Narrative:

My flight was landing sbn, in, to pick up a patient for an air ambulance flight. Sbn tower cleared me to land on runway 27L. After landing, instructions were to back-taxi on runway 27L and hold short of runway 18. I began the back-taxi as instructed. Failing to observe sterile cockpit, the medical crew nurse began to talk to me, as we taxied, about the patient's conditions and anxiety about the flight. My attention was distracted from the task at hand. It was the nurse's first flight with us. I failed to maintain a sterile cockpit. As I was taxiing, I thought I had a lot of distance to travel yet. The tower yelled for me to hold short. I immediately slammed on the brakes screeching to a quick stop. The plane stopped partially on runway 18. The plane was not fully on the runway. My immediate attention was to my left on runway 18. I was going to power up to vacate the runway but the regional airliner was departing runway 18 and had just rotated. The airliner was an estimated 2000-2500 ft away from me when he rotated, and they cleared my airplane well above me. I apologized to the controller and I was cleared to taxi to the ramp. I was very upset by what had just happened and called the tower to further apologize and explain what had happened. This was a prime example of how important sterile cockpit adds to safe operations. I explained very thoroughly to the medical flight crew member the importance of sterile cockpit operations, and explained that it was my fault for not insisting on sterile cockpit. But also taught her that other crew members should not distract or attempt to distract a cockpit member from the task at hand with verbal distrs. Those distrs should not take place until the aircraft is shut down. I told the chief pilot, our director of operations and our chief of medical crew members that sterile cockpit training must be emphasized to all crew members, pilots, and medical to help avoid anything similar in the future. There was no real threat to safety because the airliner was safely far enough away from my position when he rotated, and cleared well above us. I learned a very valuable lesson from this experience and will never forget it. I have already shared this with the rest of my co-workers in hopes that it will benefit them as well in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY TRANSGRESSION.

Narrative: MY FLT WAS LNDG SBN, IN, TO PICK UP A PATIENT FOR AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT. SBN TWR CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 27L. AFTER LNDG, INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO BACK-TAXI ON RWY 27L AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18. I BEGAN THE BACK-TAXI AS INSTRUCTED. FAILING TO OBSERVE STERILE COCKPIT, THE MEDICAL CREW NURSE BEGAN TO TALK TO ME, AS WE TAXIED, ABOUT THE PATIENT'S CONDITIONS AND ANXIETY ABOUT THE FLT. MY ATTN WAS DISTRACTED FROM THE TASK AT HAND. IT WAS THE NURSE'S FIRST FLT WITH US. I FAILED TO MAINTAIN A STERILE COCKPIT. AS I WAS TAXIING, I THOUGHT I HAD A LOT OF DISTANCE TO TRAVEL YET. THE TWR YELLED FOR ME TO HOLD SHORT. I IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES SCREECHING TO A QUICK STOP. THE PLANE STOPPED PARTIALLY ON RWY 18. THE PLANE WAS NOT FULLY ON THE RWY. MY IMMEDIATE ATTN WAS TO MY L ON RWY 18. I WAS GOING TO PWR UP TO VACATE THE RWY BUT THE REGIONAL AIRLINER WAS DEPARTING RWY 18 AND HAD JUST ROTATED. THE AIRLINER WAS AN ESTIMATED 2000-2500 FT AWAY FROM ME WHEN HE ROTATED, AND THEY CLRED MY AIRPLANE WELL ABOVE ME. I APOLOGIZED TO THE CTLR AND I WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO THE RAMP. I WAS VERY UPSET BY WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED AND CALLED THE TWR TO FURTHER APOLOGIZE AND EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THIS WAS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPORTANT STERILE COCKPIT ADDS TO SAFE OPS. I EXPLAINED VERY THOROUGHLY TO THE MEDICAL FLT CREW MEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF STERILE COCKPIT OPS, AND EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT INSISTING ON STERILE COCKPIT. BUT ALSO TAUGHT HER THAT OTHER CREW MEMBERS SHOULD NOT DISTRACT OR ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT A COCKPIT MEMBER FROM THE TASK AT HAND WITH VERBAL DISTRS. THOSE DISTRS SHOULD NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL THE ACFT IS SHUT DOWN. I TOLD THE CHIEF PLT, OUR DIRECTOR OF OPS AND OUR CHIEF OF MEDICAL CREW MEMBERS THAT STERILE COCKPIT TRAINING MUST BE EMPHASIZED TO ALL CREW MEMBERS, PLTS, AND MEDICAL TO HELP AVOID ANYTHING SIMILAR IN THE FUTURE. THERE WAS NO REAL THREAT TO SAFETY BECAUSE THE AIRLINER WAS SAFELY FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM MY POS WHEN HE ROTATED, AND CLRED WELL ABOVE US. I LEARNED A VERY VALUABLE LESSON FROM THIS EXPERIENCE AND WILL NEVER FORGET IT. I HAVE ALREADY SHARED THIS WITH THE REST OF MY CO-WORKERS IN HOPES THAT IT WILL BENEFIT THEM AS WELL IN THE FUTURE.

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.