Narrative:

Aircraft was dispatched with autothrottle inoperative and placarded. It was reviewed and discussed by both crew members. We were given the clearance of lga 1 departure with whitestone climb; which is a right climbing turn to 180 degrees then at 2.5 DME lga a left turn to 040 degrees; with a speed restr of 210 KTS till on a heading of 040 degrees. It was getting dark when we pushed and got in the line-up for takeoff. During taxi out; my boom microphone broke off my headset; and I made the communications with tower on the handheld microphone. We were positioned on runway 13 and holding for clearance. It was my leg so the captain gave me control of the aircraft. We received takeoff clearance and I acknowledged the clearance on the handheld microphone and placed it back in the wire holster located lower and left of my seat at flight kit level. Pushed the power up to the takeoff range and gave the captain the throttles. We rotated normally and retracted the gear on schedule. At 400 ft AGL initiated a right turn to 180 degrees. At 1000 ft; called for VNAV; climb power and flaps to 5 degrees (from 15 degrees). Rolled out on the heading and noticed VNAV was not providing accurate information. The flaps were retracted on schedule and the captain was trying to make radio calls with no answer. I realized at that time we were at 3.8 DME from lga and verified with the captain that I could make the turn to 040 degrees without communication with departure. He said yes and I proceeded to turn. While in the turn; I realized my handheld microphone was not seated in the holster; but was between the holster and the sidewall with the button depressed. I removed the microphone and told the captain that it was my microphone that was hot and to try the call again. Meanwhile; still in the turn without flight director guidance; my airspeed had shot up to 300 KTS and I was doing a slower than standard rate turn. Departure control informed us that we were not doing the departure right. I immediately had yanked the power back and had started increasing my turn rate while leveling off at 5000 ft. Departure controller gave us a further turn to 280 degrees to get us back on departure routing. By this time; the captain was able to re-engage the VNAV path coupled with the flight directors and was giving me good guidance. They gave us another heading and a climb to 9000 ft. I manually set power to a climb range and started up to 9000 ft. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Manual throttle operation during takeoff is pretty tasking but adding to that the distraction of a lost communication situation and the complicated departure with no VNAV or flight director guidance made the takeoff and climb very confusing and distracting. As with any situation of compounding events; nothing in and of itself was enough to cause a deviation from the published departure; but when you add up all the events and confusion that happened during the first 3000 ft and approximately 2 mins; it was more than a manageable number of distraction that caused us to miss the turn at 2.5 DME and to not notice the speed increasing that high. Contributing factors: 1) I do not normally fly with manual throttles for takeoff and climb. 2) I do not normally use the handheld microphone. 3) I do normally rely on the VNAV and flight directors for guidance on climb out. These 3 small things added up to a lot of confusion low to the ground. I am capable of flying this aircraft with these 3 variables but wasn't prepared for it when they started presenting a problem unexpectedly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 CREW DESCRIBES A MANUAL THROTTLE OP; A STUCK MIKE; AND A VNAV FAILURE DURING AN LGA TKOF RESULTING IN A TRACK DEV.

