Narrative:

My flight air carrier abx Y was cleared into position and hold 9L. Tower cleared another air carrier acxy flight # ending in 'xy' for takeoff from the intersection in front of us. My first officer read back the takeoff clearance as if it was ours. The controller then corrected him by stating 'air carrier abxy, negative, hold in position. Air carrier acxy cleared for takeoff 9L.' although the first officer made a mistake, it was a classic. We were in position on 9L with no one in front of us, and expecting takeoff clearance momentarily. A 4-DIGIT flight # ending in 'xy' was cleared for takeoff on our runway with nothing but the wild blue yonder in front of us. The controller should have warned all involved before issuing such a psychologically entrapping and enticing clearance. The first officer should have been more careful to listen and less springloaded to answer the radio communication. As for me, I thought that I heard air carrier acxy in the call sign, but was quickly convinced by the picture that I was wrong. Luckily we never moved the aircraft before air carrier acxy took the runway in front of us from the next intersection. Clearing an aircraft for takeoff from an intersection with another aircraft in position on the same runway should involve special phraseology. Perhaps the ATC handbook does provide guidance in this area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLRNC REPLY TO WRONG CALL SIGH CANCELLED BY ALERT ATCT LCL CTLR WHEN CLRNC READBACK HEARBACK IDENTIFIED ACR AS WRONG ACFT ON SINGLE RWY OPERATION.

Narrative: MY FLT ACR ABX Y WAS CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD 9L. TWR CLRED ANOTHER ACR ACXY FLT # ENDING IN 'XY' FOR TKOF FROM THE INTXN IN FRONT OF US. MY F/O READ BACK THE TKOF CLRNC AS IF IT WAS OURS. THE CTLR THEN CORRECTED HIM BY STATING 'ACR ABXY, NEGATIVE, HOLD IN POS. ACR ACXY CLRED FOR TKOF 9L.' ALTHOUGH THE F/O MADE A MISTAKE, IT WAS A CLASSIC. WE WERE IN POS ON 9L WITH NO ONE IN FRONT OF US, AND EXPECTING TKOF CLRNC MOMENTARILY. A 4-DIGIT FLT # ENDING IN 'XY' WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ON OUR RWY WITH NOTHING BUT THE WILD BLUE YONDER IN FRONT OF US. THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE WARNED ALL INVOLVED BEFORE ISSUING SUCH A PSYCHOLOGICALLY ENTRAPPING AND ENTICING CLRNC. THE F/O SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL TO LISTEN AND LESS SPRINGLOADED TO ANSWER THE RADIO COM. AS FOR ME, I THOUGHT THAT I HEARD ACR ACXY IN THE CALL SIGN, BUT WAS QUICKLY CONVINCED BY THE PICTURE THAT I WAS WRONG. LUCKILY WE NEVER MOVED THE ACFT BEFORE ACR ACXY TOOK THE RWY IN FRONT OF US FROM THE NEXT INTXN. CLRING AN ACFT FOR TKOF FROM AN INTXN WITH ANOTHER ACFT IN POS ON THE SAME RWY SHOULD INVOLVE SPECIAL PHRASEOLOGY. PERHAPS THE ATC HANDBOOK DOES PROVIDE GUIDANCE IN THIS AREA.

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.