Narrative:

At XA55 on oct/xa/97, we (an air carrier MD88 flight crew) pushed back from the gate at cle. After engine start the first officer called for taxi. Ground control cleared us to taxi to runway 23R via taxiway U, runway 28, hold short of runway 23L. The first officer read back the clearance to ground and I repeated the clearance within the cockpit to the first officer. We were all clear as to the clearance. I taxied from taxiway U, left onto runway 28. Proceeding down runway 28, I idented taxiway J forward on our left, taxiway Z forward on our right, runway 23L ahead, and runway 23R beyond that. We were taxiing slowly and as I slowed further to hold short of runway 23L the first officer asked 'are you stopping for the hold short?' tower then radioed us and the first officer also stated, 'stop!' I eased to a stop with our nosewheel approximately 10-15 ft beyond the hold short line. As we held there, the tower cleared a bizjet, that was on final, to land. After the bizjet landed, the tower radioed 'taxi across runway 23L, cleared for takeoff on runway 23R.' we repeated the clearance and complied. Comments: instructions and communication from tower and within the cockpit were clear. Airport ground layout, including runway and taxiway orientation, were reviewed and discussed between the captain and first officer prior to taxi. We noted the comment on the flight release about the confusing runway/taxiway layout. We also noted, on the airport diagram page, the alert comment about taxiing from taxiway J or taxiway U to runways 23L/right, and runway 28. Further, we discussed the exploded view on the airport diagram that depicted the runway 23L/right, runway 28 intersection area. The first officer was more familiar than I with cle airport and made pertinent comments regarding the airport layout. Approaching the hold short line, I had idented the surrounding txwys and runways. I felt comfortable as to the aircraft location as I slowed approaching runway 23L, yet the hold short line did not become readily apparent to me. I was actually looking beyond and also to the right along taxiway Z for the hold short line. Suggestions: 1) make a change to the airport diagram page identing the exact position of the hold short line on the exploded view that exists. 2) make the hold short line wider and bolder than normal. Although this might be considered nonstandard, this situation warrants a wider, more vivid line than standard. 3) imbed a light bar in the runway surface along the hold short line. 4) paint a bent hold short line on runway 28. The left side of the line should be perpendicular to runway 28 and the right side of the line should be perpendicular to taxiway Z. 5) restructure the runway and taxiway layout. Taxiing down one runway to cross a second runway to take off on a third runway, all in close proximity to one another, may cause further problems. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is an MD88 captain for a major air carrier and he said that he had not been to cle in some time, but first officer had flown through cle a number of times the previous month. He and the first officer discussed the taxi route both before they received their clearance and after while using the airport map and the company's bulletin as references. However, after turning onto runway 28 he still missed the hold line. He said that he now thinks that he was looking at the runway and, apparently, beyond the runway hold line for that runway. He said that he has been back to cle since this incident and the area around the hold line has been partially excavated and, it appeared to the reporter, that the workers were installing a lighted hold line.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE ACR FLC ON AN MD88 CROSSED THE HOLD LINE OF RWY 23L AT CLE WHILE ANOTHER ACFT WAS ON APCH. THE MD88 STOPPED ABOUT 10-15 FT BEYOND THE LINE, BUT SHORT OF RWY 23L'S SURFACE AND THE APCHING ACFT WAS ABLE TO SAFELY LAND. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE LINE, BUT DID NOT SEE IT UNTIL HE WAS ALMOST PAST IT.