Narrative: ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITH AUTOTHROTTLE INOP AND PLACARDED. IT WAS REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED BY BOTH CREW MEMBERS. WE WERE GIVEN THE CLRNC OF LGA 1 DEP WITH WHITESTONE CLB; WHICH IS A R CLBING TURN TO 180 DEGS THEN AT 2.5 DME LGA A L TURN TO 040 DEGS; WITH A SPD RESTR OF 210 KTS TILL ON A HDG OF 040 DEGS. IT WAS GETTING DARK WHEN WE PUSHED AND GOT IN THE LINE-UP FOR TKOF. DURING TAXI OUT; MY BOOM MICROPHONE BROKE OFF MY HEADSET; AND I MADE THE COMS WITH TWR ON THE HANDHELD MICROPHONE. WE WERE POSITIONED ON RWY 13 AND HOLDING FOR CLRNC. IT WAS MY LEG SO THE CAPT GAVE ME CTL OF THE ACFT. WE RECEIVED TKOF CLRNC AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC ON THE HANDHELD MICROPHONE AND PLACED IT BACK IN THE WIRE HOLSTER LOCATED LOWER AND L OF MY SEAT AT FLT KIT LEVEL. PUSHED THE PWR UP TO THE TKOF RANGE AND GAVE THE CAPT THE THROTTLES. WE ROTATED NORMALLY AND RETRACTED THE GEAR ON SCHEDULE. AT 400 FT AGL INITIATED A R TURN TO 180 DEGS. AT 1000 FT; CALLED FOR VNAV; CLB PWR AND FLAPS TO 5 DEGS (FROM 15 DEGS). ROLLED OUT ON THE HDG AND NOTICED VNAV WAS NOT PROVIDING ACCURATE INFO. THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED ON SCHEDULE AND THE CAPT WAS TRYING TO MAKE RADIO CALLS WITH NO ANSWER. I REALIZED AT THAT TIME WE WERE AT 3.8 DME FROM LGA AND VERIFIED WITH THE CAPT THAT I COULD MAKE THE TURN TO 040 DEGS WITHOUT COM WITH DEP. HE SAID YES AND I PROCEEDED TO TURN. WHILE IN THE TURN; I REALIZED MY HANDHELD MICROPHONE WAS NOT SEATED IN THE HOLSTER; BUT WAS BTWN THE HOLSTER AND THE SIDEWALL WITH THE BUTTON DEPRESSED. I REMOVED THE MICROPHONE AND TOLD THE CAPT THAT IT WAS MY MICROPHONE THAT WAS HOT AND TO TRY THE CALL AGAIN. MEANWHILE; STILL IN THE TURN WITHOUT FLT DIRECTOR GUIDANCE; MY AIRSPD HAD SHOT UP TO 300 KTS AND I WAS DOING A SLOWER THAN STANDARD RATE TURN. DEP CTL INFORMED US THAT WE WERE NOT DOING THE DEP RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY HAD YANKED THE PWR BACK AND HAD STARTED INCREASING MY TURN RATE WHILE LEVELING OFF AT 5000 FT. DEP CTLR GAVE US A FURTHER TURN TO 280 DEGS TO GET US BACK ON DEP ROUTING. BY THIS TIME; THE CAPT WAS ABLE TO RE-ENGAGE THE VNAV PATH COUPLED WITH THE FLT DIRECTORS AND WAS GIVING ME GOOD GUIDANCE. THEY GAVE US ANOTHER HDG AND A CLB TO 9000 FT. I MANUALLY SET PWR TO A CLB RANGE AND STARTED UP TO 9000 FT. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. MANUAL THROTTLE OP DURING TKOF IS PRETTY TASKING BUT ADDING TO THAT THE DISTR OF A LOST COM SITUATION AND THE COMPLICATED DEP WITH NO VNAV OR FLT DIRECTOR GUIDANCE MADE THE TKOF AND CLB VERY CONFUSING AND DISTRACTING. AS WITH ANY SITUATION OF COMPOUNDING EVENTS; NOTHING IN AND OF ITSELF WAS ENOUGH TO CAUSE A DEV FROM THE PUBLISHED DEP; BUT WHEN YOU ADD UP ALL THE EVENTS AND CONFUSION THAT HAPPENED DURING THE FIRST 3000 FT AND APPROX 2 MINS; IT WAS MORE THAN A MANAGEABLE NUMBER OF DISTR THAT CAUSED US TO MISS THE TURN AT 2.5 DME AND TO NOT NOTICE THE SPD INCREASING THAT HIGH. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) I DO NOT NORMALLY FLY WITH MANUAL THROTTLES FOR TKOF AND CLB. 2) I DO NOT NORMALLY USE THE HANDHELD MICROPHONE. 3) I DO NORMALLY RELY ON THE VNAV AND FLT DIRECTORS FOR GUIDANCE ON CLBOUT. THESE 3 SMALL THINGS ADDED UP TO A LOT OF CONFUSION LOW TO THE GND. I AM CAPABLE OF FLYING THIS ACFT WITH THESE 3 VARIABLES BUT WASN'T PREPARED FOR IT WHEN THEY STARTED PRESENTING A PROB UNEXPECTEDLY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.