Narrative:

Third day of a 3 day trip with a well rested cockpit crew who were working well together in a professional manner. Pushed back from the gate at atl on uncontrolled ramp. After pushback crew was clear, I proceeded to the opposite side of the ramp, as the taxi lines are marked with 1-WAY arrows, to taxi to the hold point for contact with ground control. A commuter turboprop entered the ramp, headed the wrong way, taxied nose-to-nose with us and stopped. We stopped also. Not flying into atl very often, I wasn't sure what he was doing. After a min it became evident that he was just being a jerk and wanted us to yield to him. After allowing several of his company aircraft to pass on the opposite (correct) side of the ramp, we moved to that side and passed him, not having an inclination to play games. I mention this because it caused considerable cockpit distraction and discussion (none of it complimentary to our fellow pilot). Ground control was contacted and taxi instructions were to taxi to runway 27L via the outer. We turned onto the outer, looking into the sun. I remember looking down the taxiway with the glare coming off the concrete and seeing no taxiway to my left. My immediate thought was that I had messed up and was on the inner instead of the outer. It had been some time since I had been on that side of the airport and I had forgotten that the inner ends at ramp 5 and doesn't go to the runway. I commented to the crew that I had better get on the outer and the first officer uttered agreement. I don't think the flight engineer was fully in the loop on what was happening. He later told me he thought we were doing the right thing. We had turned onto runway 27R. Almost immediately, it hit the first officer and me that we weren't on the taxiway. The ground controller caught it at the same time and asked, 'do you have a problem?' the first officer responded, 'no, we made a boo-boo.' we asked if there was any conflict and fortunately traffic was light at that hour on a saturday morning -- no conflicts. The controller said that there was no problem and we exited the runway and resumed taxi on the outer. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Contributing to this mess was distraction over conflict with the commuter and the sun and glare. But the bottom line was that I screwed up. I had my airport diagram out, but it was to my side, atop my flight case, instead of in front of my nose. I knew if I was on the outer there had to be an inner on my left. If the airport diagram was in front of me, it may not have happened. We still, though, can't figure out how all 3 of us missed the error.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY INCURSION BY TAXIING TFC.

Narrative: THIRD DAY OF A 3 DAY TRIP WITH A WELL RESTED COCKPIT CREW WHO WERE WORKING WELL TOGETHER IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE AT ATL ON UNCTLED RAMP. AFTER PUSHBACK CREW WAS CLR, I PROCEEDED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RAMP, AS THE TAXI LINES ARE MARKED WITH 1-WAY ARROWS, TO TAXI TO THE HOLD POINT FOR CONTACT WITH GND CTL. A COMMUTER TURBOPROP ENTERED THE RAMP, HEADED THE WRONG WAY, TAXIED NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH US AND STOPPED. WE STOPPED ALSO. NOT FLYING INTO ATL VERY OFTEN, I WASN'T SURE WHAT HE WAS DOING. AFTER A MIN IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT HE WAS JUST BEING A JERK AND WANTED US TO YIELD TO HIM. AFTER ALLOWING SEVERAL OF HIS COMPANY ACFT TO PASS ON THE OPPOSITE (CORRECT) SIDE OF THE RAMP, WE MOVED TO THAT SIDE AND PASSED HIM, NOT HAVING AN INCLINATION TO PLAY GAMES. I MENTION THIS BECAUSE IT CAUSED CONSIDERABLE COCKPIT DISTR AND DISCUSSION (NONE OF IT COMPLIMENTARY TO OUR FELLOW PLT). GND CTL WAS CONTACTED AND TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO TAXI TO RWY 27L VIA THE OUTER. WE TURNED ONTO THE OUTER, LOOKING INTO THE SUN. I REMEMBER LOOKING DOWN THE TXWY WITH THE GLARE COMING OFF THE CONCRETE AND SEEING NO TXWY TO MY L. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THAT I HAD MESSED UP AND WAS ON THE INNER INSTEAD OF THE OUTER. IT HAD BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I HAD BEEN ON THAT SIDE OF THE ARPT AND I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT THE INNER ENDS AT RAMP 5 AND DOESN'T GO TO THE RWY. I COMMENTED TO THE CREW THAT I HAD BETTER GET ON THE OUTER AND THE FO UTTERED AGREEMENT. I DON'T THINK THE FE WAS FULLY IN THE LOOP ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING. HE LATER TOLD ME HE THOUGHT WE WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING. WE HAD TURNED ONTO RWY 27R. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, IT HIT THE FO AND ME THAT WE WEREN'T ON THE TXWY. THE GND CTLR CAUGHT IT AT THE SAME TIME AND ASKED, 'DO YOU HAVE A PROB?' THE FO RESPONDED, 'NO, WE MADE A BOO-BOO.' WE ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY CONFLICT AND FORTUNATELY TFC WAS LIGHT AT THAT HR ON A SATURDAY MORNING -- NO CONFLICTS. THE CTLR SAID THAT THERE WAS NO PROB AND WE EXITED THE RWY AND RESUMED TAXI ON THE OUTER. THE REST OF THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MESS WAS DISTR OVER CONFLICT WITH THE COMMUTER AND THE SUN AND GLARE. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE WAS THAT I SCREWED UP. I HAD MY ARPT DIAGRAM OUT, BUT IT WAS TO MY SIDE, ATOP MY FLT CASE, INSTEAD OF IN FRONT OF MY NOSE. I KNEW IF I WAS ON THE OUTER THERE HAD TO BE AN INNER ON MY L. IF THE ARPT DIAGRAM WAS IN FRONT OF ME, IT MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED. WE STILL, THOUGH, CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW ALL 3 OF US MISSED THE ERROR.

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.