Narrative:

Having landed on 22L we elected to use second high speed taxiway, bravo. After turnoff ewr tower said, 'turn right at taxiway papa, stay with me.' my first officer answered, 'roger, turn right at papa, stay with you.' we had already passed papa and I started to turn right at next intersection which was (active) runway 22R. My first officer said out loud, we are on the runway. Both looking out we noticed an aircraft rolling on 22R with lights on. My immediate reaction was to clear runway 22L now for the safety of all concerned. We did. Ewr is typical of older airports converted to high density use. The 2 main runways, 22L and 22R, are approximately 1000' apart. Runway 22R is the closest to an inside taxiway, that is, between 22R and 22L. Runway 22R is approximately 150' to the left of inside taxiway P (or papa). An aircraft considered a large jet, such as the series has only about 20 seconds to decelerate to a stop and be able to turn (that is a right turn) onto taxiway papa almost 300 degrees to the northeast, or about 30-35 seconds to runway 22R hold short line. The high speed txwys appear to be of the normal angle from parallel runways and with the aircraft speed of 50 KTS or less, a normal taxi speed can be accomplished. Suggestions for improved safety could be: first command from tower should be: 'hold short of active runway 22R, 22L, 4R, 4L,' then give taxi clearance commands. Hold short signs should be installed on high speed txwys serving runways 22R, 22L, 4R and 4L. Supplemental information from acn 102274: as we were slowing on taxiway B, the tower said, 'turn right there, then right again on papa between the runways.' I looked to my right for traffic and not observing any, acknowledged the clearance with a verbatim readback. I looked to the captain for acknowledgement and he nodded affirmatively. I realized that we had missed taxiway P and were in fact just entering runway 22R. Any attempt to stop at that point would have resulted in partially blocking the runway. Traffic just lifting off runway 22R was about 4000' to our right as we were at the extreme end of 22R. I made an exclamation to the captain that we had missed P as soon as I realized the situation, but it was a few seconds too late to be of any help. It was impossible to stop and since we were already on the runway, we expedited across.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG ENTERED ACTIVE RWY IN FACE OF ANOTHER ACFT TAKING OFF.

Narrative: HAVING LANDED ON 22L WE ELECTED TO USE SECOND HIGH SPD TXWY, BRAVO. AFTER TURNOFF EWR TWR SAID, 'TURN RIGHT AT TXWY PAPA, STAY WITH ME.' MY F/O ANSWERED, 'ROGER, TURN RIGHT AT PAPA, STAY WITH YOU.' WE HAD ALREADY PASSED PAPA AND I STARTED TO TURN RIGHT AT NEXT INTXN WHICH WAS (ACTIVE) RWY 22R. MY F/O SAID OUT LOUD, WE ARE ON THE RWY. BOTH LOOKING OUT WE NOTICED AN ACFT ROLLING ON 22R WITH LIGHTS ON. MY IMMEDIATE REACTION WAS TO CLR RWY 22L NOW FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL CONCERNED. WE DID. EWR IS TYPICAL OF OLDER ARPTS CONVERTED TO HIGH DENSITY USE. THE 2 MAIN RWYS, 22L AND 22R, ARE APPROX 1000' APART. RWY 22R IS THE CLOSEST TO AN INSIDE TXWY, THAT IS, BTWN 22R AND 22L. RWY 22R IS APPROX 150' TO THE LEFT OF INSIDE TXWY P (OR PAPA). AN ACFT CONSIDERED A LARGE JET, SUCH AS THE SERIES HAS ONLY ABOUT 20 SECS TO DECELERATE TO A STOP AND BE ABLE TO TURN (THAT IS A RIGHT TURN) ONTO TXWY PAPA ALMOST 300 DEGS TO THE NE, OR ABOUT 30-35 SECS TO RWY 22R HOLD SHORT LINE. THE HIGH SPD TXWYS APPEAR TO BE OF THE NORMAL ANGLE FROM PARALLEL RWYS AND WITH THE ACFT SPD OF 50 KTS OR LESS, A NORMAL TAXI SPD CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVED SAFETY COULD BE: FIRST COMMAND FROM TWR SHOULD BE: 'HOLD SHORT OF ACTIVE RWY 22R, 22L, 4R, 4L,' THEN GIVE TAXI CLRNC COMMANDS. HOLD SHORT SIGNS SHOULD BE INSTALLED ON HIGH SPD TXWYS SERVING RWYS 22R, 22L, 4R AND 4L. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 102274: AS WE WERE SLOWING ON TXWY B, THE TWR SAID, 'TURN RIGHT THERE, THEN RIGHT AGAIN ON PAPA BTWN THE RWYS.' I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT FOR TFC AND NOT OBSERVING ANY, ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC WITH A VERBATIM READBACK. I LOOKED TO THE CAPT FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND HE NODDED AFFIRMATIVELY. I REALIZED THAT WE HAD MISSED TXWY P AND WERE IN FACT JUST ENTERING RWY 22R. ANY ATTEMPT TO STOP AT THAT POINT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN PARTIALLY BLOCKING THE RWY. TFC JUST LIFTING OFF RWY 22R WAS ABOUT 4000' TO OUR RIGHT AS WE WERE AT THE EXTREME END OF 22R. I MADE AN EXCLAMATION TO THE CAPT THAT WE HAD MISSED P AS SOON AS I REALIZED THE SITUATION, BUT IT WAS A FEW SECS TOO LATE TO BE OF ANY HELP. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP AND SINCE WE WERE ALREADY ON THE RWY, WE EXPEDITED ACROSS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.