Narrative:

Received clearance to push from lga gate X to spot xy on taxiway a from ground control. The frequency was quite congested at this time, around XA45. Eventually received clearance to taxi to the active runway, runway 13 via taxiway M and taxiway B to hold short of taxiway H. With 'after start' checklist complete we began taxiing as directed. Most likely, on taxiway M, I went 'heads down' to review the weight and balance data now available on the ACARS. I spent more time than usual reviewing the weight and balance data as flaps 1 degree was the best flap position presented which I found unusual for JT8D-15 engines. Normally 5 degree flaps is the better choice, therefore, I paged through the data several times to verify that it was correct. While doing this, I heard the captain remark 'I think we are on the runway' at which point I looked up from the ACARS box on the pedestal to see that we were in fact taxiing northwest on runway 13. Further confirmation of this fact was in the form of an aircraft directly overhead at +200 ft. (I say this as we did not feel or really hear it go by.) high speed taxiway J was the next available exit. The captain added power, turned on his lights and directed me to call tower and tell them we were on the runway. By the time I processed all this after looking up from the ACARS, we were off the runway on taxiway J then back on taxiway B. Total time from recognition to exit at taxiway J possibly as long as 30 seconds. I'm not sure ground was aware that we were on an active runway. During the lull in the chatter, ground asked us for our location, which was about the time we reached taxiway B from taxiway J. I assume they asked that question because of a query from the departing aircraft as to whether or not there was an aircraft on the runway. With respect to human factors there may have been some confusion as to our actual starting location. Typically we are pushed back into our ramp area from which point we start engines and obtain taxi clearance. In this case, we were already on taxiway a at spot xy for engine start and taxi so I can see how taxiway B might have been confused for taxiway a and consequently the runway confused for taxiway B, particularly at night. While getting around lga at night is usually no problem by virtue of the experience we all have having operated out of there for so long, lga lighting is probably only average compared to other airports we work out of. Lga could benefit from more green taxiway centerline lighting. These lights on txwys a and B might have helped to confirm that the runway we were heading for was in fact a runway and not a taxiway. Additionally flashing yellow crossing lights, such as those used in bos, at txwys that intersect a runway would have helped. Had I not been 'heads down' on a taxiway roughly perpendicular to an active runway I might have been able to prevent the incursion. I would also point out that this is not the first time that this has happened in lga. While we never made it onto an active runway, there have been times during daylight operations where a turn was almost missed putting us in danger of going out on an active runway. In the future, I think I will wait to do weight and balance work until we are on a taxiway parallel to the active runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NIGHT TAXI, COMPLEX INTXNS TXWYS, FREQ CONGESTION, FO HEADS DOWN OBTAINING AND CHKING WT AND BAL, CAPT INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ONTO ACTIVE RWY. ACFT DEPARTING OVERHEAD ALERTED FLC WHO EXITED RWY IMMEDIATELY.

Narrative: RECEIVED CLRNC TO PUSH FROM LGA GATE X TO SPOT XY ON TXWY A FROM GND CTL. THE FREQ WAS QUITE CONGESTED AT THIS TIME, AROUND XA45. EVENTUALLY RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY, RWY 13 VIA TXWY M AND TXWY B TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY H. WITH 'AFTER START' CHKLIST COMPLETE WE BEGAN TAXIING AS DIRECTED. MOST LIKELY, ON TXWY M, I WENT 'HEADS DOWN' TO REVIEW THE WT AND BAL DATA NOW AVAILABLE ON THE ACARS. I SPENT MORE TIME THAN USUAL REVIEWING THE WT AND BAL DATA AS FLAPS 1 DEGREE WAS THE BEST FLAP POS PRESENTED WHICH I FOUND UNUSUAL FOR JT8D-15 ENGS. NORMALLY 5 DEG FLAPS IS THE BETTER CHOICE, THEREFORE, I PAGED THROUGH THE DATA SEVERAL TIMES TO VERIFY THAT IT WAS CORRECT. WHILE DOING THIS, I HEARD THE CAPT REMARK 'I THINK WE ARE ON THE RWY' AT WHICH POINT I LOOKED UP FROM THE ACARS BOX ON THE PEDESTAL TO SEE THAT WE WERE IN FACT TAXIING NW ON RWY 13. FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF THIS FACT WAS IN THE FORM OF AN ACFT DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT +200 FT. (I SAY THIS AS WE DID NOT FEEL OR REALLY HEAR IT GO BY.) HIGH SPD TXWY J WAS THE NEXT AVAILABLE EXIT. THE CAPT ADDED PWR, TURNED ON HIS LIGHTS AND DIRECTED ME TO CALL TWR AND TELL THEM WE WERE ON THE RWY. BY THE TIME I PROCESSED ALL THIS AFTER LOOKING UP FROM THE ACARS, WE WERE OFF THE RWY ON TXWY J THEN BACK ON TXWY B. TOTAL TIME FROM RECOGNITION TO EXIT AT TXWY J POSSIBLY AS LONG AS 30 SECONDS. I'M NOT SURE GND WAS AWARE THAT WE WERE ON AN ACTIVE RWY. DURING THE LULL IN THE CHATTER, GND ASKED US FOR OUR LOCATION, WHICH WAS ABOUT THE TIME WE REACHED TXWY B FROM TXWY J. I ASSUME THEY ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE OF A QUERY FROM THE DEPARTING ACFT AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE RWY. WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN FACTORS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION AS TO OUR ACTUAL STARTING LOCATION. TYPICALLY WE ARE PUSHED BACK INTO OUR RAMP AREA FROM WHICH POINT WE START ENGS AND OBTAIN TAXI CLRNC. IN THIS CASE, WE WERE ALREADY ON TXWY A AT SPOT XY FOR ENG START AND TAXI SO I CAN SEE HOW TXWY B MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONFUSED FOR TXWY A AND CONSEQUENTLY THE RWY CONFUSED FOR TXWY B, PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. WHILE GETTING AROUND LGA AT NIGHT IS USUALLY NO PROB BY VIRTUE OF THE EXPERIENCE WE ALL HAVE HAVING OPERATED OUT OF THERE FOR SO LONG, LGA LIGHTING IS PROBABLY ONLY AVERAGE COMPARED TO OTHER ARPTS WE WORK OUT OF. LGA COULD BENEFIT FROM MORE GREEN TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTING. THESE LIGHTS ON TXWYS A AND B MIGHT HAVE HELPED TO CONFIRM THAT THE RWY WE WERE HEADING FOR WAS IN FACT A RWY AND NOT A TXWY. ADDITIONALLY FLASHING YELLOW XING LIGHTS, SUCH AS THOSE USED IN BOS, AT TXWYS THAT INTERSECT A RWY WOULD HAVE HELPED. HAD I NOT BEEN 'HEADS DOWN' ON A TXWY ROUGHLY PERPENDICULAR TO AN ACTIVE RWY I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT THE INCURSION. I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED IN LGA. WHILE WE NEVER MADE IT ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES DURING DAYLIGHT OPS WHERE A TURN WAS ALMOST MISSED PUTTING US IN DANGER OF GOING OUT ON AN ACTIVE RWY. IN THE FUTURE, I THINK I WILL WAIT TO DO WT AND BAL WORK UNTIL WE ARE ON A TXWY PARALLEL TO THE ACTIVE RWY.

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.