Narrative:

Started two engines in blocks. Other two during short taxi to runway 18L at mco. Company procedures require clearing ramp area before beginning checklists. During short taxi to runway crew started 2 engines and almost had completed the before takeoff checklist when ATC cleared flight to taxi to runway 18L to follow another flight (one of 3-5 in line for takeoff) so we held short of the active. Taxiway checklist was of challenge and response type. First officer and engineer were conferring also on a generator problem. While this and ATC transmission were occurring, I was monitoring both inside and outside environments. ATC called us and said to cross (there were parallel runways in front of us), hold short, monitor tower on other side. I answered, call and read back clearance, 'identification, cross left side, hold short of right, monitor tower.' then looked at first officer who nodded his concurrence, cleared final approach visually and we crossed to the right side of runway 18L and switched to tower. Tower said, where are you going? We replied, ground control had cleared us to cross and monitor tower. Tower's response was 'runway 18R is closed. Do a 180 degree and hold short of runway 18L'. We did and were shortly cleared for takeoff. This is all we knew until company notified my by phone answering machine that they were notified of a runway incursion by FAA and wanted flight crew's report. First officer and myself called mco tower to obtain more information. Mco assistant chief (I believe) said that the ground controller's instructions were to cross a taxiway 'C' that is still under construction, ends before it gets to where we came from, we were already holding at a point beyond this. He also stated that when I read back clearance that the ground controller tried to call us back. We heard nothing from him during our runway crossing. Nothing until contacting tower (who relayed none of this to us, only instructing us to return to runway 18L and hold short then clearing us for takeoff). We followed instructions both of the pilots believed clear enough and read them back . Perhaps contributing factors could be the complicating factors of monitoring both ATC and checklists, additional operational problems (ie. A generator problem and its relevant verbage). During the checking of electrical system, radios can drop off line for 1-2 seconds (however this is not generally enough to miss more than a small portion of an incoming message). We heard nothing while crossing runway to indicate ATC was unhappy with our readback or actions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HVT ACR FRT UNAUTH RWY CROSSING AT MCO.

Narrative: STARTED TWO ENGS IN BLOCKS. OTHER TWO DURING SHORT TAXI TO RWY 18L AT MCO. COMPANY PROCS REQUIRE CLRING RAMP AREA BEFORE BEGINNING CHKLISTS. DURING SHORT TAXI TO RWY CREW STARTED 2 ENGS AND ALMOST HAD COMPLETED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST WHEN ATC CLRED FLT TO TAXI TO RWY 18L TO FOLLOW ANOTHER FLT (ONE OF 3-5 IN LINE FOR TKOF) SO WE HELD SHORT OF THE ACTIVE. TXWY CHKLIST WAS OF CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE TYPE. F/O AND ENGINEER WERE CONFERRING ALSO ON A GENERATOR PROB. WHILE THIS AND ATC XMISSION WERE OCCURRING, I WAS MONITORING BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENTS. ATC CALLED US AND SAID TO CROSS (THERE WERE PARALLEL RWYS IN FRONT OF US), HOLD SHORT, MONITOR TWR ON OTHER SIDE. I ANSWERED, CALL AND READ BACK CLRNC, 'ID, CROSS L SIDE, HOLD SHORT OF R, MONITOR TWR.' THEN LOOKED AT F/O WHO NODDED HIS CONCURRENCE, CLRED FINAL APCH VISUALLY AND WE CROSSED TO THE R SIDE OF RWY 18L AND SWITCHED TO TWR. TWR SAID, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WE REPLIED, GND CTL HAD CLRED US TO CROSS AND MONITOR TWR. TWR'S RESPONSE WAS 'RWY 18R IS CLOSED. DO A 180 DEG AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18L'. WE DID AND WERE SHORTLY CLRED FOR TKOF. THIS IS ALL WE KNEW UNTIL COMPANY NOTIFIED MY BY PHONE ANSWERING MACHINE THAT THEY WERE NOTIFIED OF A RWY INCURSION BY FAA AND WANTED FLT CREW'S RPT. F/O AND MYSELF CALLED MCO TWR TO OBTAIN MORE INFO. MCO ASSISTANT CHIEF (I BELIEVE) SAID THAT THE GND CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO CROSS A TXWY 'C' THAT IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, ENDS BEFORE IT GETS TO WHERE WE CAME FROM, WE WERE ALREADY HOLDING AT A POINT BEYOND THIS. HE ALSO STATED THAT WHEN I READ BACK CLRNC THAT THE GND CTLR TRIED TO CALL US BACK. WE HEARD NOTHING FROM HIM DURING OUR RWY XING. NOTHING UNTIL CONTACTING TWR (WHO RELAYED NONE OF THIS TO US, ONLY INSTRUCTING US TO RETURN TO RWY 18L AND HOLD SHORT THEN CLRING US FOR TKOF). WE FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS BOTH OF THE PLTS BELIEVED CLR ENOUGH AND READ THEM BACK . PERHAPS CONTRIBUTING FACTORS COULD BE THE COMPLICATING FACTORS OF MONITORING BOTH ATC AND CHKLISTS, ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL PROBS (IE. A GENERATOR PROB AND ITS RELEVANT VERBAGE). DURING THE CHKING OF ELECTRICAL SYS, RADIOS CAN DROP OFF LINE FOR 1-2 SECS (HOWEVER THIS IS NOT GENERALLY ENOUGH TO MISS MORE THAN A SMALL PORTION OF AN INCOMING MESSAGE). WE HEARD NOTHING WHILE XING RWY TO INDICATE ATC WAS UNHAPPY WITH OUR READBACK OR ACTIONS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.