PRE TKOF. CAPT ARMED AUTOPLT THINKING HE HAD ARMED THE AUTO THROTTLES -- ON TKOF -- CTLS WERE STIFF. CAPT ABORTED TKOF.

Narrative

ON TAXI FOR TKOF; 100 YARDS BEFORE TAKING THE RWY; I MADE A PA FOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO TAKE THEIR SEATS FOR TKOF. I USED MY HAND-HELD MICROPHONE AND THE PA POS ON MY RADIO JACK BOX. IMMEDIATELY AFTER FINISHING THE ANNOUNCEMENT; THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. I STARTED THE CHKLIST WITHOUT SWITCHING MY JACK BOX BACK TO THE #1 COM RADIO (USED FOR ATC COM). AS WE APCHED THE END OF THE RWY; WE FINISHED THE CHKLIST AND WERE CLRED FOR TKOF TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION ON AN LGT WHICH WAS JUST LIFTING OFF. BOTH THE CAPT AND I LOOKED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE LGT IN SIGHT. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE TKOF CLRNC OVER THE PA. THE CAPT REACHED DOWN AND SWITCHED MY JACK BOX BACK TO THE #1 COM. I REACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC. AT THE SAME TIME; THE CAPT REACHED UP AND TURNED ON THE LNDG LIGHTS (HIS RESPONSIBILITY) AND THE WING LIGHTS (MY RESPONSIBILITY). HE THEN MOVED HIS HAND TO ARM THE AUTO THROTTLES. INADVERTENTLY; HE ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT. THE SWITCHES ARE SIMILAR; APPROX 6 INCHES APART. THIS WAS DONE WHILE WE WERE BOTH WATCHING THE LGT. HE THEN ADDED PWR TO STABILIZE THE ENG BEFORE ENGAGING THE AUTO THROTTLES. (THE AUTO THROTTLES ARE ARMED BY A SWITCH ON THE GLARE SHIELD ARE ENGAGED BY THE SWITCHES ON THE THROTTLES.) AS THE ACFT ACCELERATED HE SAID THE CTLS WERE VERY STIFF. WITHIN APPROX 3-5 SECONDS OF ADDING PWR; HE SAID WE WERE ABORTING. I TOLD THE TWR. THEY SAID TO TURN OFF THE RWY AT THE NEXT EXIT; AND ASKED US IF WE NEEDED ASSISTANCE. I SAID IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. WE TAXIED CLR. THIS ENDED THE INCIDENT. THE WORKLOAD OF A 2 PERSON CREW IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO TKOF NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED CAREFULLY. ANY TIME THE WORKLOAD CAN BE REDUCED; I.E.; RINGING THE FLT ATTENDANT CALL BUTTON TO SIGNAL TKOF INSTEAD OF MAKING A PA; THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING AN ERROR WILL BE MINIMIZED.