FLT OF 3 EXPERIMENTAL ACFT DEPART WITHOUT CLRNC AT SPECIAL EVENT.
Synopsis
FLT OF 3 EXPERIMENTAL ACFT DEPART WITHOUT CLRNC AT SPECIAL EVENT.
Narrative
AT THE TIME OF DEP PREPARATION #2 PLT OF 3 ACFT FLT BRIEFED THE OTHER 2 PLTS OF DEP INSTRUCTIONS PER ATIS; WHICH HE RPTED AS MONITOR TWR AND FOLLOW OTHER ACFT. RWY 9 WAS BEING USED BY OTHER ACFT. I WAS IN LEAD ACFT AND WE HAD PUSHED OUR ACFT TO A POINT CLOSE TO THE RWY AREA. ALL ACFT OF FLT WERE STARTED AND WE TAXIED TO RUN-UP AREA WITH LEAD ACFT MONITORING TWR FREQ 124.5. RUN-UPS WERE DONE AND ALL PREPARATIONS FOR FLT WERE COMPLETED FOR THE 3 SHIP FLT. THE EXPECTED FLAGMAN FROM ATC WAS NOT PRESENT AT THE DEP RWY. THE LEAD ACFT (MYSELF) ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LAKELAND TWR ON PUBLISHED TWR FREQ 124.5 WITH NO RESPONSE. ANOTHER ACFT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LAKELAND TWR ALSO WITH NO RESPONSE. FLT LEADER AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT LAKELAND CTL TWR ON 124.5 FOR DEP CLRNC. ONCE AGAIN NO RESPONSE. AFTER CHKING FOR TFC ON FINAL AND IN THE DEP PATH; THE LEAD ACFT (MYSELF) AND THE FLT TAXIED INTO TKOF POS AND DEPARTED WITH NO ATC CLRNC. NO COLLISION HAZARD EXISTED; HOWEVER; NO CLRNC WAS RECEIVED. CAUSE OF INCIDENT: PLT ERROR -- FLT LEADER DID NOT LISTEN TO ATIS PERSONALLY TO ASSURE ACCURACY OF INSTRUCTIONS. ATIS HAD INSTRUCTED ACFT TO MONITOR 121.4 GND CTL FREQ FOR INSTRUCTIONS. #2 ACFT HEARD OTHER ACFT RECEIVING CLRNC ON 121.4. TWR FREQ NOT MONITORED -- THE PUBLISHED TWR FREQ SHOULD BE MONITORED AT ALL TIMES DURING PUBLISHED OPERATING HRS. PUBLISHED TWR HRS WERE 0630- 2130. FLAG OR ATC PERSONNEL CTLING TFC WITH FLAGS -- THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PRESENT ANYTIME THE SPECIAL PROCS ARE IN EFFECT TO LIMIT CONFUSION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.