Narrative:

We were taxiing out from company-controled ramp at dfw. Captain was taxiing aircraft. Standing procedure has us get outbnd taxi point assignment from company ramp controller, then we hold short of inner parallel taxiway and wait for ground controller to call us for taxi when we are #1 at hold point. We had an FAA air safety inspector in the jump seat, which always brings a slight element of tensions no matter how cool we try to appear. The captain called for me to extend flaps to takeoff position, which continues with my habit pattern to reach to the left side overhead to hold a flight control/speed brake warning horn test switch while the captain simultaneously deploys the spoilers. I simultaneously with my right hand turn on the pitot-static heaters directly overhead my position and run a rotary switch through 4 positions to verify correct meter readings. I must have been dreaming, and the captain dreaming even worse than I, because we just sailed on out past the hold line in sunlit obliviousness. We have no defense, but 2 contributing factors. First, I was doing my thing in the cockpit after having cleared for traffic left and right and calling out, 'clear on the right.' I think that fact that there were no other aircraft holding in line with us, which is very unusual, destroyed an important perceptual psychological cue. Second, up to about 4 months ago, all the txwys had grass islands between them. They were subsequently torn out and paved over, so all there is now is 3/4 mi of concrete ocean with low contrast yellow pavement markings over light concrete. Again, the cues to which we are accustomed at most airports are gone. Ground called us and asked, 'have we talked to you?', and I said smartly,'first call!' she, along with a guy in the background, burst out laughing over the radio and very nicely said, 'you should have held short of the inner.' there was no one else around, no potential conflict. There should be more distinct taxiway boundary markings like black-yellow-black stripes. I have no good excuse this time for allowing captain to slip unnoticed, but I will say that in night and rain it is impossible to have any sense of how far you are from the taxiway until you are right up to it.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF ACR LGT WITH FAA INSPECTOR OBSERVING INADVERTENTLY CROSSES TXWY WHEN LEAVING RAMP AREA WITHOUT FIRST CALLING GND CTLR AT DFW.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING OUT FROM COMPANY-CTLED RAMP AT DFW. CAPT WAS TAXIING ACFT. STANDING PROC HAS US GET OUTBND TAXI POINT ASSIGNMENT FROM COMPANY RAMP CTLR, THEN WE HOLD SHORT OF INNER PARALLEL TXWY AND WAIT FOR GND CTLR TO CALL US FOR TAXI WHEN WE ARE #1 AT HOLD POINT. WE HAD AN FAA AIR SAFETY INSPECTOR IN THE JUMP SEAT, WHICH ALWAYS BRINGS A SLIGHT ELEMENT OF TENSIONS NO MATTER HOW COOL WE TRY TO APPEAR. THE CAPT CALLED FOR ME TO EXTEND FLAPS TO TKOF POS, WHICH CONTINUES WITH MY HABIT PATTERN TO REACH TO THE LEFT SIDE OVERHEAD TO HOLD A FLT CONTROL/SPD BRAKE WARNING HORN TEST SWITCH WHILE THE CAPT SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPLOYS THE SPOILERS. I SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH MY RIGHT HAND TURN ON THE PITOT-STATIC HEATERS DIRECTLY OVERHEAD MY POS AND RUN A ROTARY SWITCH THROUGH 4 POSITIONS TO VERIFY CORRECT METER READINGS. I MUST HAVE BEEN DREAMING, AND THE CAPT DREAMING EVEN WORSE THAN I, BECAUSE WE JUST SAILED ON OUT PAST THE HOLD LINE IN SUNLIT OBLIVIOUSNESS. WE HAVE NO DEFENSE, BUT 2 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. FIRST, I WAS DOING MY THING IN THE COCKPIT AFTER HAVING CLRED FOR TFC LEFT AND RIGHT AND CALLING OUT, 'CLR ON THE RIGHT.' I THINK THAT FACT THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT HOLDING IN LINE WITH US, WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL, DESTROYED AN IMPORTANT PERCEPTUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CUE. SECOND, UP TO ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO, ALL THE TXWYS HAD GRASS ISLANDS BTWN THEM. THEY WERE SUBSEQUENTLY TORN OUT AND PAVED OVER, SO ALL THERE IS NOW IS 3/4 MI OF CONCRETE OCEAN WITH LOW CONTRAST YELLOW PAVEMENT MARKINGS OVER LIGHT CONCRETE. AGAIN, THE CUES TO WHICH WE ARE ACCUSTOMED AT MOST ARPTS ARE GONE. GND CALLED US AND ASKED, 'HAVE WE TALKED TO YOU?', AND I SAID SMARTLY,'FIRST CALL!' SHE, ALONG WITH A GUY IN THE BACKGROUND, BURST OUT LAUGHING OVER THE RADIO AND VERY NICELY SAID, 'YOU SHOULD HAVE HELD SHORT OF THE INNER.' THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE AROUND, NO POTENTIAL CONFLICT. THERE SHOULD BE MORE DISTINCT TXWY BOUNDARY MARKINGS LIKE BLACK-YELLOW-BLACK STRIPES. I HAVE NO GOOD EXCUSE THIS TIME FOR ALLOWING CAPT TO SLIP UNNOTICED, BUT I WILL SAY THAT IN NIGHT AND RAIN IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW FAR YOU ARE FROM THE TXWY UNTIL YOU ARE RIGHT UP TO IT.

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.