Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Total 20000
Distraction
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Takeoff into wake of preceding aircraft with flaps 5. With 'positive rate; gear up' FO (First Officer) raised flaps [instead of] gear. We had rotated late and flat in anticipation of wake. Carried extra airspeed into air; never had a settle; speed low warning; or entrance to barber pole area of tape. Noticed configuration deviation when I looked for flap retract bug to go from flaps 5 to 1; but only had clean min/man bug. Also noise from nose gear gave it away and was able to reconstruct what happened. Distraction and complacency due to takeoff into prior jet's wake. Mistake plain and simple. Had flown with FO a few dozen times; no concerns. Just flat out grabbed the wrong handle.
We were cleared for takeoff on RWY 28R and N5 after an A320. Take off roll was normal. Rotation was normal. After rotation; with a positive rate of climb I called 'positive rate'; the Captain called for gear up. Once airborne; we began to experience some wake turbulence from the Airbus. The Captain was having to add trim and counteract the wake. He then expressed that something did not seem right. I began to scan the panel and saw that the gear was down and the flap handle was selected in the up position. I raised the landing gear at that time. The airspeed was below limits for the gear. The airspeed was passing the 'up' bug as we accelerated. After this we climbed out normally. I got complacent and did not visually verify the handle I was moving. I inadvertently grabbed the flap handle when the gear up command was given. Visually verify any and all handles; knobs and switches before moving them.
B737-800 flight crew reported the pilot monitoring inadvertently retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear after takeoff at ORD; with wake from a preceding Airbus A320 cited as contributing.