Narrative:

The circumstances surrounding my takeoff without ATC clearance are as follows: I am relatively new to the job that I'm now doing flying cargo under far part 135 (having 2 months experience). Previously, I had flown in the air force almost always under IFR, so my present job involves a less restrictive environment flying VFR and often from uncontrolled fields, requiring more decision making on my part. Almost always when I fly out of falcon field (our company base of operations), the tower is closed and I am accustomed to taxiing, taking off, and landing on my own, simply announcing my intentions on CTAF. The day of this incident, I was flying a different model cessna 310 from what I normally fly which had a different radio setup from what I'm used to. I had flown it only once before several weeks prior and I had forgotten that this particular airplane had 2 different control heads for the #1 radio, located in the center of the instrument panel. I didn't realize that the #2 radio was located down near my right knee. Instead, I thought the #2 radio was the control head on the right in the center of the instrument panel, when in fact that is part of the #1 radio, controled by a toggle switch which is hard to see from the pilot's seat in the dark conditions I had that morning. Also on that particular day, I was running about 20 mins late for my scheduled cargo pickup at phx airport due to a series of unusual delays on the ground, some of which were my fault, and I felt a lot of pressure to get flying as soon as possible to meet our commitment to our customer and avoid trouble with customer complaints. Normally, I taxi and takeoff before falcon tower opens at XA00 local time, but because I was behind that day, I began taxiing a few mins after XA00. Before taxi, I attempted to listen to ATIS, but heard nothing. I tried calling ground for taxi clearance on what I thought was the #1 radio, but heard no response. I looked at the tower as I taxied and it didn't appear that there was anybody in it. I switched to CTAF (tower frequency) and announced my taxi intentions, thinking that if there was someone in the tower they would answer, but I got no response. I thought this was all rather strange, but thought that maybe the tower was opening later than I expected so I continued my taxi. Normally, I would depart on runway 22L (the closest runway to our parking area), but it was notamed closed and the parallel taxiway leading out to it was closed so I continued taxiing for runway 22R. Because of the blocked txwys, I thought I had to back taxi down the runway for takeoff (it was dark outside and I was unfamiliar with the txwys leading to runway 22R since the normal ones were blocked). Just as I began to turn onto the runway to back taxi, after having announced my intentions on what I thought was CTAF, I did notice a lighted taxiway on the north side of runway 22R, but since I was only a short distance from the approach end of runway 22R, I elected to continue my back taxi. Before turning onto the runway, I noticed an aircraft on what appeared to be a midfield right downwind for runway 22R and I thought it strange that he hadn't announced his intentions or answered my calls on CTAF, but I could see I would have time to back taxi and takeoff, so I continued. Because I had been in a hurry and I was distracted by all the unexpected things with no response to my radio calls, as I turned the aircraft around for takeoff I realized I had not completed my runup check on the engines. I took a short moment to properly complete that and then took off, announcing my intentions on what I thought was CTAF (tower frequency). After getting airborne, I