Narrative:

Filed for IFR departure after sleeping poorly in a hotel room the night before, and after a day's meeting. Briefed and filed IFR flight plan. Contacted ground (same frequency as clearance delivery) and did not pick up on my failure to identify the IFR flight plan on file. Was given taxi instruction. Unfamiliar with airport, requested progressive, received same. Did not realize I did not obtain IFR clearance and readback. Completed temperature/weight/runway estimation, contacted tower regarding, wanted full length runway 19. Was given taxi back and hold, did so. Departed VFR thinking I was IFR. Did not question why the tower pointed out stadium tfr avoidance, did request tower call my turn eastbound. Did not realize there was anything amiss until I attempted to get XXXX entered into transponder (XXXX was the Z time of the ATIS broadcast, written on my briefing flow sheet). Expressed confusion to tower, requested vector out of class D and B airspace to the east. Retrieved terminal area chart. Eventually picked up IFR flight plan from departure controller, completed flight uneventfully. Very embarrassing for an ATP rated pilot. Controller workload was high, was handled well. Fatigue, even on a routine VMC cavu day affects us in many, many ways.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA34 PLT FORGOT TO GET IFR CLRNC AND DEPARTS. OBTAINS IFR CLRNC ONCE HE REALIZED HIS MISTAKE.

Narrative: FILED FOR IFR DEP AFTER SLEEPING POORLY IN A HOTEL ROOM THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND AFTER A DAY'S MEETING. BRIEFED AND FILED IFR FLT PLAN. CONTACTED GND (SAME FREQ AS CLRNC DELIVERY) AND DID NOT PICK UP ON MY FAILURE TO IDENT THE IFR FLT PLAN ON FILE. WAS GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTION. UNFAMILIAR WITH ARPT, REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE, RECEIVED SAME. DID NOT REALIZE I DID NOT OBTAIN IFR CLRNC AND READBACK. COMPLETED TEMP/WT/RWY ESTIMATION, CONTACTED TWR REGARDING, WANTED FULL LENGTH RWY 19. WAS GIVEN TAXI BACK AND HOLD, DID SO. DEPARTED VFR THINKING I WAS IFR. DID NOT QUESTION WHY THE TWR POINTED OUT STADIUM TFR AVOIDANCE, DID REQUEST TWR CALL MY TURN EBOUND. DID NOT REALIZE THERE WAS ANYTHING AMISS UNTIL I ATTEMPTED TO GET XXXX ENTERED INTO XPONDER (XXXX WAS THE Z TIME OF THE ATIS BROADCAST, WRITTEN ON MY BRIEFING FLOW SHEET). EXPRESSED CONFUSION TO TWR, REQUESTED VECTOR OUT OF CLASS D AND B AIRSPACE TO THE E. RETRIEVED TERMINAL AREA CHART. EVENTUALLY PICKED UP IFR FLT PLAN FROM DEP CTLR, COMPLETED FLT UNEVENTFULLY. VERY EMBARRASSING FOR AN ATP RATED PLT. CTLR WORKLOAD WAS HIGH, WAS HANDLED WELL. FATIGUE, EVEN ON A ROUTINE VMC CAVU DAY AFFECTS US IN MANY, MANY WAYS.

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.