Narrative: AT XA55 ON OCT/XA/97, WE (AN ACR MD88 FLC) PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE AT CLE. AFTER ENG START THE FO CALLED FOR TAXI. GND CTL CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 23R VIA TXWY U, RWY 28, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 23L. THE FO READ BACK THE CLRNC TO GND AND I REPEATED THE CLRNC WITHIN THE COCKPIT TO THE FO. WE WERE ALL CLR AS TO THE CLRNC. I TAXIED FROM TXWY U, L ONTO RWY 28. PROCEEDING DOWN RWY 28, I IDENTED TXWY J FORWARD ON OUR L, TXWY Z FORWARD ON OUR R, RWY 23L AHEAD, AND RWY 23R BEYOND THAT. WE WERE TAXIING SLOWLY AND AS I SLOWED FURTHER TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 23L THE FO ASKED 'ARE YOU STOPPING FOR THE HOLD SHORT?' TWR THEN RADIOED US AND THE FO ALSO STATED, 'STOP!' I EASED TO A STOP WITH OUR NOSEWHEEL APPROX 10-15 FT BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE. AS WE HELD THERE, THE TWR CLRED A BIZJET, THAT WAS ON FINAL, TO LAND. AFTER THE BIZJET LANDED, THE TWR RADIOED 'TAXI ACROSS RWY 23L, CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 23R.' WE REPEATED THE CLRNC AND COMPLIED. COMMENTS: INSTRUCTIONS AND COM FROM TWR AND WITHIN THE COCKPIT WERE CLR. ARPT GND LAYOUT, INCLUDING RWY AND TXWY ORIENTATION, WERE REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED BTWN THE CAPT AND FO PRIOR TO TAXI. WE NOTED THE COMMENT ON THE FLT RELEASE ABOUT THE CONFUSING RWY/TXWY LAYOUT. WE ALSO NOTED, ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM PAGE, THE ALERT COMMENT ABOUT TAXIING FROM TXWY J OR TXWY U TO RWYS 23L/R, AND RWY 28. FURTHER, WE DISCUSSED THE EXPLODED VIEW ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM THAT DEPICTED THE RWY 23L/R, RWY 28 INTXN AREA. THE FO WAS MORE FAMILIAR THAN I WITH CLE ARPT AND MADE PERTINENT COMMENTS REGARDING THE ARPT LAYOUT. APCHING THE HOLD SHORT LINE, I HAD IDENTED THE SURROUNDING TXWYS AND RWYS. I FELT COMFORTABLE AS TO THE ACFT LOCATION AS I SLOWED APCHING RWY 23L, YET THE HOLD SHORT LINE DID NOT BECOME READILY APPARENT TO ME. I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING BEYOND AND ALSO TO THE R ALONG TXWY Z FOR THE HOLD SHORT LINE. SUGGESTIONS: 1) MAKE A CHANGE TO THE ARPT DIAGRAM PAGE IDENTING THE EXACT POS OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE ON THE EXPLODED VIEW THAT EXISTS. 2) MAKE THE HOLD SHORT LINE WIDER AND BOLDER THAN NORMAL. ALTHOUGH THIS MIGHT BE CONSIDERED NONSTANDARD, THIS SIT WARRANTS A WIDER, MORE VIVID LINE THAN STANDARD. 3) IMBED A LIGHT BAR IN THE RWY SURFACE ALONG THE HOLD SHORT LINE. 4) PAINT A BENT HOLD SHORT LINE ON RWY 28. THE L SIDE OF THE LINE SHOULD BE PERPENDICULAR TO RWY 28 AND THE R SIDE OF THE LINE SHOULD BE PERPENDICULAR TO TXWY Z. 5) RESTRUCTURE THE RWY AND TXWY LAYOUT. TAXIING DOWN ONE RWY TO CROSS A SECOND RWY TO TAKE OFF ON A THIRD RWY, ALL IN CLOSE PROX TO ONE ANOTHER, MAY CAUSE FURTHER PROBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS AN MD88 CAPT FOR A MAJOR ACR AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN TO CLE IN SOME TIME, BUT FO HAD FLOWN THROUGH CLE A NUMBER OF TIMES THE PREVIOUS MONTH. HE AND THE FO DISCUSSED THE TAXI RTE BOTH BEFORE THEY RECEIVED THEIR CLRNC AND AFTER WHILE USING THE ARPT MAP AND THE COMPANY'S BULLETIN AS REFS. HOWEVER, AFTER TURNING ONTO RWY 28 HE STILL MISSED THE HOLD LINE. HE SAID THAT HE NOW THINKS THAT HE WAS LOOKING AT THE RWY AND, APPARENTLY, BEYOND THE RWY HOLD LINE FOR THAT RWY. HE SAID THAT HE HAS BEEN BACK TO CLE SINCE THIS INCIDENT AND THE AREA AROUND THE HOLD LINE HAS BEEN PARTIALLY EXCAVATED AND, IT APPEARED TO THE RPTR, THAT THE WORKERS WERE INSTALLING A LIGHTED HOLD LINE.

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.