Narrative:

Taxiing out for takeoff at pit, we were on taxiway Y, approaching taxiway D3. Ground instructed us to 'turn right on taxiway west, hold short of runway 28C.' we made the right turn on taxiway west and looked for a hold short sign and taxiway marking. We crossed runway 28C as an aircraft was on the departure roll, and stopped on the other side of runway 28C, between runway 28C and taxiway F. Ground then cleared us to 'cross runway 28C and taxi to runway 28L at taxiway P via taxiway F. Ground never realized our error, but we were really upset, and incredulous as to how we had made such a mistake. It would have been one thing if we had been talking or lax in our vigilance, but we had honestly been looking for the signage and markings. I went back to pit the next day, and looked at the signage and markings for runway 28C at taxiway west. Firstly, there are 3 or 4 new signs not yet in service. Second, the one sign denoting runway 28C is on the southeast side of the intersection of txwys west and east, parallel to taxiway east, and cannot be seen from taxiway Y. Third, the hold short line for runway 28C on taxiway west is right at taxiway east, so that if you make the turn onto taxiway west from taxiway east, you are already past the hold short line. Lastly, the hold short line is hardly visible during the day, much less at night! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the controller's verbiage 'turn right on whiskey' followed by 'hold short of runway 28C' led the flight crew to anticipate a like sequence of events. After they made the turn onto taxiway west they were searching for the hold short lines up ahead, not right under them, as they actually were located. The hold lines are literally in the intersection of txwys east and west and reporter believes that they would have seen them, had they not been so faded. Also, the runway sign was located very close to taxiway east. If it was closer to taxiway west or located on both sides of the taxiway, then the flight crew would have been able to see it. In hindsight, reporter notes that the only thing that could have kept him from taxiing past the hold lines were the flashing yellow lights on either side of the runway. He does not know why, but he did not see these on the night of the incident. Reporter felt strongly enough about the problem that he also reported it to the FAA safety hotline and his union engineering and safety representative.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DH8 FLC TAXIED PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINES FOR RWY 28C AT PIT, AFTER HAVING RECEIVED A CLRNC TO HOLD SHORT. THE ERROR WAS DISCOVERED WHEN THE FLC OBSERVED THE DEPARTING TFC ON RWY 28C. THE CAPT RPTS THAT BOTH MEMBERS OF THE CREW WERE LOOKING FOR INDICATIONS OF THE HOLD SHORT AREA AND WERE UNABLE TO FIND THEM, PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.

Narrative: TAXIING OUT FOR TKOF AT PIT, WE WERE ON TXWY Y, APCHING TXWY D3. GND INSTRUCTED US TO 'TURN R ON TXWY W, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28C.' WE MADE THE R TURN ON TXWY W AND LOOKED FOR A HOLD SHORT SIGN AND TXWY MARKING. WE CROSSED RWY 28C AS AN ACFT WAS ON THE DEP ROLL, AND STOPPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF RWY 28C, BTWN RWY 28C AND TXWY F. GND THEN CLRED US TO 'CROSS RWY 28C AND TAXI TO RWY 28L AT TXWY P VIA TXWY F. GND NEVER REALIZED OUR ERROR, BUT WE WERE REALLY UPSET, AND INCREDULOUS AS TO HOW WE HAD MADE SUCH A MISTAKE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE THING IF WE HAD BEEN TALKING OR LAX IN OUR VIGILANCE, BUT WE HAD HONESTLY BEEN LOOKING FOR THE SIGNAGE AND MARKINGS. I WENT BACK TO PIT THE NEXT DAY, AND LOOKED AT THE SIGNAGE AND MARKINGS FOR RWY 28C AT TXWY W. FIRSTLY, THERE ARE 3 OR 4 NEW SIGNS NOT YET IN SVC. SECOND, THE ONE SIGN DENOTING RWY 28C IS ON THE SE SIDE OF THE INTXN OF TXWYS W AND E, PARALLEL TO TXWY E, AND CANNOT BE SEEN FROM TXWY Y. THIRD, THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 28C ON TXWY W IS RIGHT AT TXWY E, SO THAT IF YOU MAKE THE TURN ONTO TXWY W FROM TXWY E, YOU ARE ALREADY PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE. LASTLY, THE HOLD SHORT LINE IS HARDLY VISIBLE DURING THE DAY, MUCH LESS AT NIGHT! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CTLR'S VERBIAGE 'TURN R ON WHISKEY' FOLLOWED BY 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28C' LED THE FLC TO ANTICIPATE A LIKE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. AFTER THEY MADE THE TURN ONTO TXWY W THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR THE HOLD SHORT LINES UP AHEAD, NOT RIGHT UNDER THEM, AS THEY ACTUALLY WERE LOCATED. THE HOLD LINES ARE LITERALLY IN THE INTXN OF TXWYS E AND W AND RPTR BELIEVES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE SEEN THEM, HAD THEY NOT BEEN SO FADED. ALSO, THE RWY SIGN WAS LOCATED VERY CLOSE TO TXWY E. IF IT WAS CLOSER TO TXWY W OR LOCATED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TXWY, THEN THE FLC WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT. IN HINDSIGHT, RPTR NOTES THAT THE ONLY THING THAT COULD HAVE KEPT HIM FROM TAXIING PAST THE HOLD LINES WERE THE FLASHING YELLOW LIGHTS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RWY. HE DOES NOT KNOW WHY, BUT HE DID NOT SEE THESE ON THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT. RPTR FELT STRONGLY ENOUGH ABOUT THE PROB THAT HE ALSO RPTED IT TO THE FAA SAFETY HOTLINE AND HIS UNION ENGINEERING AND SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE.

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.