Narrative:

The first leg of our trip -- arrived at aircraft and began normal preflight duties. The ACARS was initialized with all the necessary flight information, flight number, time en route, fuel, etc. ATIS information was received and a pre-departure clearance was requested through use of the ACARS. At departure time, gate pushback and taxi clrncs were received from ground control. We taxied to the runway while accomplishing all appropriate checklists and were quickly issued takeoff clearance. Airborne, tower instructed us to contact departure control. At that time, it became apparent that I had not received the pre-departure clearance that had been requested back before departure from the gate. There we were -- airborne without a route clearance! My normal routine is to copy initial altitude, squawk code, departure frequency, etc, onto my scratch sheet and I had none of this information. Immediately (about 200 ft off the departure end of the runway) I again requested the ACARS for our route clearance and it came within 5-10 seconds. The proper transponder code was dialed in and we contacted departure control. No mention by any of the ATC controllers (ground, tower, or departure control) was made about our route clearance at any time. Our assumption was that they were under the assumption that we had received the clearance (ATC) at the gate before taxi clearance was received and passed our 'strip' along to each successive controller. In other words, from ATC's standpoint, we had received our route clearance. This situation may point to a lack of verification that could occur under present pre-departure clearance procedure at airports such as dca which use pre-departure clearance. At lga the pre-departure clearance procedure requires a flight to contact clearance delivery to verify the squawk code, thereby ensuring that before a route clearance strip is passed to the ground controller, it has been received by the flight crew. Perhaps this verification procedure could become standard at all pre-departure clearance capable airports so that a taxi or takeoff clearance is never issued without first having been issued a route clearance.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG DEPARTS WITHOUT RECEIVING PREDEP CLRNC.

Narrative: THE FIRST LEG OF OUR TRIP -- ARRIVED AT ACFT AND BEGAN NORMAL PREFLT DUTIES. THE ACARS WAS INITIALIZED WITH ALL THE NECESSARY FLT INFO, FLT NUMBER, TIME ENRTE, FUEL, ETC. ATIS INFO WAS RECEIVED AND A PRE-DEP CLRNC WAS REQUESTED THROUGH USE OF THE ACARS. AT DEP TIME, GATE PUSHBACK AND TAXI CLRNCS WERE RECEIVED FROM GND CTL. WE TAXIED TO THE RWY WHILE ACCOMPLISHING ALL APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS AND WERE QUICKLY ISSUED TKOF CLRNC. AIRBORNE, TWR INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT DEP CTL. AT THAT TIME, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT I HAD NOT RECEIVED THE PRE-DEP CLRNC THAT HAD BEEN REQUESTED BACK BEFORE DEP FROM THE GATE. THERE WE WERE -- AIRBORNE WITHOUT A RTE CLRNC! MY NORMAL ROUTINE IS TO COPY INITIAL ALT, SQUAWK CODE, DEP FREQ, ETC, ONTO MY SCRATCH SHEET AND I HAD NONE OF THIS INFO. IMMEDIATELY (ABOUT 200 FT OFF THE DEP END OF THE RWY) I AGAIN REQUESTED THE ACARS FOR OUR RTE CLRNC AND IT CAME WITHIN 5-10 SECONDS. THE PROPER XPONDER CODE WAS DIALED IN AND WE CONTACTED DEP CTL. NO MENTION BY ANY OF THE ATC CTLRS (GND, TWR, OR DEP CTL) WAS MADE ABOUT OUR RTE CLRNC AT ANY TIME. OUR ASSUMPTION WAS THAT THEY WERE UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE HAD RECEIVED THE CLRNC (ATC) AT THE GATE BEFORE TAXI CLRNC WAS RECEIVED AND PASSED OUR 'STRIP' ALONG TO EACH SUCCESSIVE CTLR. IN OTHER WORDS, FROM ATC'S STANDPOINT, WE HAD RECEIVED OUR RTE CLRNC. THIS SIT MAY POINT TO A LACK OF VERIFICATION THAT COULD OCCUR UNDER PRESENT PRE-DEP CLRNC PROC AT ARPTS SUCH AS DCA WHICH USE PRE-DEP CLRNC. AT LGA THE PRE-DEP CLRNC PROC REQUIRES A FLT TO CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY TO VERIFY THE SQUAWK CODE, THEREBY ENSURING THAT BEFORE A RTE CLRNC STRIP IS PASSED TO THE GND CTLR, IT HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY THE FLC. PERHAPS THIS VERIFICATION PROC COULD BECOME STANDARD AT ALL PRE-DEP CLRNC CAPABLE ARPTS SO THAT A TAXI OR TKOF CLRNC IS NEVER ISSUED WITHOUT FIRST HAVING BEEN ISSUED A RTE CLRNC.

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.