Narrative:

My plane was a tomahawk; 2 on board. We had just landed at tracy after going around the pattern as we believed we had left an item on the ground while refueling a few mins before. After landing and immediately after shutting down the engine the item was located (I was sitting on it). We immediately went back through the checklist and restarted the engine and taxied to runway 30. We paused in the run-up area and went through pretkof checklist; after which we made the radio call to depart runway 30. We rolled onto the runway and accelerated for takeoff. Approximately 2/3 of the way down the runway we rotated; almost immediately we saw the second plane; a cessna; pass in front of us from left to right; taking off on runway 7. We did not need to take evasive action and I am not sure the cessna ever saw us. As we climbed out we discovered that our radio was not turned on and that obviously our calls had not been transmitted. The problem was caused by me being sloppy and hurried in going through the pre-start checklist. The 'lost item' got me out of sync; having to turn around and land again. Finding the item made it worse; as the whole exercise was shown to be unnecessary. My private and most of my flying has been done in an aircraft where the radios are left on and effectively controled by the master switch. This was my 3RD flight in this aircraft where radios are a separate checklist item. I did have an indication of the problem as my radio calls did not activate my headphones. I noticed this as an anomaly but as my passenger could hear my call over the intercom and the intercom was active I did not put two and two together. My aircraft was scheduled to return to our home airport in a little over an hour and our 'lost item' escapade put me behind the time curve. I was rushed to get going. My passenger was 'helping' me with the checklist items as he was much more familiar in this type than me. A good example of a chain of events leading to a dangerous situation; but not to gloss over the main cause of very poor checklist discipline on my part; and failure to recognize my headset anomaly as something wrong that should have been occasioned a pause and a solution. Another pilot has since related a habit of his in listening to AWOS (sky was clear and no wind on this day) not only for information but as a confirmation of radio function.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAKING OFF ON RWY 30 AT TCY; PLT OF PA38 HAS CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A CESSNA DEPARTING ON RWY 07. CITES FAILURE TO TURN ON COM RADIO PRIOR TO DEP.

Narrative: MY PLANE WAS A TOMAHAWK; 2 ON BOARD. WE HAD JUST LANDED AT TRACY AFTER GOING AROUND THE PATTERN AS WE BELIEVED WE HAD LEFT AN ITEM ON THE GND WHILE REFUELING A FEW MINS BEFORE. AFTER LNDG AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE ENG THE ITEM WAS LOCATED (I WAS SITTING ON IT). WE IMMEDIATELY WENT BACK THROUGH THE CHKLIST AND RESTARTED THE ENG AND TAXIED TO RWY 30. WE PAUSED IN THE RUN-UP AREA AND WENT THROUGH PRETKOF CHKLIST; AFTER WHICH WE MADE THE RADIO CALL TO DEPART RWY 30. WE ROLLED ONTO THE RWY AND ACCELERATED FOR TKOF. APPROX 2/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY WE ROTATED; ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE SAW THE SECOND PLANE; A CESSNA; PASS IN FRONT OF US FROM L TO R; TAKING OFF ON RWY 7. WE DID NOT NEED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION AND I AM NOT SURE THE CESSNA EVER SAW US. AS WE CLBED OUT WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR RADIO WAS NOT TURNED ON AND THAT OBVIOUSLY OUR CALLS HAD NOT BEEN XMITTED. THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY ME BEING SLOPPY AND HURRIED IN GOING THROUGH THE PRE-START CHKLIST. THE 'LOST ITEM' GOT ME OUT OF SYNC; HAVING TO TURN AROUND AND LAND AGAIN. FINDING THE ITEM MADE IT WORSE; AS THE WHOLE EXERCISE WAS SHOWN TO BE UNNECESSARY. MY PVT AND MOST OF MY FLYING HAS BEEN DONE IN AN ACFT WHERE THE RADIOS ARE LEFT ON AND EFFECTIVELY CTLED BY THE MASTER SWITCH. THIS WAS MY 3RD FLT IN THIS ACFT WHERE RADIOS ARE A SEPARATE CHKLIST ITEM. I DID HAVE AN INDICATION OF THE PROB AS MY RADIO CALLS DID NOT ACTIVATE MY HEADPHONES. I NOTICED THIS AS AN ANOMALY BUT AS MY PAX COULD HEAR MY CALL OVER THE INTERCOM AND THE INTERCOM WAS ACTIVE I DID NOT PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER. MY ACFT WAS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO OUR HOME ARPT IN A LITTLE OVER AN HR AND OUR 'LOST ITEM' ESCAPADE PUT ME BEHIND THE TIME CURVE. I WAS RUSHED TO GET GOING. MY PAX WAS 'HELPING' ME WITH THE CHKLIST ITEMS AS HE WAS MUCH MORE FAMILIAR IN THIS TYPE THAN ME. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING TO A DANGEROUS SITUATION; BUT NOT TO GLOSS OVER THE MAIN CAUSE OF VERY POOR CHKLIST DISCIPLINE ON MY PART; AND FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE MY HEADSET ANOMALY AS SOMETHING WRONG THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OCCASIONED A PAUSE AND A SOLUTION. ANOTHER PLT HAS SINCE RELATED A HABIT OF HIS IN LISTENING TO AWOS (SKY WAS CLR AND NO WIND ON THIS DAY) NOT ONLY FOR INFO BUT AS A CONFIRMATION OF RADIO FUNCTION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.