FLC ASSIGNED CLRNC TO TKOF ON RWY 23L. LINED UP AND COMMENCED TKOF ON RWY 28 AT CLE BEFORE TWR CANCELS THEIR TKOF CLRNC.

Narrative

AT NIGHT ON DEC/XA/95 AT CLE HOPKINS INTL. AFTER DEPARTING THE GATE AT CONCOURSE; A TAXI CLRNC WAS GIVEN TO RWY 23L FOR TKOF. THE TXWYS AND MANY OF THE TXWY AND RWY SIGNS WERE OBSCURED BY SNOW. WHEN APCHING THE RWY; TKOF CLRNC WAS ISSUED. WE WERE DOING THE TAXI CHKLIST AT THE TIME AND WENT RIGHT INTO THE TKOF CHKLIST. WE WERE RUSHING TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING BUT OUR HASTE CAUSED ME TO COMMIT AN ERROR I WILL NEVER FORGET. I TURNED ONTO THE RWY AND ADVANCED PWR FOR TKOF AND STARTED TKOF ROLL WHEN THE TWR CANCELED OUR TKOF CLRNC AND TOLD US WE WERE ON RWY 28 NOT RWY 23L. THE TKOF WAS ABORTED AT A LOW SPD (30-40 KTS) AND WE WERE CLRED TO BACK TAXI ON RWY 28 FOR TKOF ON RWY 23R. I HAD INADVERTENTLY THOUGHT WHEN I CAME OFF TXWY 'J' THAT I WAS ON RWY 23L. RWY 28'S LIGHTS WERE ON; THE RWY WAS CLR; AND THE SIGNS WERE OBSCURED. I AM MOST GRATEFUL TO THE TWR CTLR FOR HIS ALERTNESS. AS THE CAPT; THIS INCIDENT WAS MY FAULT AS I ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE RUSHED AT AN ARPT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH AND I DID NOT XCHK MY HDG AFTER LINING UP ON THE RWY. IT IS AN EVENT THAT HAS TAUGHT ME A VALUABLE LESSON; EVEN AFTER 19000 HRS OF FLYING. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE RUSHED; ESPECIALLY IF CONDITIONS ARE NOT IDEAL AND/OR YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. ALWAYS XCHK YOUR COMPASS HDG WITH RWY HDG AFTER LINING UP FOR TKOF. ONE OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR; WE WERE 3 HRS LATE AND WHEN YOU'RE LATE YOU TEND TO RUSH TO TRY TO RECTIFY A SIT YOU REALLY HAVE NO CTL OVER. THE MIN YOU SAVE MAY VERY WELL NOT BE WORTH IT.