Narrative:

The first officer had obtained our proper clearance for our flight. On the taxi out; the first officer called for taxi and used the wrong flight number. I; as the captain did not notice the incorrect flight number. We were given clearance to taxi to the runway via taxiway north. We both thought this was strange as this is not the standard runway for our direction of departure. However; neither of us questioned the clearance. Tower cleared us into position and hold at the runway but called us flight Y and the first officer corrected the controller and it seemed he made a mistake as he did not question the correction made by the first officer. We were cleared for takeoff and tower called us flight Y again and the first officer corrected him again that we were flight X (again the first officer stated the wrong flight number for us; but the static over the intercom prevented me from hearing the first officer calling us the wrong flight number). Once airborne; the tower controller noticed something was wrong and asked us our destination. Departure control gave us a phone number to call once on the ground. I talked to the supervisor at departure control about the situation. We discovered 2 errors. The first officer used the wrong flight number on the initial call; which explained the wrong runway for the departure; and the tower controller pulled the wrong strip when clearing us for takeoff. I think this situation happened due to several factors. One being that I as the captain did not question our taxi clearance to depart off the non-standard runway. Second; the saab intercom has inherently a lot of background noise which did not allow me to hear the difference between flight X and flight Y. Third; the first officer misread the flight number from the release. Everyone needs to listen carefully to each other on the radio. Everyone missed several opportunities to catch the mistake. Also; we need to implement a system that allows the pilots to report to the company similar sounding flight numbers that lead to confusion. During this time of the morning; there were 3 flts all taxiing at the same time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SF340 CAPTAIN REPORTS CALL SIGN ERRORS MADE BY THE FIRST OFFICER AND THE TOWER RESULTING IN THE ACFT DEPARTING FROM THE WRONG RWY USING THE WRONG CALL SIGN.

Narrative: THE FO HAD OBTAINED OUR PROPER CLRNC FOR OUR FLT. ON THE TAXI OUT; THE FO CALLED FOR TAXI AND USED THE WRONG FLT NUMBER. I; AS THE CAPT DID NOT NOTICE THE INCORRECT FLT NUMBER. WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO TAXI TO THE RWY VIA TXWY N. WE BOTH THOUGHT THIS WAS STRANGE AS THIS IS NOT THE STANDARD RWY FOR OUR DIRECTION OF DEP. HOWEVER; NEITHER OF US QUESTIONED THE CLRNC. TWR CLRED US INTO POS AND HOLD AT THE RWY BUT CALLED US FLT Y AND THE FO CORRECTED THE CTLR AND IT SEEMED HE MADE A MISTAKE AS HE DID NOT QUESTION THE CORRECTION MADE BY THE FO. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND TWR CALLED US FLT Y AGAIN AND THE FO CORRECTED HIM AGAIN THAT WE WERE FLT X (AGAIN THE FO STATED THE WRONG FLT NUMBER FOR US; BUT THE STATIC OVER THE INTERCOM PREVENTED ME FROM HEARING THE FO CALLING US THE WRONG FLT NUMBER). ONCE AIRBORNE; THE TWR CTLR NOTICED SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND ASKED US OUR DEST. DEP CTL GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL ONCE ON THE GND. I TALKED TO THE SUPVR AT DEP CTL ABOUT THE SITUATION. WE DISCOVERED 2 ERRORS. THE FO USED THE WRONG FLT NUMBER ON THE INITIAL CALL; WHICH EXPLAINED THE WRONG RWY FOR THE DEP; AND THE TWR CTLR PULLED THE WRONG STRIP WHEN CLRING US FOR TKOF. I THINK THIS SITUATION HAPPENED DUE TO SEVERAL FACTORS. ONE BEING THAT I AS THE CAPT DID NOT QUESTION OUR TAXI CLRNC TO DEPART OFF THE NON-STANDARD RWY. SECOND; THE SAAB INTERCOM HAS INHERENTLY A LOT OF BACKGROUND NOISE WHICH DID NOT ALLOW ME TO HEAR THE DIFFERENCE BTWN FLT X AND FLT Y. THIRD; THE FO MISREAD THE FLT NUMBER FROM THE RELEASE. EVERYONE NEEDS TO LISTEN CAREFULLY TO EACH OTHER ON THE RADIO. EVERYONE MISSED SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO CATCH THE MISTAKE. ALSO; WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT A SYS THAT ALLOWS THE PLTS TO RPT TO THE COMPANY SIMILAR SOUNDING FLT NUMBERS THAT LEAD TO CONFUSION. DURING THIS TIME OF THE MORNING; THERE WERE 3 FLTS ALL TAXIING AT THE SAME TIME.

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.