First officer of a B727 abruptly stopped the aircraft during taxi when he noticed a beechcraft king ...

Narrative:

We had taxied to the hold short area for runway 18 for departure and had shut down our engines due to delays due to WX en route. After about an hour delay, we were instructed by dca tower to start our engines and report when ready for taxi. When we called for taxi, tower advised us that they were now using runway 36 due to wind shift and we were to follow an air carrier Z B737 to runway 36 via taxiway J, the parallel. This required us to cross runway 15 shortly after we pulled out of the hold short area for runway 18. When the tower instructed us to taxi to runway 36 and follow the air carrier Z B737 they specifically told us to 'cross runway 15.' the copilot read back the clearance exactly as the tower gave it. About 30 seconds after the tower's initial clearance, the tower repeated its initial call. The copilot repeated the readback to cross runway 15. I wasn't sure why the tower felt it had to repeat its instructions to us because we were responding to the first call and our copilot had answered it. As we approached runway 15, I felt the aircraft come to an abrupt stop as the copilot yelled 'stop!' to the captain. Shortly thereafter, I saw a king air pass in front of us as it was apparently rolling out on runway 15. As we were stopping, the tower said 'air carrier X stop!' xmissions from the tower to us and other aircraft from the time we were told to start engines until this incident were clear and complete. We heard no xmissions that caused us to doubt whether we had clearance to cross runway 15, which had been in use in addition to runway 18. There were no blocked xmissions. Had the copilot not been clearing our crossing of runway 15, we would probably had been hit by the king air. Since we were angling away from the approach end of runway 15, it was difficult for the captain and impossible for me (the so) to see traffic on runway 15 coming from our 4-5 O'clock position. After the king air passed, tower instructed us to cross runway 15 and to continue taxiing to runway 36. Once we crossed runway 15, we were told to switch to ground control. The tower made no comments about the potential collision to us or the king air. I don't know if the king air landed on the wrong runway or if the tower controller lost track of the king air in the process of turning the airfield around. The copilot in this situation was a seasoned B727 copilot who took his responsibilities seriously and who, fortunately, was doing his job of clearing the runway we were about to cross. He responded instinctively and applied the brakes simultaneously as he yelled to the captain to 'stop!' had he hesitated, or not been paying attention, the king air probably would have hit us. I'm sure the fact that the captain practiced good CRM techniques and made us all feel part of the team contributed to the copilot's response. The tower was in the best position and had the responsibility to avert this situation. We were (the copilot that is) the last link in the chain. We were already braking to a stop when the tower yelled 'air carrier X, stop!' the few seconds the copilot gave us probably averted a collision and made all the difference in the world.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FO OF A B727 ABRUPTLY STOPPED THE ACFT DURING TAXI WHEN HE NOTICED A BEECHCRAFT KING AIR ROLLING OUT ON THE RWY PREVIOUSLY CLRED TO CROSS BY TWR.

Narrative: WE HAD TAXIED TO THE HOLD SHORT AREA FOR RWY 18 FOR DEP AND HAD SHUT DOWN OUR ENGS DUE TO DELAYS DUE TO WX ENRTE. AFTER ABOUT AN HR DELAY, WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY DCA TWR TO START OUR ENGS AND RPT WHEN READY FOR TAXI. WHEN WE CALLED FOR TAXI, TWR ADVISED US THAT THEY WERE NOW USING RWY 36 DUE TO WIND SHIFT AND WE WERE TO FOLLOW AN ACR Z B737 TO RWY 36 VIA TXWY J, THE PARALLEL. THIS REQUIRED US TO CROSS RWY 15 SHORTLY AFTER WE PULLED OUT OF THE HOLD SHORT AREA FOR RWY 18. WHEN THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO RWY 36 AND FOLLOW THE ACR Z B737 THEY SPECIFICALLY TOLD US TO 'CROSS RWY 15.' THE COPLT READ BACK THE CLRNC EXACTLY AS THE TWR GAVE IT. ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER THE TWR'S INITIAL CLRNC, THE TWR REPEATED ITS INITIAL CALL. THE COPLT REPEATED THE READBACK TO CROSS RWY 15. I WASN'T SURE WHY THE TWR FELT IT HAD TO REPEAT ITS INSTRUCTIONS TO US BECAUSE WE WERE RESPONDING TO THE FIRST CALL AND OUR COPLT HAD ANSWERED IT. AS WE APCHED RWY 15, I FELT THE ACFT COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AS THE COPLT YELLED 'STOP!' TO THE CAPT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I SAW A KING AIR PASS IN FRONT OF US AS IT WAS APPARENTLY ROLLING OUT ON RWY 15. AS WE WERE STOPPING, THE TWR SAID 'ACR X STOP!' XMISSIONS FROM THE TWR TO US AND OTHER ACFT FROM THE TIME WE WERE TOLD TO START ENGS UNTIL THIS INCIDENT WERE CLR AND COMPLETE. WE HEARD NO XMISSIONS THAT CAUSED US TO DOUBT WHETHER WE HAD CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 15, WHICH HAD BEEN IN USE IN ADDITION TO RWY 18. THERE WERE NO BLOCKED XMISSIONS. HAD THE COPLT NOT BEEN CLRING OUR XING OF RWY 15, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAD BEEN HIT BY THE KING AIR. SINCE WE WERE ANGLING AWAY FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 15, IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE CAPT AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME (THE SO) TO SEE TFC ON RWY 15 COMING FROM OUR 4-5 O'CLOCK POS. AFTER THE KING AIR PASSED, TWR INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS RWY 15 AND TO CONTINUE TAXIING TO RWY 36. ONCE WE CROSSED RWY 15, WE WERE TOLD TO SWITCH TO GND CTL. THE TWR MADE NO COMMENTS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL COLLISION TO US OR THE KING AIR. I DON'T KNOW IF THE KING AIR LANDED ON THE WRONG RWY OR IF THE TWR CTLR LOST TRACK OF THE KING AIR IN THE PROCESS OF TURNING THE AIRFIELD AROUND. THE COPLT IN THIS SIT WAS A SEASONED B727 COPLT WHO TOOK HIS RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY AND WHO, FORTUNATELY, WAS DOING HIS JOB OF CLRING THE RWY WE WERE ABOUT TO CROSS. HE RESPONDED INSTINCTIVELY AND APPLIED THE BRAKES SIMULTANEOUSLY AS HE YELLED TO THE CAPT TO 'STOP!' HAD HE HESITATED, OR NOT BEEN PAYING ATTN, THE KING AIR PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HIT US. I'M SURE THE FACT THAT THE CAPT PRACTICED GOOD CRM TECHNIQUES AND MADE US ALL FEEL PART OF THE TEAM CONTRIBUTED TO THE COPLT'S RESPONSE. THE TWR WAS IN THE BEST POS AND HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO AVERT THIS SIT. WE WERE (THE COPLT THAT IS) THE LAST LINK IN THE CHAIN. WE WERE ALREADY BRAKING TO A STOP WHEN THE TWR YELLED 'ACR X, STOP!' THE FEW SECONDS THE COPLT GAVE US PROBABLY AVERTED A COLLISION AND MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

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.

Attributes
ACN	338163
Time
Date	199606
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dca
State Reference	DC
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Beechcraft Twin Turboprop Jet Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	other : unknown
Flight Phase	landing other
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	other other : other pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 175 flight time total : 8500 flight time type : 5000
ASRS Report	338163
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 100 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

First officer of a B727 abruptly stopped the aircraft during taxi when he noticed a beechcraft king air rolling out on the runway previously cleared to cross by tower.