switched to phx approach control to request clearance into class B airspace and got no response. I tried toggling the radio switch and about that time noticed the #2 radio at my right knee which I had not seen earlier in the dark and in my hurry. I tried the different radios and switches and I was able to contact phx approach and get clearance from phx to land at phx airport. After I landed, phx ground control said that falcon tower wanted me to call them, so I did and explained what had happened. Apparently, they had been trying to call me, but could not reach me while I taxied out of there. They said they had flashed a red light at me from the tower, but since I thought tower was closed, I hadn't looked at it after I taxied past it. The aircraft that I had seen on downwind they could not clear to land until I got out of the way. Additionally, they mentioned that they thought I was taxiing faster than conditions warranted. I think the main reason for my problem is that I was in too big of a hurry to go and I was too focused on getting airborne to slow down and check everything that could possibly be wrong (radios, switches, frequencys, volume, etc). Greater familiarity and perhaps more training in the differences of the radios between airplanes would have helped, but so would slowing down to take more time to trouble-shoot when something seems out of place. I learned some valuable lessons from this experience, and I'm now leaving extra time for unexpected delays so I don't feel the pressure to hurry when things slow me down.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CARGO ACFT DEPARTS WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING MY TKOF WITHOUT ATC CLRNC ARE AS FOLLOWS: I AM RELATIVELY NEW TO THE JOB THAT I'M NOW DOING FLYING CARGO UNDER FAR PART 135 (HAVING 2 MONTHS EXPERIENCE). PREVIOUSLY, I HAD FLOWN IN THE AIR FORCE ALMOST ALWAYS UNDER IFR, SO MY PRESENT JOB INVOLVES A LESS RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT FLYING VFR AND OFTEN FROM UNCTLED FIELDS, REQUIRING MORE DECISION MAKING ON MY PART. ALMOST ALWAYS WHEN I FLY OUT OF FALCON FIELD (OUR COMPANY BASE OF OPS), THE TWR IS CLOSED AND I AM ACCUSTOMED TO TAXIING, TAKING OFF, AND LNDG ON MY OWN, SIMPLY ANNOUNCING MY INTENTIONS ON CTAF. THE DAY OF THIS INCIDENT, I WAS FLYING A DIFFERENT MODEL CESSNA 310 FROM WHAT I NORMALLY FLY WHICH HAD A DIFFERENT RADIO SETUP FROM WHAT I'M USED TO. I HAD FLOWN IT ONLY ONCE BEFORE SEVERAL WKS PRIOR AND I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE HAD 2 DIFFERENT CTL HEADS FOR THE #1 RADIO, LOCATED IN THE CTR OF THE INST PANEL. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE #2 RADIO WAS LOCATED DOWN NEAR MY R KNEE. INSTEAD, I THOUGHT THE #2 RADIO WAS THE CTL HEAD ON THE R IN THE CTR OF THE INST PANEL, WHEN IN FACT THAT IS PART OF THE #1 RADIO, CTLED BY A TOGGLE SWITCH WHICH IS HARD TO SEE FROM THE PLT'S SEAT IN THE DARK CONDITIONS I HAD THAT MORNING. ALSO ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, I WAS RUNNING ABOUT 20 MINS LATE FOR MY SCHEDULED CARGO PICKUP AT PHX ARPT DUE TO A SERIES OF UNUSUAL DELAYS ON THE GND, SOME OF WHICH WERE MY FAULT, AND I FELT A LOT OF PRESSURE TO GET FLYING ASAP TO MEET OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMER AND AVOID TROUBLE WITH CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS. NORMALLY, I TAXI AND TKOF BEFORE FALCON TWR OPENS AT XA00 LCL TIME, BUT BECAUSE I WAS BEHIND THAT DAY, I BEGAN TAXIING A FEW MINS AFTER XA00. BEFORE TAXI, I ATTEMPTED TO LISTEN TO ATIS, BUT HEARD NOTHING. I TRIED CALLING GND FOR TAXI CLRNC ON WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE #1 RADIO, BUT HEARD NO RESPONSE. I LOOKED AT THE TWR