Narrative:

First officer flying including taxi (900 tt, 250 sic in light transport); PIC (25600 tt, 600 sic in light transport). WX clear, runway 34R dry, tower reporting wind 340 degrees at 4 KTS, windsock indicated direction more west. Aircraft at gross weight within cg. Jump seat passenger a PIC trnee. Captain read in position checklist as first officer taxied into position. Last 3 items are tail wheel locked, throttle friction set and directional gyro set. First officer did not stop in position but rolled directly into takeoff roll as the flight was close to being late. First officer walked throttles up slowly and almost immediately began experiencing difficulty with directional control. First officer attempted to maintain directional control with rudder and differential power. Aircraft drifted right then left then right again. First officer announced an abort and pwred back. First officer thought that the problem was an imbalance of power (at that time) and told captain that low power on right engine was the reason for the abort. First officer and captain agree that the aircraft was still under control at that time. Jump seat passenger said to try adding power again to check out power readings and first officer complied. The tail immediately swung right and aircraft began skidding down runway. First officer began to reduce power. Captain took controls and added full power. Aircraft skidded more, then veered off left side of runway and eventually rolled to a stop in grass area between runways. No damage, no injuries, no ground loop. Captain taxied to ramp. When reaching to unlock tail wheel for taxi, tail wheel was found to be already unlocked. Direct cause: attempting to takeoff with tail wheel unlocked. Root causes: poor checklist use due to chronic hurrying to meet schedules. Flight must leave early to arrive on time as contract specifies an impossible schedule. Flight crew must assist with loading, compute fuel load, supervise fueling and compute weight and balance all at once. Prevention: use checklists properly regardless of schedules, negotiate realistic contracts/schedules, and hire and train sufficient cargo handlers, etc to accomplish loading west/O flight crew. Jump seat passenger should not have said anything let alone tell first officer to add power. Captain should have countermanded the order and first officer should have (as per training) continued abort and ignored any instruction to the contrary. First officer tried to determine the cause of the problem and thus misled captain.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FAILURE TO COMPLETE BEFORE TKOF CHECKLIST AND POOR FLT CREW COORD COMPOUNDED BY UNSOLICITED 'ADVICE' FROM PLT JUMP SEAT PASSENGER LED TO LOSS OF ACFT CONTROL AND RWY EXCURSION.

Narrative: F/O FLYING INCLUDING TAXI (900 TT, 250 SIC IN LTT); PIC (25600 TT, 600 SIC IN LTT). WX CLR, RWY 34R DRY, TWR RPTING WIND 340 DEGS AT 4 KTS, WINDSOCK INDICATED DIRECTION MORE W. ACFT AT GROSS WT WITHIN CG. JUMP SEAT PAX A PIC TRNEE. CAPT READ IN POS CHKLIST AS F/O TAXIED INTO POS. LAST 3 ITEMS ARE TAIL WHEEL LOCKED, THROTTLE FRICTION SET AND DIRECTIONAL GYRO SET. F/O DID NOT STOP IN POS BUT ROLLED DIRECTLY INTO TKOF ROLL AS THE FLT WAS CLOSE TO BEING LATE. F/O WALKED THROTTLES UP SLOWLY AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BEGAN EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY WITH DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. F/O ATTEMPTED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WITH RUDDER AND DIFFERENTIAL PWR. ACFT DRIFTED RIGHT THEN LEFT THEN RIGHT AGAIN. F/O ANNOUNCED AN ABORT AND PWRED BACK. F/O THOUGHT THAT THE PROB WAS AN IMBALANCE OF PWR (AT THAT TIME) AND TOLD CAPT THAT LOW PWR ON RIGHT ENG WAS THE REASON FOR THE ABORT. F/O AND CAPT AGREE THAT THE ACFT WAS STILL UNDER CONTROL AT THAT TIME. JUMP SEAT PAX SAID TO TRY ADDING PWR AGAIN TO CHK OUT PWR READINGS AND F/O COMPLIED. THE TAIL IMMEDIATELY SWUNG RIGHT AND ACFT BEGAN SKIDDING DOWN RWY. F/O BEGAN TO REDUCE PWR. CAPT TOOK CONTROLS AND ADDED FULL PWR. ACFT SKIDDED MORE, THEN VEERED OFF LEFT SIDE OF RWY AND EVENTUALLY ROLLED TO A STOP IN GRASS AREA BTWN RWYS. NO DAMAGE, NO INJURIES, NO GND LOOP. CAPT TAXIED TO RAMP. WHEN REACHING TO UNLOCK TAIL WHEEL FOR TAXI, TAIL WHEEL WAS FOUND TO BE ALREADY UNLOCKED. DIRECT CAUSE: ATTEMPTING TO TKOF WITH TAIL WHEEL UNLOCKED. ROOT CAUSES: POOR CHKLIST USE DUE TO CHRONIC HURRYING TO MEET SCHEDULES. FLT MUST LEAVE EARLY TO ARRIVE ON TIME AS CONTRACT SPECIFIES AN IMPOSSIBLE SCHEDULE. FLT CREW MUST ASSIST WITH LOADING, COMPUTE FUEL LOAD, SUPERVISE FUELING AND COMPUTE WT AND BAL ALL AT ONCE. PREVENTION: USE CHKLISTS PROPERLY REGARDLESS OF SCHEDULES, NEGOTIATE REALISTIC CONTRACTS/SCHEDULES, AND HIRE AND TRAIN SUFFICIENT CARGO HANDLERS, ETC TO ACCOMPLISH LOADING W/O FLT CREW. JUMP SEAT PAX SHOULD NOT HAVE SAID ANYTHING LET ALONE TELL F/O TO ADD PWR. CAPT SHOULD HAVE COUNTERMANDED THE ORDER AND F/O SHOULD HAVE (AS PER TRNING) CONTINUED ABORT AND IGNORED ANY INSTRUCTION TO THE CONTRARY. F/O TRIED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROB AND THUS MISLED CAPT.

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.