Captain of air carrier medium large transport aircraft inadvertently taxied onto an active runway re...

Narrative:

After the pushback we were instructed to monitor ground for taxi. After a 5 min delay we were instructed to taxi to runway 8R for takeoff, were told to follow an air carrier commuter to the runway. This is when the captain started to become confused. I pointed out the traffic to him and he started out in that direction. For some unknown reason he then headed down the ramp, and passed up our crossover point to runway 8R. We had been instructed upon reaching our crossover point of C3 to monitor the tower. I said C3 is off to your left, he continued, passed this intersection until the last point of taxi near runway 8L. He told me to tell ground that we missed the taxiway and are now holding short of runway 8L. I called ground and explained the situation. We were asked if runway 8L was suitable for takeoff. I said yes, that it did meet our takeoff weights. This is when we were told to hold short and monitor the tower. I repeated to the captain to hold short. I then saw a commuter airplane at our 12 O'clock position. I made the statement again to hold short you will probably be following him now. I put my head down to install the new departure runway of 8L into the FMS, just as I reached for the runway page I felt the airplane lunge forward under power. The captain had taken it upon himself to cut out the commuter aircraft and pull up in front of him. He set the brakes, and proudly stated we will not be following him now. I looked down out of the right window, and saw the numbers 8L -- he had taxied the aircraft onto an active runway and parked. I immediately told him in an unfriendly voice -- you are on an active runway, you must get the hell off now. The captain seemed confused until I pointed out the white lights of the runway to his left, and the bright white lights of a jet on final on my side. He then became totally out of control. He tried to back up the airplane by using reverse thrust. I started yelling go forward, you cannot back up. He again tried to use reverse thrust, again I yelled go forward, straight ahead. As I prepared to take command of the airplane, it must have registered in his mind, he added forward thrust at a very high rate and we cleared the runway. We were now holding short of runway 8R. Just as we cleared runway 8L the airplane lights I saw rapidly approaching us, touched down. There is no doubt in my mind that they would have landed right on top of us. I refused to talk to the tower controller. I told the captain this is your call, you are the one at fault here. He collected himself and called. He said that he made a mistake and crossed an active runway without clearance. We were then told to taxi up and hold short of runway 8L. Nothing else was said, except for clear for takeoff runway 8R. After we were above 10000 ft I asked the ZDV for the tower telephone number in denver. The captain left the airplane in ict and called the tower in denver. He told me that everything was okay and not to worry about the problem. I do not know if this was a truthful answer to me. I have not contacted anyone other than a friend.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF ACR MLG ACFT INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY RESULTING IN EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN TO AVOID LNDG TFC.

Narrative: AFTER THE PUSHBACK WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO MONITOR GND FOR TAXI. AFTER A 5 MIN DELAY WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 8R FOR TKOF, WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW AN ACR COMMUTER TO THE RWY. THIS IS WHEN THE CAPT STARTED TO BECOME CONFUSED. I POINTED OUT THE TFC TO HIM AND HE STARTED OUT IN THAT DIRECTION. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON HE THEN HEADED DOWN THE RAMP, AND PASSED UP OUR CROSSOVER POINT TO RWY 8R. WE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED UPON REACHING OUR CROSSOVER POINT OF C3 TO MONITOR THE TWR. I SAID C3 IS OFF TO YOUR L, HE CONTINUED, PASSED THIS INTXN UNTIL THE LAST POINT OF TAXI NEAR RWY 8L. HE TOLD ME TO TELL GND THAT WE MISSED THE TXWY AND ARE NOW HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 8L. I CALLED GND AND EXPLAINED THE SIT. WE WERE ASKED IF RWY 8L WAS SUITABLE FOR TKOF. I SAID YES, THAT IT DID MEET OUR TKOF WTS. THIS IS WHEN WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT AND MONITOR THE TWR. I REPEATED TO THE CAPT TO HOLD SHORT. I THEN SAW A COMMUTER AIRPLANE AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS. I MADE THE STATEMENT AGAIN TO HOLD SHORT YOU WILL PROBABLY BE FOLLOWING HIM NOW. I PUT MY HEAD DOWN TO INSTALL THE NEW DEP RWY OF 8L INTO THE FMS, JUST AS I REACHED FOR THE RWY PAGE I FELT THE AIRPLANE LUNGE FORWARD UNDER PWR. THE CAPT HAD TAKEN IT UPON HIMSELF TO CUT OUT THE COMMUTER ACFT AND PULL UP IN FRONT OF HIM. HE SET THE BRAKES, AND PROUDLY STATED WE WILL NOT BE FOLLOWING HIM NOW. I LOOKED DOWN OUT OF THE R WINDOW, AND SAW THE NUMBERS 8L -- HE HAD TAXIED THE ACFT ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY AND PARKED. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD HIM IN AN UNFRIENDLY VOICE -- YOU ARE ON AN ACTIVE RWY, YOU MUST GET THE HELL OFF NOW. THE CAPT SEEMED CONFUSED UNTIL I POINTED OUT THE WHITE LIGHTS OF THE RWY TO HIS L, AND THE BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTS OF A JET ON FINAL ON MY SIDE. HE THEN BECAME TOTALLY OUT OF CTL. HE TRIED TO BACK UP THE AIRPLANE BY USING REVERSE THRUST. I STARTED YELLING GO FORWARD, YOU CANNOT BACK UP. HE AGAIN TRIED TO USE REVERSE THRUST, AGAIN I YELLED GO FORWARD, STRAIGHT AHEAD. AS I PREPARED TO TAKE COMMAND OF THE AIRPLANE, IT MUST HAVE REGISTERED IN HIS MIND, HE ADDED FORWARD THRUST AT A VERY HIGH RATE AND WE CLRED THE RWY. WE WERE NOW HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 8R. JUST AS WE CLRED RWY 8L THE AIRPLANE LIGHTS I SAW RAPIDLY APCHING US, TOUCHED DOWN. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE LANDED RIGHT ON TOP OF US. I REFUSED TO TALK TO THE TWR CTLR. I TOLD THE CAPT THIS IS YOUR CALL, YOU ARE THE ONE AT FAULT HERE. HE COLLECTED HIMSELF AND CALLED. HE SAID THAT HE MADE A MISTAKE AND CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO TAXI UP AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8L. NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID, EXCEPT FOR CLR FOR TKOF RWY 8R. AFTER WE WERE ABOVE 10000 FT I ASKED THE ZDV FOR THE TWR TELEPHONE NUMBER IN DENVER. THE CAPT LEFT THE AIRPLANE IN ICT AND CALLED THE TWR IN DENVER. HE TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING WAS OKAY AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE PROB. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WAS A TRUTHFUL ANSWER TO ME. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED ANYONE OTHER THAN A FRIEND.

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.

Attributes
ACN	235004
Time
Date	199302
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : den
State Reference	CO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : pao
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 14000
ASRS Report	235004
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical incursion : runway non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : exited adverse environment flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 100 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Captain of air carrier medium large transport aircraft inadvertently taxied onto an active runway resulting in evasive action taken to avoid landing traffic.