Narrative:

After monitoring the teterboro, nj, ATIS, and picking up my IFR clearance at the FBO ramp (adjacent to taxiway M), ground control issued instructions to 'taxi to runway 24, hold short of runway 24.' the ATIS had reminded me to 'read back all hold short instructions,' so I read back, 'taxi to runway 24, hold short of runway 24.' I thought this 'hold short or runway 24' portion of the instruction was somewhat redundant, as I knew from my early training that the clearance to taxi 'to' the runway certainly did not grant me permission to taxi out onto the runway for takeoff. While beginning to taxi out of the ramp, I heard another aircraft call ground control for taxi clearance, and he received the instruction, 'taxi to runway 24, hold short of runway 19.' that was a more typical taxi instruction, I thought. That pilot read back, 'taxi to runway 24.' the controller asked him to, 'please read back the hold short instruction,' and the pilot then read back, 'hold short of runway 19.' I looked at my airport diagram and saw that I would have to cross the approach end of runway 10 to get to runway 24. I knew that a clearance to taxi to my assigned takeoff runway authority/authorized me to cross all the other runways, so I figured I could simply taxi all the way to the run-up area at the approach end of runway 24. So I proceeded to taxi out txwys M and J, then northbound on taxiway left. When I came to an intersecting runway, I proceeded to cross it, as I figured I could taxi all the way to my assigned runway 24. As I was about 1/3 of the way across that intersecting runway, I suddenly realized that the runway I was crossing was runway 6/24 (about the mid-point of the runway), and that was the runway intersection to which the controller must have been referring when he had issued my hold short instruction!' at that point, the ground controller called me and said something like, 'baron xx, cross runway, oh, I see you're already half-way across, cross runway 24, cross runway 19, keep to the left, and enter the ramp area for runway 24.' without realizing it, I had begun to cross runway 24 without permission. Fortunately, there was no traffic on the runway at the time, and the controller was just about to clear me across anyway. What was the cause of the problem? 1) I had forgotten that, according to the aim, 'when ATC clears an aircraft to taxi to an assigned takeoff runway, the absence of holding instructions auths the aircraft to cross all runways which the taxi route intersects except the assigned takeoff runway. It does not include authority/authorized to taxi onto or cross the assigned takeoff runway at any point.' 2) I did not realize until too late that the runway I was crossing was the same runway as the one to which I had been assigned for takeoff. I was not as familiar with the airport layout as I should have been, and it was dark. A suggestion: from my experience, it is common to get instructions to 'taxi to runway a, hold short of runway B.' but it is relatively rare to hear 'taxi to runway a, hold short of runway a.' a pilot may infer that to simply mean, 'be sure you don't enter the runway yet, just hold short of it while waiting for release.' perhaps in this situation, the controller could say, 'taxi to runway 24, hold short of runway 24 on taxiway left.' that would have gotten my attention and forced me to realize that taxiway left crosses runway 24 on the way to the approach end of runway 24, and I would have stopped at that intersection and waited for clearance to cross.