Narrative:

I was pushed back from gate at sfo. There was a large area of construction between the air carrier X gates and the air carrier a gates behind me. I was not pushed back to the normal ramp taxi out lines but just back far enough so I could taxi. The flight at the gate to my left needed to be pushed at the same time and was put in the alley behind me. My aircraft then was faced just north of a west heading with the construction site being north of me. Ground control had instructed us to push short of the inner taxiway. Out of my front window, slightly to the right was a big sign illuminated by a very bright light. There was a guard there holding a flag. The sign said that no vehicles were allowed past that point without an escort. This caused my problem. Ground control said, 'taxi kilo, outer, to runway 1R.' I asked where kilo was. My interpretation of his answer was that kilo was at this end of the construction site. It was my perception that the guard was at the vehicle road before the inner taxiway. Actually, I realize now, he was just before the outer taxiway. For me to taxi by the guard, I taxied straight in the direction in which I was pushed. I could not turn the aircraft from that heading until my wing was even with the guard and the bright light. When I straightened the aircraft on kilo taxiway, I put the nosewheel on the yellow line. I perceived the guard to be on the ramp side of the inner, guarding the vehicle road. Also, at that time, an aircraft turned off the runway at kilo and stopped. I thought he was holding short of the outer so that he could taxi into air carrier C once I passed him. My attention was then diverted to my engine power. I had to make sure that I did not advance my throttles too far so that I would not cause damage or injury to the construction site behind me. I looked up and saw the yellow taxi line turning right and followed it. I was just barely on the runway when I realized where I was and stopped. I immediately told ground control. I was then cleared up the runway and on to the outer. There were some things that contributed to this situation besides my perception of where I was. My copilot was flying his first line trip since being in school. He was mostly occupied making sure that he was doing his SOP's correctly. The construction site was illuminated by very bright lights making the perimeter area extremely dark and indefinable. There were no illuminated taxiway signs or illuminated runway signs. There were no temporary taxiway lights that I could see. I did not have a temporary airport page showing the construction site. The controller assumed that I knew where the outer taxiway was in relation to the construction site because he was there every day.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY INCURSION BY AN OUT OF TOWN CREW.

Narrative: I WAS PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AT SFO. THERE WAS A LARGE AREA OF CONSTRUCTION BTWN THE ACR X GATES AND THE ACR A GATES BEHIND ME. I WAS NOT PUSHED BACK TO THE NORMAL RAMP TAXI OUT LINES BUT JUST BACK FAR ENOUGH SO I COULD TAXI. THE FLT AT THE GATE TO MY L NEEDED TO BE PUSHED AT THE SAME TIME AND WAS PUT IN THE ALLEY BEHIND ME. MY ACFT THEN WAS FACED JUST N OF A W HDG WITH THE CONSTRUCTION SITE BEING N OF ME. GND CTL HAD INSTRUCTED US TO PUSH SHORT OF THE INNER TXWY. OUT OF MY FRONT WINDOW, SLIGHTLY TO THE R WAS A BIG SIGN ILLUMINATED BY A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT. THERE WAS A GUARD THERE HOLDING A FLAG. THE SIGN SAID THAT NO VEHICLES WERE ALLOWED PAST THAT POINT WITHOUT AN ESCORT. THIS CAUSED MY PROB. GND CTL SAID, 'TAXI KILO, OUTER, TO RWY 1R.' I ASKED WHERE KILO WAS. MY INTERP OF HIS ANSWER WAS THAT KILO WAS AT THIS END OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. IT WAS MY PERCEPTION THAT THE GUARD WAS AT THE VEHICLE ROAD BEFORE THE INNER TXWY. ACTUALLY, I REALIZE NOW, HE WAS JUST BEFORE THE OUTER TXWY. FOR ME TO TAXI BY THE GUARD, I TAXIED STRAIGHT IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH I WAS PUSHED. I COULD NOT TURN THE ACFT FROM THAT HDG UNTIL MY WING WAS EVEN WITH THE GUARD AND THE BRIGHT LIGHT. WHEN I STRAIGHTENED THE ACFT ON KILO TXWY, I PUT THE NOSEWHEEL ON THE YELLOW LINE. I PERCEIVED THE GUARD TO BE ON THE RAMP SIDE OF THE INNER, GUARDING THE VEHICLE ROAD. ALSO, AT THAT TIME, AN ACFT TURNED OFF THE RWY AT KILO AND STOPPED. I THOUGHT HE WAS HOLDING SHORT OF THE OUTER SO THAT HE COULD TAXI INTO ACR C ONCE I PASSED HIM. MY ATTN WAS THEN DIVERTED TO MY ENG PWR. I HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT I DID NOT ADVANCE MY THROTTLES TOO FAR SO THAT I WOULD NOT CAUSE DAMAGE OR INJURY TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE BEHIND ME. I LOOKED UP AND SAW THE YELLOW TAXI LINE TURNING R AND FOLLOWED IT. I WAS JUST BARELY ON THE RWY WHEN I REALIZED WHERE I WAS AND STOPPED. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD GND CTL. I WAS THEN CLRED UP THE RWY AND ON TO THE OUTER. THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SIT BESIDES MY PERCEPTION OF WHERE I WAS. MY COPLT WAS FLYING HIS FIRST LINE TRIP SINCE BEING IN SCHOOL. HE WAS MOSTLY OCCUPIED MAKING SURE THAT HE WAS DOING HIS SOP'S CORRECTLY. THE CONSTRUCTION SITE WAS ILLUMINATED BY VERY BRIGHT LIGHTS MAKING THE PERIMETER AREA EXTREMELY DARK AND INDEFINABLE. THERE WERE NO ILLUMINATED TXWY SIGNS OR ILLUMINATED RWY SIGNS. THERE WERE NO TEMPORARY TXWY LIGHTS THAT I COULD SEE. I DID NOT HAVE A TEMPORARY ARPT PAGE SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. THE CTLR ASSUMED THAT I KNEW WHERE THE OUTER TXWY WAS IN RELATION TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE BECAUSE HE WAS THERE EVERY DAY.

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.