Narrative:

As Y approached runway 32R on taxiway P to taxiway a for takeoff I realized how small my fokker 100 was by the 767 taking the runway at taxiway B and the MD11 behind him. I did not know which aircraft I was going to follow and checked the wind, 330 at 10 KTS. Just enough crosswind to blow the upwind vortices of a heavy aircraft onto the runway and keep it there. The controller was busy sequencing the aircraft landing on runway 27R with the runway 32R departures and the 767, air carrier X rolled in the same gap as the preceding aircraft. I hacked my clock. Tower then cleared me for takeoff. Only 50 seconds had lapsed since the 767 had initiated his takeoff roll. I was shocked! The 767 was not 5 mi ahead or even close to that. Assuming the 767 instantaneously accelerated to 180 KTS, 3 mpm, the 767 would still be less than 3 mi away. I verified it on the TCASII display. Realizing I could not hesitate because of the runway 27R arrs I asked for 2 min behind the heavy. 'Well in the future' said the controller, if you want other than standard 5 mi separation let him know prior to entering the runway. 5 mi would be fine, but I barely had half of that! I did not like being flogged on the radio by the controller. From my perspective he first tried to compromise the safety of my flight and then he tried to intimidate me. The national airspace system is very resilient to single point failures because of multiple layer of responsibility and a teamwork attitude which the controller did not display. The controller was too focused on trying to get me in the 3 mi gap of the runway 27R arrs. The controller might have been more efficient by rolling the 2 heavy aircraft behind each other depending on their departure vectors. Realizing the controller's need to anticipate aircraft separation, at ord is the 5 mi to the heavy in front of an aircraft waiting for takeoff clearance measured from the same threshold (aim 7-58, a.3.(a))? Is it measured when the departing aircraft starts takeoff roll (aim 7-58,east.)?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR Y HAD LESS THAN STANDARD WAKE TURB SEPARATION FROM B767 ON TKOF SAME RWY. SYS ERROR.

Narrative: AS Y APCHED RWY 32R ON TXWY P TO TXWY A FOR TKOF I REALIZED HOW SMALL MY FOKKER 100 WAS BY THE 767 TAKING THE RWY AT TXWY B AND THE MD11 BEHIND HIM. I DID NOT KNOW WHICH ACFT I WAS GOING TO FOLLOW AND CHKED THE WIND, 330 AT 10 KTS. JUST ENOUGH XWIND TO BLOW THE UPWIND VORTICES OF A HVY ACFT ONTO THE RWY AND KEEP IT THERE. THE CTLR WAS BUSY SEQUENCING THE ACFT LNDG ON RWY 27R WITH THE RWY 32R DEPS AND THE 767, ACR X ROLLED IN THE SAME GAP AS THE PRECEDING ACFT. I HACKED MY CLOCK. TWR THEN CLRED ME FOR TKOF. ONLY 50 SECONDS HAD LAPSED SINCE THE 767 HAD INITIATED HIS TKOF ROLL. I WAS SHOCKED! THE 767 WAS NOT 5 MI AHEAD OR EVEN CLOSE TO THAT. ASSUMING THE 767 INSTANTANEOUSLY ACCELERATED TO 180 KTS, 3 MPM, THE 767 WOULD STILL BE LESS THAN 3 MI AWAY. I VERIFIED IT ON THE TCASII DISPLAY. REALIZING I COULD NOT HESITATE BECAUSE OF THE RWY 27R ARRS I ASKED FOR 2 MIN BEHIND THE HVY. 'WELL IN THE FUTURE' SAID THE CTLR, IF YOU WANT OTHER THAN STANDARD 5 MI SEPARATION LET HIM KNOW PRIOR TO ENTERING THE RWY. 5 MI WOULD BE FINE, BUT I BARELY HAD HALF OF THAT! I DID NOT LIKE BEING FLOGGED ON THE RADIO BY THE CTLR. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE HE FIRST TRIED TO COMPROMISE THE SAFETY OF MY FLT AND THEN HE TRIED TO INTIMIDATE ME. THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYS IS VERY RESILIENT TO SINGLE POINT FAILURES BECAUSE OF MULTIPLE LAYER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND A TEAMWORK ATTITUDE WHICH THE CTLR DID NOT DISPLAY. THE CTLR WAS TOO FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GET ME IN THE 3 MI GAP OF THE RWY 27R ARRS. THE CTLR MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE EFFICIENT BY ROLLING THE 2 HVY ACFT BEHIND EACH OTHER DEPENDING ON THEIR DEP VECTORS. REALIZING THE CTLR'S NEED TO ANTICIPATE ACFT SEPARATION, AT ORD IS THE 5 MI TO THE HVY IN FRONT OF AN ACFT WAITING FOR TKOF CLRNC MEASURED FROM THE SAME THRESHOLD (AIM 7-58, A.3.(A))? IS IT MEASURED WHEN THE DEPARTING ACFT STARTS TKOF ROLL (AIM 7-58,E.)?

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.