Narrative:

Our aircraft landed on runway 12R at sjc. At approximately 80 KTS and approaching taxiway F the tower controller gave an instruction to take taxiway C. The captain read back the instructions he heard as the aircraft continued decelerating. The captain and first officer questioned the use of taxiway C as the aircraft approached as they both were slightly unfamiliar with the narrower taxiway. I (so) stated that we could in fact use taxiway C, being more familiar with its use. The captain continued his taxi and turned off of the runway onto taxiway C. The captain and first officer were discussing the weight bearing capacity of the taxiway as the so was contacting local operations on the radio for a parking spot. Taxiway C is very short and as the captain was rolling across the departure end of runway 12L the tower controller said, 'hold short of runway 12L.' it was already too late to hold short of the runway and rather than stop on the runway the captain continued to roll across and clear the runway. At the moment when the controller said 'hold short' the three of us looked to the left, looking down the runway and saw a small aircraft that had just landed on runway 12L and was rolling out, at approximately 1000 ft down the runway. All 3 pilots tried to recall the exact clearance given by the tower as we were landing and instructed to use taxiway C instead of taxiway F. No one could recall a hold short clearance and in fact felt that the tower had cleared us to cross runway 12L. I think that one of the major contributing factors that the crew could not recall exactly what the controller had said earlier, about taxiing on taxiway C, was that at the moment he gave it to us we were very focused on the controling of the aircraft at approximately 80 KTS, and its deceleration as well as scanning for any abnormalities during the reversal operation. Supplemental information from acn 393430: after my copilot landed an aircraft on runway 12R at sjc and we had slowed to about 80 KTS. I was making standard airspeed callout and getting ready to take control of the aircraft. The sjc tower controller asked us to 'exit on taxiway C' about 2000 ft from the end of runway 12R. My radio response was 'left on taxiway C with you to the ramp' or what I thought was asked. I noticed that the taxiway appeared narrow and asked the other crew members if this was a legal taxiway. That was because I thought that it may have a weight restr for taxi. I was now taxiing slower than normal and then I glanced at the taxi chart, at about the same time I looked back to the runway that we just landed and saw a B737 jet about to land. I thought then that I needed to get the back of our aircraft clear of the runway. Through this time span there was no radio communication with the tower, until to my surprise I looked left and saw a small single engine aircraft on the shorter runway 12L. We continued across, contacted ground and taxied to our gate. I called the tower controller and asked what happened. He said we had been told to hold short of runway 12L. I did not hear that or repeat a hold short readback. There was some confusion with the taxi and getting the call from the tower during our rollout. It was a long 4 days of flying, just ending.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LNDG RWY 12R SJC, AN ACR B727 TAXIES ACROSS RWY 12L ON TXWY C. TWR ADVISES TO HOLD SHORT BUT CAPT ELECTS TO CONTINUE AS ACFT HAS ALREADY ENTERED THE RWY. LNDG TFC ON ROLLOUT 1000 FT AWAY, A BEECH TYPE ACFT.

Narrative: OUR ACFT LANDED ON RWY 12R AT SJC. AT APPROX 80 KTS AND APCHING TXWY F THE TWR CTLR GAVE AN INSTRUCTION TO TAKE TXWY C. THE CAPT READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS HE HEARD AS THE ACFT CONTINUED DECELERATING. THE CAPT AND FO QUESTIONED THE USE OF TXWY C AS THE ACFT APCHED AS THEY BOTH WERE SLIGHTLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE NARROWER TXWY. I (SO) STATED THAT WE COULD IN FACT USE TXWY C, BEING MORE FAMILIAR WITH ITS USE. THE CAPT CONTINUED HIS TAXI AND TURNED OFF OF THE RWY ONTO TXWY C. THE CAPT AND FO WERE DISCUSSING THE WT BEARING CAPACITY OF THE TXWY AS THE SO WAS CONTACTING LCL OPS ON THE RADIO FOR A PARKING SPOT. TXWY C IS VERY SHORT AND AS THE CAPT WAS ROLLING ACROSS THE DEP END OF RWY 12L THE TWR CTLR SAID, 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L.' IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE TO HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY AND RATHER THAN STOP ON THE RWY THE CAPT CONTINUED TO ROLL ACROSS AND CLR THE RWY. AT THE MOMENT WHEN THE CTLR SAID 'HOLD SHORT' THE THREE OF US LOOKED TO THE L, LOOKING DOWN THE RWY AND SAW A SMALL ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 12L AND WAS ROLLING OUT, AT APPROX 1000 FT DOWN THE RWY. ALL 3 PLTS TRIED TO RECALL THE EXACT CLRNC GIVEN BY THE TWR AS WE WERE LNDG AND INSTRUCTED TO USE TXWY C INSTEAD OF TXWY F. NO ONE COULD RECALL A HOLD SHORT CLRNC AND IN FACT FELT THAT THE TWR HAD CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 12L. I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT THE CREW COULD NOT RECALL EXACTLY WHAT THE CTLR HAD SAID EARLIER, ABOUT TAXIING ON TXWY C, WAS THAT AT THE MOMENT HE GAVE IT TO US WE WERE VERY FOCUSED ON THE CTLING OF THE ACFT AT APPROX 80 KTS, AND ITS DECELERATION AS WELL AS SCANNING FOR ANY ABNORMALITIES DURING THE REVERSAL OP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 393430: AFTER MY COPLT LANDED AN ACFT ON RWY 12R AT SJC AND WE HAD SLOWED TO ABOUT 80 KTS. I WAS MAKING STANDARD AIRSPD CALLOUT AND GETTING READY TO TAKE CTL OF THE ACFT. THE SJC TWR CTLR ASKED US TO 'EXIT ON TXWY C' ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE END OF RWY 12R. MY RADIO RESPONSE WAS 'L ON TXWY C WITH YOU TO THE RAMP' OR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS ASKED. I NOTICED THAT THE TXWY APPEARED NARROW AND ASKED THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS IF THIS WAS A LEGAL TXWY. THAT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT IT MAY HAVE A WT RESTR FOR TAXI. I WAS NOW TAXIING SLOWER THAN NORMAL AND THEN I GLANCED AT THE TAXI CHART, AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME I LOOKED BACK TO THE RWY THAT WE JUST LANDED AND SAW A B737 JET ABOUT TO LAND. I THOUGHT THEN THAT I NEEDED TO GET THE BACK OF OUR ACFT CLR OF THE RWY. THROUGH THIS TIME SPAN THERE WAS NO RADIO COM WITH THE TWR, UNTIL TO MY SURPRISE I LOOKED L AND SAW A SMALL SINGLE ENG ACFT ON THE SHORTER RWY 12L. WE CONTINUED ACROSS, CONTACTED GND AND TAXIED TO OUR GATE. I CALLED THE TWR CTLR AND ASKED WHAT HAPPENED. HE SAID WE HAD BEEN TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L. I DID NOT HEAR THAT OR REPEAT A HOLD SHORT READBACK. THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION WITH THE TAXI AND GETTING THE CALL FROM THE TWR DURING OUR ROLLOUT. IT WAS A LONG 4 DAYS OF FLYING, JUST ENDING.

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.