Narrative:

The WX was clear with unlimited visibility. We were inbound to cyyc and cleared for a visual approach to runway 34. We were switched over to tower where we learned there was an aircraft on the runway in position. He delayed his takeoff roll which in turn caused us to go around. It was rather hurried but all checklists and appropriate procedures accomplished and we were revectored around to land on runway 28. We were cleared to land. After landing we were told to make a 180 degree turn on the runway and turn down taxiway a. I made a 180 degree turn on the runway and proceeded eastbound on the runway. We made a right turn on what we thought was taxiway a, but in fact was taxiway C. Runway 34 intersects runway 28 approximately at 9500 ft and the runway is 12675 ft long. As we were turning onto taxiway C, tower advised us of it. After a few seconds I realized we had crossed runway 34. Tower asked a couple of mins later about crossing the runway and advised that it was not a problem. I called the tower and talked with them because I felt this was a very potential serious problem. The controller I talked to was very apologetic about the sloppy handling. They assumed we were maintaining 160 KTS at the OM which was assigned by approach, we never received that clearance. The tower, I have noticed on subsequent trips, routinely uses cross runways for takeoff and landing. They also put aircraft into position and hold on these active runways with crossing takeoff and landing traffic. When we were cleared to make the 180 degree turn on the runway, the tower had already had an aircraft into position. My first officer and I were concentrating on this traffic and with the combination of the tower not telling us to hold short of runway 34 and very poor lighting on the txwys and poor signage advising of the crossing runways, we missed taxiway a and crossed runway 34 without ever seeing it. I talked with the particular tower controller and mentioned had we been instructed to hold short of runway 34 we would have been clued to the fact it was an active runway and would have reacted accordingly. The controller agreed and said that there were numerous complaints from flcs about the poor lighting at that part of the airport. With the tower not giving a hold short, and another aircraft was facing us head-on on runway 28, and the poor runway lighting and taxiway lighting, we had diverted enough attention away from our vigilance of crossing any runway. There was a light twin engine aircraft that had taken off on runway 34 prior to our crossing the runway, and the controller assured me there was no conflict, but the potential was surely there and never having anything like this happen in my 19 yrs of flying, it was extremely sobering. You read about the insidious chain of events that lead up to something like this, and you think it could never happen to me. I now know better. To add to the problem from not recognizing taxiway a, I believe as we made our 180 degree turn on the runway we were at or near the intersecting point of taxiway a and runway 28, thus not picking up where the taxiway actually was.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT FREIGHTER CLRED FOR 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY, CROSSES ACTIVE RWY IN PROCESS.

Narrative: THE WX WAS CLR WITH UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. WE WERE INBOUND TO CYYC AND CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 34. WE WERE SWITCHED OVER TO TWR WHERE WE LEARNED THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE RWY IN POS. HE DELAYED HIS TKOF ROLL WHICH IN TURN CAUSED US TO GO AROUND. IT WAS RATHER HURRIED BUT ALL CHKLISTS AND APPROPRIATE PROCS ACCOMPLISHED AND WE WERE REVECTORED AROUND TO LAND ON RWY 28. WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. AFTER LNDG WE WERE TOLD TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND TURN DOWN TXWY A. I MADE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND PROCEEDED EBOUND ON THE RWY. WE MADE A R TURN ON WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS TXWY A, BUT IN FACT WAS TXWY C. RWY 34 INTERSECTS RWY 28 APPROX AT 9500 FT AND THE RWY IS 12675 FT LONG. AS WE WERE TURNING ONTO TXWY C, TWR ADVISED US OF IT. AFTER A FEW SECONDS I REALIZED WE HAD CROSSED RWY 34. TWR ASKED A COUPLE OF MINS LATER ABOUT XING THE RWY AND ADVISED THAT IT WAS NOT A PROB. I CALLED THE TWR AND TALKED WITH THEM BECAUSE I FELT THIS WAS A VERY POTENTIAL SERIOUS PROB. THE CTLR I TALKED TO WAS VERY APOLOGETIC ABOUT THE SLOPPY HANDLING. THEY ASSUMED WE WERE MAINTAINING 160 KTS AT THE OM WHICH WAS ASSIGNED BY APCH, WE NEVER RECEIVED THAT CLRNC. THE TWR, I HAVE NOTICED ON SUBSEQUENT TRIPS, ROUTINELY USES CROSS RWYS FOR TKOF AND LNDG. THEY ALSO PUT ACFT INTO POS AND HOLD ON THESE ACTIVE RWYS WITH XING TKOF AND LNDG TFC. WHEN WE WERE CLRED TO MAKE THE 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY, THE TWR HAD ALREADY HAD AN ACFT INTO POS. MY FO AND I WERE CONCENTRATING ON THIS TFC AND WITH THE COMBINATION OF THE TWR NOT TELLING US TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 34 AND VERY POOR LIGHTING ON THE TXWYS AND POOR SIGNAGE ADVISING OF THE XING RWYS, WE MISSED TXWY A AND CROSSED RWY 34 WITHOUT EVER SEEING IT. I TALKED WITH THE PARTICULAR TWR CTLR AND MENTIONED HAD WE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 34 WE WOULD HAVE BEEN CLUED TO THE FACT IT WAS AN ACTIVE RWY AND WOULD HAVE REACTED ACCORDINGLY. THE CTLR AGREED AND SAID THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM FLCS ABOUT THE POOR LIGHTING AT THAT PART OF THE ARPT. WITH THE TWR NOT GIVING A HOLD SHORT, AND ANOTHER ACFT WAS FACING US HEAD-ON ON RWY 28, AND THE POOR RWY LIGHTING AND TXWY LIGHTING, WE HAD DIVERTED ENOUGH ATTN AWAY FROM OUR VIGILANCE OF XING ANY RWY. THERE WAS A LIGHT TWIN ENG ACFT THAT HAD TAKEN OFF ON RWY 34 PRIOR TO OUR XING THE RWY, AND THE CTLR ASSURED ME THERE WAS NO CONFLICT, BUT THE POTENTIAL WAS SURELY THERE AND NEVER HAVING ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN MY 19 YRS OF FLYING, IT WAS EXTREMELY SOBERING. YOU READ ABOUT THE INSIDIOUS CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, AND YOU THINK IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO ME. I NOW KNOW BETTER. TO ADD TO THE PROB FROM NOT RECOGNIZING TXWY A, I BELIEVE AS WE MADE OUR 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY WE WERE AT OR NEAR THE INTERSECTING POINT OF TXWY A AND RWY 28, THUS NOT PICKING UP WHERE THE TXWY ACTUALLY WAS.

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.