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE55 CROSSES ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: AFTER MONITORING THE TETERBORO, NJ, ATIS, AND PICKING UP MY IFR CLRNC AT THE FBO RAMP (ADJACENT TO TXWY M), GND CTL ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO 'TAXI TO RWY 24, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24.' THE ATIS HAD REMINDED ME TO 'READ BACK ALL HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS,' SO I READ BACK, 'TAXI TO RWY 24, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24.' I THOUGHT THIS 'HOLD SHORT OR RWY 24' PORTION OF THE INSTRUCTION WAS SOMEWHAT REDUNDANT, AS I KNEW FROM MY EARLY TRAINING THAT THE CLRNC TO TAXI 'TO' THE RWY CERTAINLY DID NOT GRANT ME PERMISSION TO TAXI OUT ONTO THE RWY FOR TKOF. WHILE BEGINNING TO TAXI OUT OF THE RAMP, I HEARD ANOTHER ACFT CALL GND CTL FOR TAXI CLRNC, AND HE RECEIVED THE INSTRUCTION, 'TAXI TO RWY 24, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 19.' THAT WAS A MORE TYPICAL TAXI INSTRUCTION, I THOUGHT. THAT PLT READ BACK, 'TAXI TO RWY 24.' THE CTLR ASKED HIM TO, 'PLEASE READ BACK THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTION,' AND THE PLT THEN READ BACK, 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 19.' I LOOKED AT MY ARPT DIAGRAM AND SAW THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CROSS THE APCH END OF RWY 10 TO GET TO RWY 24. I KNEW THAT A CLRNC TO TAXI TO MY ASSIGNED TKOF RWY AUTH ME TO CROSS ALL THE OTHER RWYS, SO I FIGURED I COULD SIMPLY TAXI ALL THE WAY TO THE RUN-UP AREA AT THE APCH END OF RWY 24. SO I PROCEEDED TO TAXI OUT TXWYS M AND J, THEN NBOUND ON TXWY L. WHEN I CAME TO AN INTERSECTING RWY, I PROCEEDED TO CROSS IT, AS I FIGURED I COULD TAXI ALL THE WAY TO MY ASSIGNED RWY 24. AS I WAS ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY ACROSS THAT INTERSECTING RWY, I SUDDENLY REALIZED THAT THE RWY I WAS XING WAS RWY 6/24 (ABOUT THE MID-POINT OF THE RWY), AND THAT WAS THE RWY INTXN TO WHICH THE CTLR MUST HAVE BEEN REFERRING WHEN HE HAD ISSUED MY HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTION!' AT THAT POINT, THE GND CTLR CALLED ME AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE, 'BARON XX, CROSS RWY, OH, I SEE YOU'RE ALREADY HALF-WAY ACROSS, CROSS RWY 24, CROSS RWY 19, KEEP TO THE L, AND ENTER THE RAMP AREA FOR RWY 24.' WITHOUT REALIZING IT, I HAD BEGUN TO CROSS RWY 24 WITHOUT PERMISSION. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO TFC ON THE RWY AT THE TIME, AND THE CTLR WAS JUST ABOUT TO CLR ME ACROSS ANYWAY. WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROB? 1) I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT, ACCORDING TO THE AIM, 'WHEN ATC CLRS AN ACFT TO TAXI TO AN ASSIGNED TKOF RWY, THE ABSENCE OF HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AUTHS THE ACFT TO CROSS ALL RWYS WHICH THE TAXI RTE INTERSECTS EXCEPT THE ASSIGNED TKOF RWY. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE AUTH TO TAXI ONTO OR CROSS THE ASSIGNED TKOF RWY AT ANY POINT.' 2) I DID NOT REALIZE UNTIL TOO LATE THAT THE RWY I WAS XING WAS THE SAME RWY AS THE ONE TO WHICH I HAD BEEN ASSIGNED FOR TKOF. I WAS NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AND IT WAS DARK. A SUGGESTION: FROM MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS COMMON TO GET INSTRUCTIONS TO 'TAXI TO RWY A, HOLD SHORT OF RWY B.' BUT IT IS RELATIVELY RARE TO HEAR 'TAXI TO RWY A, HOLD SHORT OF RWY A.' A PLT MAY INFER THAT TO SIMPLY MEAN, 'BE SURE YOU DON'T ENTER THE RWY YET, JUST HOLD SHORT OF IT WHILE WAITING FOR RELEASE.' PERHAPS IN THIS SIT, THE CTLR COULD SAY, 'TAXI TO RWY 24, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24 ON TXWY L.' THAT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN MY ATTN AND FORCED ME TO REALIZE THAT TXWY L CROSSES RWY 24 ON THE WAY TO THE APCH END OF RWY 24, AND I WOULD HAVE STOPPED AT THAT INTXN AND WAITED FOR CLRNC TO CROSS.

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.