMES GND ASKED US WHERE WE WERE -- THEY SEEMED TO HAVE MISPLACED OUR STRIP AND EVEN SAID SO. WE ASKED FOR OUR ORIGINAL ROUTING, BUT WERE TOLD THAT S AND SEBOUNDS WERE SHUT DOWN. WE WENT BACK TO NEW ROUTING AND CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD THE FUEL FOR THE TRIP (IT WAS ALMOST 2 TIMES THE DISTANCE AND NOW WE HAD 2 ALTERNATES). ATC CHANGED OUR RWY ASSIGNMENT AGAIN TO GET US OUT QUICKLY. FINISHING UP TAXI CHKLIST AFTER 2ND ENG START AND WAS TALKING TO FLT ATTENDANT TO MAKE SURE THE CABIN WAS READY AS WE WERE GOING RIGHT OUT. TWR CLRED US TO TAKE OFF AND GAVE US A HEADING TO TURN TO ONCE AIRBORNE. WE FINISHED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AND THEN FO TOOK ACFT ON THE ROLL. I ASKED THE CAPT 'DID WE GET CLRED FOR TKOF?' SINCE THE CLRNC WAS EARLIER AND WE WERE STILL FINISHING CHKLISTS. HE WAS TRYING TO ASK TWR TO CONFIRM TKOF CLRNC WHEN TWR ASKED US, 'WHERE ARE YOU,' RIGHT AS WE WERE PASSING 80 KTS. WE CALLED FOR THE ABORT. THE CAPT TOLD ATC THAT WE WERE ON THE ROLL AND HAD BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF -- AND WE ABORTED WITHOUT USING ANYTHING, BUT LIGHT BRAKING. ATC THEN REALIZED WHAT THEY HAD DONE, APOLOGIZED AND TOLD US TO BACK-TAXI ON THE ACTIVE WHICH WAS PRETTY WEIRD CONSIDERING IT WAS ORD. THEN WE TAXIED OFF AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL DEP. ATC WAS OVERLOADED WITH WHINING ABOUT FUEL STATE AND WHEN WOULD THINGS OPEN UP. HE WAS CLEARLY TASK SATURATED AND HE LOST TRACK OF US. FORTUNATELY, NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT GOOD THING THERE WAS NO CONFLICTING TFC. WHEN THESE GUYS GET BUSY PERHAPS A SUPVR COULD GIVE UPDATES OR SEQUENCES AND NOT LEAVE IT TO 1 GUY IN THE TWR RUNNING 1/2 OF THE ARPT. OH YEAH - HE ALSO FORGOT TO CHANGE US TO DEP, THEN COMMENTED THAT HE WAS OFF IN 10 MINS.

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.