ACR LGT STARTED TKOF ROLL ON THE WRONG RWY AT CLE. TWR CALLED FOR AN ABORT AND RECLEARED THEM FOR OTHER PARALLEL RWY.

Date: 1988-10 · Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 3 Turbojet Eng · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-runway

Synopsis

ACR LGT STARTED TKOF ROLL ON THE WRONG RWY AT CLE. TWR CALLED FOR AN ABORT AND RECLEARED THEM FOR OTHER PARALLEL RWY.

Narrative

WE WERE TAXIING FROM TERMINAL BLDG TO RWY 23L AT CLEVELAND HOPKINS ARPT FOR TKOF. WHEN CLRED FOR TKOF; WE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY WHERE RWYS 23L AND 28 INTERSECT; AND I MISTAKENLY LINED UP ON RWY 28 INSTEAD OF 23L. AS WE ADDED POWER AND BEGAN TO ROLL; CLE TWR TOLD US TO ABORT. SINCE WE THEN STOPPED AT THE INTXN OF 28 AND 23R; TWR CLRED US TO TKOF ON 23R; WHICH WE DID. THE LAYOUT OF RWYS AT THIS ARPT AND THE ANGLE FROM WHICH YOU APCH THE RWYS IS CONFUSING AND CAN EASILY LEAD TO THIS SITUATION UNLESS THE CREW IS VERY CAUTIOUS AND ENSURES THEIR COMPASS HDG AGREES WITH ASSIGNED RWY HDG; WHICH I DID NOT PRIOR TO STARTING TO ROLL. NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER TFC OCCURRED. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT BEEN TO CLEVELAND VERY MANY TIMES IN THE PAST 8 YRS; I OPERATED IN AND OUT OF THERE SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE 1970'S WHEN I WAS FLYING THE MLG. ONE OF THE THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT CLEVELAND FROM THOSE DAYS WAS THE TXWY CHART IN THE COMMERCIAL BOOK WAS NOT LIKE THE 'REAL WORLD' OF ASPHALT AND CONCRETE IN CLEVELAND; THEREFORE; I HAD LEARNED NOT TO RELY TOO HEAVILY ON THE CHART TO BE REAL ACCURATE. THERE IS CONSTRUCTION GOING ON NOW W OF THE RAMP AND ALONG THE E SIDE OF RWY 23L; SO I SUSPECT THE CHART IS NOT REAL ACCURATE AS OF TODAY; EITHER. ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH 'LED ME DOWN THE PRIMROSE PATH' SO TO SPEAK AND CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT WAS THE FACT THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED ON RWY 28; WHEN THE ACTIVE RWYS WERE 23L AND 23R. IN VIEW OF THE LAYOUT OF THE CLEVELAND RWYS; I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE LIGHTS ONLY BE ILLUMINATED ON THE ACTIVE RWYS; TO ASSIST IN DECREASING THE CONFUSION WHICH CAN LEAD TO THIS SORT OF AN OCCURRENCE. IN ADDITION; PERHAPS IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO HAVE A NOTAM FROM CLEVELAND; ALERTING PLTS TO THIS POSSIBILITY; SUCH AS I HAVE DESCRIBED ABOVE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 96453. SHORTLY BEFORE CLRNC TO TKOF; I AND THE REST OF THE FLT CREW WERE DISTRACTED BY A PROB WITH COCKPIT LIGHTING. ONCE THE PROB WAS SOLVED; WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 23L.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.