B737-700 captain reports forgetting to turn on the pitot heat switches after engine start and respon...

Narrative:

Conducted low speed rejected takeoff due to master caution light. Discovered the pitot probe heat switches were off. Redid the after start; taxi; and takeoff checklists. Notified dispatch and departed. After push back; I elected to do the delayed engine [start] checklist and taxi out single engine. The first officer started the #2 engine and I called for the after start checklist; while the push crew was still connected. Activity outside the aircraft by the push crew redirected my attention away from the checklist and I missed getting the pitot probe switches on. My decision to call for the after-start checklist while I was monitoring the push back was a contributing factor; as well as workload distribution and cross verification.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 Captain reports forgetting to turn on the pitot heat switches after engine start and responding without checking at the checklist prompt. As takeoff thrust is set a Master Caution Light illuminates due to the omission; and the takeoff is rejected.

Narrative: Conducted low speed rejected takeoff due to Master Caution Light. Discovered the Pitot Probe Heat switches were off. Redid the After Start; Taxi; and Takeoff checklists. Notified Dispatch and departed. After push back; I elected to do the Delayed Engine [Start] Checklist and taxi out single engine. The First Officer started the #2 engine and I called for the After Start checklist; while the push crew was still connected. Activity outside the aircraft by the push crew redirected my attention away from the checklist and I missed getting the Pitot Probe switches on. My decision to call for the After-Start Checklist while I was monitoring the push back was a contributing factor; as well as workload distribution and cross verification.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

Attributes
ACN	1196921
Time
Date	201408
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	SEA.Airport
State Reference	WA
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Takeoff
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Pitot/Static Ice System
Person 1
Function	Pilot Not Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy

B737-700 captain reports forgetting to turn on the pitot heat switches after engine start and responding without checking at the checklist prompt. As takeoff thrust is set a master caution light illuminates due to the omission; and the takeoff is rejected.