Narrative:

Arrived at aircraft 50 mins prior to departure and completed preflight. Crew consisted of captain, first officer and so. During preflight preparations I was called to cabin to help flight attendants with a minor problem. Upon my return I observed data link message being printed. I believed it was our ATC clearance. My intention was to read the printed clearance, but I was distracted by the arrival of the aircraft's maintenance logbook, agents coming to cockpit for verification of passenger count, etc. As it was departure time and we were in contact with pushback crew we completed before start checklist and contacted ramp control and were cleared for pushback. We started engines, completed checklists, called for taxi and were cleared for taxi to runway 28L. During taxi two further distractions occurred. One was an inadvertent pushing of the evacuate/evacuation command button by one of the flight attendants causing an aural warning and red light in cockpit. And after that was cleared up, a passenger reported to a flight attendant that there were strange noises coming from belly of aircraft. I stopped the aircraft short of runway and sent so to check on noises. We determined the noises were the hydraulic brake noises. Completed before takeoff checklist and called tower ready to go. Received takeoff clearance with a turn to 350 degrees. When we were switched to departure control we were told to squawk another code. I then asked if first officer had in fact gotten our en route clearance. He replied no. So then sent request for clearance by data link and we received it. Total time from takeoff to clearance was 2 mins. At no time was the aircraft in any danger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CREW DEPARTS WITHOUT RECEIVING ENRTE CLRNC.

Narrative: ARRIVED AT ACFT 50 MINS PRIOR TO DEP AND COMPLETED PREFLT. CREW CONSISTED OF CAPT, FO AND SO. DURING PREFLT PREPARATIONS I WAS CALLED TO CABIN TO HELP FLT ATTENDANTS WITH A MINOR PROB. UPON MY RETURN I OBSERVED DATA LINK MESSAGE BEING PRINTED. I BELIEVED IT WAS OUR ATC CLRNC. MY INTENTION WAS TO READ THE PRINTED CLRNC, BUT I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE ARR OF THE ACFT'S MAINT LOGBOOK, AGENTS COMING TO COCKPIT FOR VERIFICATION OF PAX COUNT, ETC. AS IT WAS DEP TIME AND WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH PUSHBACK CREW WE COMPLETED BEFORE START CHKLIST AND CONTACTED RAMP CTL AND WERE CLRED FOR PUSHBACK. WE STARTED ENGS, COMPLETED CHKLISTS, CALLED FOR TAXI AND WERE CLRED FOR TAXI TO RWY 28L. DURING TAXI TWO FURTHER DISTRACTIONS OCCURRED. ONE WAS AN INADVERTENT PUSHING OF THE EVAC COMMAND BUTTON BY ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS CAUSING AN AURAL WARNING AND RED LIGHT IN COCKPIT. AND AFTER THAT WAS CLRED UP, A PAX RPTED TO A FLT ATTENDANT THAT THERE WERE STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM BELLY OF ACFT. I STOPPED THE ACFT SHORT OF RWY AND SENT SO TO CHK ON NOISES. WE DETERMINED THE NOISES WERE THE HYD BRAKE NOISES. COMPLETED BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AND CALLED TWR READY TO GO. RECEIVED TKOF CLRNC WITH A TURN TO 350 DEGS. WHEN WE WERE SWITCHED TO DEP CTL WE WERE TOLD TO SQUAWK ANOTHER CODE. I THEN ASKED IF FO HAD IN FACT GOTTEN OUR ENRTE CLRNC. HE REPLIED NO. SO THEN SENT REQUEST FOR CLRNC BY DATA LINK AND WE RECEIVED IT. TOTAL TIME FROM TKOF TO CLRNC WAS 2 MINS. AT NO TIME WAS THE ACFT IN ANY DANGER.

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.