Narrative:

I assumed a call sign which was not appropriate for my flight number! I was the captain of airline flight xyz elp to las, turn around for outbound flight xxa kas-phx. My first officer was on his first flight of his airline career. We had already had a stressful day with an aircraft swap in elp. We were 1 hour late. The first officer asked for a clearance for xyz while I was off the airplane in las to handle a passenger problem. Of course, no flight plan existed for xyz only xxa. The first officer assumed that the clearance had 'dropped' because we were late. He did not recognize that we had changed flight number. When I returned, he read me the clearance less the flight number since he had refiled. The clearance matched our company route of flight. We started engines and taxied out as flight xyz. I was more concerned with watching him on his first revenue flight than I was listening for the appropriate call sign. When las tower cleared us for takeoff, I recognized the disparity. However, rolling down the runway is not the time to challenge the first officer or the tower for clarification. When tower handed us off to las departure, I queried tower as to what he showed for a call sign. He showed xyz. I went over to departure, asked where xyz was filed to, and told him to reflect a change of call sign to xxa. He did so, and was very gracious about it. Upon arrival in phx, I called the las tower on the phone and discussed the incident with the tower chief. He indicated it had not created a problem. In the future I will ask the controller/first officer to read clearance to me, including the flight number!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG WITH NEW FO FILES FLT PLAN USING WRONG FLT NUMBER. CORRECTS AFTER CONTACTING DEP.

Narrative: I ASSUMED A CALL SIGN WHICH WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR MY FLT NUMBER! I WAS THE CAPT OF AIRLINE FLT XYZ ELP TO LAS, TURN AROUND FOR OUTBOUND FLT XXA KAS-PHX. MY FO WAS ON HIS FIRST FLT OF HIS AIRLINE CAREER. WE HAD ALREADY HAD A STRESSFUL DAY WITH AN ACFT SWAP IN ELP. WE WERE 1 HR LATE. THE FO ASKED FOR A CLRNC FOR XYZ WHILE I WAS OFF THE AIRPLANE IN LAS TO HANDLE A PAX PROB. OF COURSE, NO FLT PLAN EXISTED FOR XYZ ONLY XXA. THE FO ASSUMED THAT THE CLRNC HAD 'DROPPED' BECAUSE WE WERE LATE. HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD CHANGED FLT NUMBER. WHEN I RETURNED, HE READ ME THE CLRNC LESS THE FLT NUMBER SINCE HE HAD REFILED. THE CLRNC MATCHED OUR COMPANY RTE OF FLT. WE STARTED ENGS AND TAXIED OUT AS FLT XYZ. I WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH WATCHING HIM ON HIS FIRST REVENUE FLT THAN I WAS LISTENING FOR THE APPROPRIATE CALL SIGN. WHEN LAS TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF, I RECOGNIZED THE DISPARITY. HOWEVER, ROLLING DOWN THE RWY IS NOT THE TIME TO CHALLENGE THE FO OR THE TWR FOR CLARIFICATION. WHEN TWR HANDED US OFF TO LAS DEP, I QUERIED TWR AS TO WHAT HE SHOWED FOR A CALL SIGN. HE SHOWED XYZ. I WENT OVER TO DEP, ASKED WHERE XYZ WAS FILED TO, AND TOLD HIM TO REFLECT A CHANGE OF CALL SIGN TO XXA. HE DID SO, AND WAS VERY GRACIOUS ABOUT IT. UPON ARR IN PHX, I CALLED THE LAS TWR ON THE PHONE AND DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT WITH THE TWR CHIEF. HE INDICATED IT HAD NOT CREATED A PROB. IN THE FUTURE I WILL ASK THE CTLR/FO TO READ CLRNC TO ME, INCLUDING THE FLT NUMBER!

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.