Narrative:

Flight crew reported to aircraft 30 mins prior to scheduled takeoff. Passenger engaged crew in 5 min conversation in the cockpit upon arrival. Interaction took place between crew and customer service agent advising short delay for more meals, jumpseat rider who required orientation briefing, lead flight attendant who required briefing, a passenger complaint that was relayed by another flight attendant and resolved in the cockpit, and maintenance, who came to the cockpit to resolve an APU problem. Checklists were complied with. At 5 mins past scheduled departure (a PA announcement was made from the cockpit at pushback time advising the delay) the customer service agent delivered final paperwork and departed without acknowledgment. 15 mins elapsed between pushback and takeoff, which is not much in the L-1011. All checklists were complied with. Clearance from ground to taxi and tower to takeoff were received. After tower directed flight to switch to departure control, first officer noticed he did not have the frequency set. He verified frequency with tower for departure, then verified squawk with departure control. They issued a climb clearance to 16000 ft on our check-in. So contacted clearance delivery at slc to verify routing. All this took place in slc tower airspace. Flight continued uneventfully to destination. Factors: multiple distrs prior to aircraft pushback. First officer flying fifth rotation after being displaced as captain from different aircraft type. Pre departure clearance system does not work as advertised. First officer collected available paperwork 25 mins prior to scheduled departure. Pre departure clearance not among papers. Normally, when this occurs, the agent brings the pre departure clearance with the final paperwork just prior to pushback. Checklist does not specifically call for review of pre departure clearance or clearance. Ground control or tower did not question whether clearance had been received or not, so I assume they had a strip. Paperwork for flight was discarded prior to crew knowing a problem existed. It is not known if pre departure clearance was not noticed among the paperwork.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB CREW FAILS TO OBTAIN PDC OR ANY CLRNC PRIOR TO DEP.

Narrative: FLC RPTED TO ACFT 30 MINS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED TKOF. PAX ENGAGED CREW IN 5 MIN CONVERSATION IN THE COCKPIT UPON ARR. INTERACTION TOOK PLACE BTWN CREW AND CUSTOMER SVC AGENT ADVISING SHORT DELAY FOR MORE MEALS, JUMPSEAT RIDER WHO REQUIRED ORIENTATION BRIEFING, LEAD FLT ATTENDANT WHO REQUIRED BRIEFING, A PAX COMPLAINT THAT WAS RELAYED BY ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT AND RESOLVED IN THE COCKPIT, AND MAINT, WHO CAME TO THE COCKPIT TO RESOLVE AN APU PROB. CHKLISTS WERE COMPLIED WITH. AT 5 MINS PAST SCHEDULED DEP (A PA ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE FROM THE COCKPIT AT PUSHBACK TIME ADVISING THE DELAY) THE CUSTOMER SVC AGENT DELIVERED FINAL PAPERWORK AND DEPARTED WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 15 MINS ELAPSED BTWN PUSHBACK AND TKOF, WHICH IS NOT MUCH IN THE L-1011. ALL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLIED WITH. CLRNC FROM GND TO TAXI AND TWR TO TKOF WERE RECEIVED. AFTER TWR DIRECTED FLT TO SWITCH TO DEP CTL, FO NOTICED HE DID NOT HAVE THE FREQ SET. HE VERIFIED FREQ WITH TWR FOR DEP, THEN VERIFIED SQUAWK WITH DEP CTL. THEY ISSUED A CLB CLRNC TO 16000 FT ON OUR CHK-IN. SO CONTACTED CLRNC DELIVERY AT SLC TO VERIFY ROUTING. ALL THIS TOOK PLACE IN SLC TWR AIRSPACE. FLT CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY TO DEST. FACTORS: MULTIPLE DISTRS PRIOR TO ACFT PUSHBACK. FO FLYING FIFTH ROTATION AFTER BEING DISPLACED AS CAPT FROM DIFFERENT ACFT TYPE. PDC SYS DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED. FO COLLECTED AVAILABLE PAPERWORK 25 MINS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED DEP. PDC NOT AMONG PAPERS. NORMALLY, WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE AGENT BRINGS THE PDC WITH THE FINAL PAPERWORK JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK. CHKLIST DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY CALL FOR REVIEW OF PDC OR CLRNC. GND CTL OR TWR DID NOT QUESTION WHETHER CLRNC HAD BEEN RECEIVED OR NOT, SO I ASSUME THEY HAD A STRIP. PAPERWORK FOR FLT WAS DISCARDED PRIOR TO CREW KNOWING A PROB EXISTED. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF PDC WAS NOT NOTICED AMONG THE PAPERWORK.

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.