Narrative:

I was the flight lead for a 4 ship of fgt's scheduled to fly a routine training mission in the boone MOA followed by a multipass flyby at storm lake airport for their hot air balloon days. The active runway was 31 with xwinds gusting over 15 KTS which caused me to choose single ship takeoffs for the flight. We were cleared onto the active to hold due to a small commuter landing on the cross runway 35. After checking the winds with tower and calling for the single ship takeoffs, I also told the flight to make a crosswind lineup. As soon as I had said that, I realized it was an extraneous request because of the single ship takeoffs and I began questioning myself why I had said this. Still on tower frequency, I gave the signal to run up the engines for the pretkof check. When the flight members acknowledged, all was well to takeoff. I rechked my clock and noted we were at the preplanned takeoff time. By this time, my mental process had disregarded the original call to hold for the landing traffic and I looked over at my wingman, waved a farewell and proceeded to takeoff. About 800' to 1000' into the takeoff roll, I realized I had not been cleared for takeoff and initially chose to abort, pulling the throttle back to idle. At this time, I questioned several things rapidly. 1) did I have takeoff clearance since I had not heard anything about stopping from the flight members, tower or our rsu? 2) were my flight members rolling behind me with 10 second spacing? 3) if I aborted, would I be stopping in the pathway of the landing aircraft? To resolve this conflict as expeditiously as possible, I chose to continue the takeoff, transmitted my intentions to tower, who then told the landing commuter aircraft to go around. The #2 fgt had rolled behind me and took off west/O incident, with the commuter plane going around next and 3 and 4 taking off with clearance. This incident shows the fallibility of the human thinking process, which becomes very used to standard events and can lead to errors of omission when cluttered with extraneous thoughts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT OF FOUR FGTS UNAUTH TKOF.

Narrative: I WAS THE FLT LEAD FOR A 4 SHIP OF FGT'S SCHEDULED TO FLY A ROUTINE TRNING MISSION IN THE BOONE MOA FOLLOWED BY A MULTIPASS FLYBY AT STORM LAKE ARPT FOR THEIR HOT AIR BALLOON DAYS. THE ACTIVE RWY WAS 31 WITH XWINDS GUSTING OVER 15 KTS WHICH CAUSED ME TO CHOOSE SINGLE SHIP TKOFS FOR THE FLT. WE WERE CLRED ONTO THE ACTIVE TO HOLD DUE TO A SMALL COMMUTER LNDG ON THE CROSS RWY 35. AFTER CHKING THE WINDS WITH TWR AND CALLING FOR THE SINGLE SHIP TKOFS, I ALSO TOLD THE FLT TO MAKE A XWIND LINEUP. AS SOON AS I HAD SAID THAT, I REALIZED IT WAS AN EXTRANEOUS REQUEST BECAUSE OF THE SINGLE SHIP TKOFS AND I BEGAN QUESTIONING MYSELF WHY I HAD SAID THIS. STILL ON TWR FREQ, I GAVE THE SIGNAL TO RUN UP THE ENGS FOR THE PRETKOF CHK. WHEN THE FLT MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGED, ALL WAS WELL TO TKOF. I RECHKED MY CLOCK AND NOTED WE WERE AT THE PREPLANNED TKOF TIME. BY THIS TIME, MY MENTAL PROCESS HAD DISREGARDED THE ORIGINAL CALL TO HOLD FOR THE LNDG TFC AND I LOOKED OVER AT MY WINGMAN, WAVED A FAREWELL AND PROCEEDED TO TKOF. ABOUT 800' TO 1000' INTO THE TKOF ROLL, I REALIZED I HAD NOT BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF AND INITIALLY CHOSE TO ABORT, PULLING THE THROTTLE BACK TO IDLE. AT THIS TIME, I QUESTIONED SEVERAL THINGS RAPIDLY. 1) DID I HAVE TKOF CLRNC SINCE I HAD NOT HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT STOPPING FROM THE FLT MEMBERS, TWR OR OUR RSU? 2) WERE MY FLT MEMBERS ROLLING BEHIND ME WITH 10 SEC SPACING? 3) IF I ABORTED, WOULD I BE STOPPING IN THE PATHWAY OF THE LNDG ACFT? TO RESOLVE THIS CONFLICT AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE, I CHOSE TO CONTINUE THE TKOF, XMITTED MY INTENTIONS TO TWR, WHO THEN TOLD THE LNDG COMMUTER ACFT TO GO AROUND. THE #2 FGT HAD ROLLED BEHIND ME AND TOOK OFF W/O INCIDENT, WITH THE COMMUTER PLANE GOING AROUND NEXT AND 3 AND 4 TAKING OFF WITH CLRNC. THIS INCIDENT SHOWS THE FALLIBILITY OF THE HUMAN THINKING PROCESS, WHICH BECOMES VERY USED TO STANDARD EVENTS AND CAN LEAD TO ERRORS OF OMISSION WHEN CLUTTERED WITH EXTRANEOUS THOUGHTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.