AS I TAXIED AND IT DIDN'T APPEAR THAT THERE WAS ANYBODY IN IT. I SWITCHED TO CTAF (TWR FREQ) AND ANNOUNCED MY TAXI INTENTIONS, THINKING THAT IF THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE TWR THEY WOULD ANSWER, BUT I GOT NO RESPONSE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS ALL RATHER STRANGE, BUT THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THE TWR WAS OPENING LATER THAN I EXPECTED SO I CONTINUED MY TAXI. NORMALLY, I WOULD DEPART ON RWY 22L (THE CLOSEST RWY TO OUR PARKING AREA), BUT IT WAS NOTAMED CLOSED AND THE PARALLEL TXWY LEADING OUT TO IT WAS CLOSED SO I CONTINUED TAXIING FOR RWY 22R. BECAUSE OF THE BLOCKED TXWYS, I THOUGHT I HAD TO BACK TAXI DOWN THE RWY FOR TKOF (IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE AND I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE TXWYS LEADING TO RWY 22R SINCE THE NORMAL ONES WERE BLOCKED). JUST AS I BEGAN TO TURN ONTO THE RWY TO BACK TAXI, AFTER HAVING ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON WHAT I THOUGHT WAS CTAF, I DID NOTICE A LIGHTED TXWY ON THE N SIDE OF RWY 22R, BUT SINCE I WAS ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 22R, I ELECTED TO CONTINUE MY BACK TAXI. BEFORE TURNING ONTO THE RWY, I NOTICED AN ACFT ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE A MIDFIELD R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 22R AND I THOUGHT IT STRANGE THAT HE HADN'T ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTIONS OR ANSWERED MY CALLS ON CTAF, BUT I COULD SEE I WOULD HAVE TIME TO BACK TAXI AND TKOF, SO I CONTINUED. BECAUSE I HAD BEEN IN A HURRY AND I WAS DISTRACTED BY ALL THE UNEXPECTED THINGS WITH NO RESPONSE TO MY RADIO CALLS, AS I TURNED THE ACFT AROUND FOR TKOF I REALIZED I HAD NOT COMPLETED MY RUNUP CHK ON THE ENGS. I TOOK A SHORT MOMENT TO PROPERLY COMPLETE THAT AND THEN TOOK OFF, ANNOUNCING MY INTENTIONS ON WHAT I THOUGHT WAS CTAF (TWR FREQ). AFTER GETTING AIRBORNE, I SWITCHED TO PHX APCH CTL TO REQUEST CLRNC INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE AND GOT NO RESPONSE. I TRIED TOGGLING THE RADIO SWITCH AND ABOUT THAT TIME NOTICED THE #2 RADIO AT MY R KNEE WHICH I HAD NOT SEEN EARLIER IN THE DARK AND IN MY HURRY. I TRIED THE DIFFERENT RADIOS AND SWITCHES AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTACT PHX APCH AND GET CLRNC FROM PHX TO LAND AT PHX ARPT. AFTER I LANDED, PHX GND CTL SAID THAT FALCON TWR WANTED ME TO CALL THEM, SO I DID AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. APPARENTLY, THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO CALL ME, BUT COULD NOT REACH ME WHILE I TAXIED OUT OF THERE. THEY SAID THEY HAD FLASHED A RED LIGHT AT ME FROM THE TWR, BUT SINCE I THOUGHT TWR WAS CLOSED, I HADN'T LOOKED AT IT AFTER I TAXIED PAST IT. THE ACFT THAT I HAD SEEN ON DOWNWIND THEY COULD NOT CLR TO LAND UNTIL I GOT OUT OF THE WAY. ADDITIONALLY, THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY THOUGHT I WAS TAXIING FASTER THAN CONDITIONS WARRANTED. I THINK THE MAIN REASON FOR MY PROB IS THAT I WAS IN TOO BIG OF A HURRY TO GO AND I WAS TOO FOCUSED ON GETTING AIRBORNE TO SLOW DOWN AND CHK EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRONG (RADIOS, SWITCHES, FREQS, VOLUME, ETC). GREATER FAMILIARITY AND PERHAPS MORE TRAINING IN THE DIFFERENCES OF THE RADIOS BTWN AIRPLANES WOULD HAVE HELPED, BUT SO WOULD SLOWING DOWN TO TAKE MORE TIME TO TROUBLE-SHOOT WHEN SOMETHING SEEMS OUT OF PLACE. I LEARNED SOME VALUABLE LESSONS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, AND I'M NOW LEAVING EXTRA TIME FOR UNEXPECTED DELAYS SO I DON'T FEEL THE PRESSURE TO HURRY WHEN THINGS SLOW ME DOWN.

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.