B757-300
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 170; Flight Crew Total 4669; Flight Crew Type 780
Confusion; Distraction; Human-Machine Interface; Time Pressure; Training / Qualification; Workload
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew FLC Overrode Automation; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Human Factors; Aircraft
Day 4 of a 4 day. Upon arrival at gate no aircraft. We are told the aircraft is coming from the maintenance hangar. I briefed the FO about being very careful when preflighting an aircraft that is coming from maintenance. Schedule departure XA00 local. Aircraft arrives from maintenance hangar at XA00 local. Everyone in 'hurry up' mode. Aircraft is 'dark' when we walk on. On initial cockpit inspection I notice multiple switches are not in their 'normal' position. Again; I point out to the FO the need to double check all switch positions. Earlier I had printed the release 1 to my iPad. Release 2 shows up by the time we takeoff we have had route changes and we are on release 5. Typical before push distractions. Get ready to switch to APU power and the APU generator switch not engaged. Engage APU generator switch and then switch to ships power. Again switches not in correct position but caught it. Before push checklist catch the CA cockpit window closed but the handle is all the way aft hidden under/behind the iPad mount-caught it. Push and start all normal. Taxi out and must wait 15 minutes to takeoff for spacing sequence with departure. During this wait I called for the before takeoff checklist to the 'final items.' In sequence we took the runway for departure. On takeoff the FO pushed up the power and call for 'autothrottles.' He then removed his hand and commanded 'check thrust' I took the throttles and looked to set/confirm power setting. This is when I noticed the power setting had gone well beyond the 'carrot.' My initial thought was to protect the engines from overboost so I pulled the throttles back to the carrot and held them there. This is when I noticed the Manual (MAN) at the N1 gauge annunciated. My first thought was I had lost the Thrust Management Computer (TMC) and it had defaulted to manual mode. No problem; I had two good engines; all parameters where normal; continue the takeoff. At 80 knots the system went into throttle hold. All appeared normal. The aircraft was heavy and the FO had only one other leg in the 757-300. I called rotate at VR but he was slow in responding. I called Rotate a second time and we took to the air. We used a lot of runway. Climb rate was not normal but OK. The MAN annunciation on the N1 gauge was bugging me so I decided to reach down and check the manual setting bug on the lower center console. I pushed on it and I felt it go into the AUTO detent position. I had missed that switch confirmation on the cockpit check. Now the carrots drove up to the commanded TO position. At 800 feet we engaged VNAV and everything was normal for the remainder of the flight. By pulling the throttles back to prevent a misperceived over power situation I had taken off at a reduced-reduced power setting.
A Captain and IOE First Officer received a B757-300 at departure time from Maintenance. A thorough preflight caught most switch position errors; but they missed the autothrottles causing a long roll on takeoff with reduced-reduced takeoff thrust.