Narrative:

Many distrs prior to departure (station manager conversations regarding cleaning of aircraft, 2 other member crews), continued interruption of cockpit setup. Was distraction with 1 item left to accomplish -- transponder. So, failed to notice no code in transponder. Push back and taxi out normal. Received takeoff clearance as usual. Takeoff roll was extremely distraction by lengthy conversation between the tower controller and a small aircraft that appeared to be disoriented. During climb out, it took an unusual amount of time (long) before the conversation stopped, and we could get in a word to ask if we should go to departure control frequency. Also during climb out, our TCASII showed us rapidly approaching an aircraft ahead of us and slightly to the left. When we finally contacted tower, they asked us to check our transponder, then gave us a squawk (code). We were turned over to departure control and given a heading of 350 degrees, which the first officer's mistuned to 250 degrees. I corrected him and asked him to verify the heading with ATC. Shortly thereafter, I noticed we were at 5900 ft MSL, climbing rapidly. The autoflt system had failed to operate normally, and the altitude alert was not noticeable enough to catch our attention -- small light on altimeter, no aural warning. I immediately stopped the climb, reaching 6280 ft MSL as we returned to 6000 ft MSL (no altitude alert indicating 300 ft off altitude). I realized that we had not received our en route clearance, therefore, we had not set the transponder. During climb out, we were flying manually, with autothrottle engaged, not following pitch bar to keep speed low and climb rapidly. Causes: 1) no definitive 'transponder' on before takeoff or starting engines checklist. This item is combined with 'radios and navigation equipment.' it's a no NAVAID departure to an automatic-flight route, therefore, except for transponder, there's no navaids to set. 2) multiple distrs, combined with pavloveon conditioning of automatic-flight system, automatically pulling throttles to idle when approaching a level off altitude during climb. 3) 2 pilot crew -- a third pilot could have looked for the traffic, taken care of the other member crew, verified the transponder, possibly caught the automatic-flight malfunction and the approaching altitude limit. 4) captain's and first officer's failure to get ATC en route clearance. I thought the first officer had gotten the clearance -- he had not.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT FLC DEPARTS WITHOUT USING XPONDER CODE AND WITHOUT OBTAINING ENRTE CLRNC. THEY CLB THROUGH ASSIGNED ALT DUE TO POSSIBLE FAILURE OF ALT CAPTURE. CHKLIST DEFICIENCIES CITED.

Narrative: MANY DISTRS PRIOR TO DEP (STATION MGR CONVERSATIONS REGARDING CLEANING OF ACFT, 2 OTHER MEMBER CREWS), CONTINUED INTERRUPTION OF COCKPIT SETUP. WAS DISTR WITH 1 ITEM LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH -- XPONDER. SO, FAILED TO NOTICE NO CODE IN XPONDER. PUSH BACK AND TAXI OUT NORMAL. RECEIVED TKOF CLRNC AS USUAL. TKOF ROLL WAS EXTREMELY DISTR BY LENGTHY CONVERSATION BTWN THE TWR CTLR AND A SMALL ACFT THAT APPEARED TO BE DISORIENTED. DURING CLB OUT, IT TOOK AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF TIME (LONG) BEFORE THE CONVERSATION STOPPED, AND WE COULD GET IN A WORD TO ASK IF WE SHOULD GO TO DEP CTL FREQ. ALSO DURING CLB OUT, OUR TCASII SHOWED US RAPIDLY APCHING AN ACFT AHEAD OF US AND SLIGHTLY TO THE L. WHEN WE FINALLY CONTACTED TWR, THEY ASKED US TO CHK OUR XPONDER, THEN GAVE US A SQUAWK (CODE). WE WERE TURNED OVER TO DEP CTL AND GIVEN A HDG OF 350 DEGS, WHICH THE FO'S MISTUNED TO 250 DEGS. I CORRECTED HIM AND ASKED HIM TO VERIFY THE HDG WITH ATC. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I NOTICED WE WERE AT 5900 FT MSL, CLBING RAPIDLY. THE AUTOFLT SYS HAD FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY, AND THE ALT ALERT WAS NOT NOTICEABLE ENOUGH TO CATCH OUR ATTN -- SMALL LIGHT ON ALTIMETER, NO AURAL WARNING. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE CLB, REACHING 6280 FT MSL AS WE RETURNED TO 6000 FT MSL (NO ALT ALERT INDICATING 300 FT OFF ALT). I REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT RECEIVED OUR ENRTE CLRNC, THEREFORE, WE HAD NOT SET THE XPONDER. DURING CLBOUT, WE WERE FLYING MANUALLY, WITH AUTOTHROTTLE ENGAGED, NOT FOLLOWING PITCH BAR TO KEEP SPD LOW AND CLB RAPIDLY. CAUSES: 1) NO DEFINITIVE 'XPONDER' ON BEFORE TKOF OR STARTING ENGS CHKLIST. THIS ITEM IS COMBINED WITH 'RADIOS AND NAV EQUIP.' IT'S A NO NAVAID DEP TO AN AUTO-FLT RTE, THEREFORE, EXCEPT FOR XPONDER, THERE'S NO NAVAIDS TO SET. 2) MULTIPLE DISTRS, COMBINED WITH PAVLOVEON CONDITIONING OF AUTO-FLT SYS, AUTOMATICALLY PULLING THROTTLES TO IDLE WHEN APCHING A LEVEL OFF ALT DURING CLB. 3) 2 PLT CREW -- A THIRD PLT COULD HAVE LOOKED FOR THE TFC, TAKEN CARE OF THE OTHER MEMBER CREW, VERIFIED THE XPONDER, POSSIBLY CAUGHT THE AUTO-FLT MALFUNCTION AND THE APCHING ALT LIMIT. 4) CAPT'S AND FO'S FAILURE TO GET ATC ENRTE CLRNC. I THOUGHT THE FO HAD GOTTEN THE CLRNC -- HE HAD NOT.

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.