Narrative:

After calling for taxi clearance, the controller gave us directions for exiting runway 1L 'microphone echo kilo to the ramp.' the first officer and I looked at each other and she (the first officer) restated taxi from the ramp with ATIS xyz...we'll need runway 1L due to weight. (They were departing runway 7R landing runway 1L.) the controller apologized for the confusion. He stated 'air carrier, taxi to runway 1L via B.' no hold short instructions were given. It was the first officer's leg and we were discussing the predep brief per company policy. At this point, the taxi check was completed, we made the left turn to cross (or prepare to cross) runway 7R. The first officer was finished up with the predep brief, when over the radio came, 'air carrier X hold short!' I slammed on the brakes, the nose and the front wheel was just over the hold short line. Both the first officer and I, the captain, looked to our right and saw an air carrier Y DC9 on the takeoff roll. Even at this point I could not believe what I saw. The DC9 crossed in front of us about 4-5 seconds later at rotation. We were subsequently cleared across runway 7R and instructed to monitor the tower. We crossed runway 7R and held short of runway 1L on tower frequency with nothing else said. Factors of this incident which contributed to the problem: confusion by the ground controller as to which aircraft we were, as evidenced by the initial callup and the initial taxi instructions for an aircraft leaving the runway. The controller had it in his head to clear us to runway 7R while honoring our request and clearance to taxi to runway 1L. This was verified by the lack of the hold short instructions normally issued with intersecting runways used on landing one runway and departing on another runway. Stop bar lights should be used at the intersection of taxiway right and runway 7R prior to crossing. I'm glad I always taxi slow. Had I been faster, the end result could have been far more tragic. When I braked, no one commented on the stop -- not even the flight attendants. Taxiing fast with flight attendants doing their demonstrations could be a hazard for them, regardless of why you would have to brake hard on a taxi out or in to the gate. Milwaukee is telling aircraft when to go to the tower frequency from ground frequency. If you are taxiing across an active runway, the aircraft should be on tower frequency, not ground. Had we been on tower for the cross, we would have heard the DC9 on the takeoff (cleared for takeoff) and been able to stop in ample time and avoided the whole incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG ACFT WITH TAXI CLRNC TO A RWY WAS GIVEN A SUDDEN STOP WHEN ABOUT TO CROSS ANOTHER ACTIVE RWY JUST AS AN ACFT WAS TAKING OFF.

Narrative: AFTER CALLING FOR TAXI CLRNC, THE CTLR GAVE US DIRECTIONS FOR EXITING RWY 1L 'MIKE ECHO KILO TO THE RAMP.' THE FO AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SHE (THE FO) RESTATED TAXI FROM THE RAMP WITH ATIS XYZ...WE'LL NEED RWY 1L DUE TO WT. (THEY WERE DEPARTING RWY 7R LNDG RWY 1L.) THE CTLR APOLOGIZED FOR THE CONFUSION. HE STATED 'ACR, TAXI TO RWY 1L VIA B.' NO HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN. IT WAS THE FO'S LEG AND WE WERE DISCUSSING THE PREDEP BRIEF PER COMPANY POLICY. AT THIS POINT, THE TAXI CHK WAS COMPLETED, WE MADE THE L TURN TO CROSS (OR PREPARE TO CROSS) RWY 7R. THE FO WAS FINISHED UP WITH THE PREDEP BRIEF, WHEN OVER THE RADIO CAME, 'ACR X HOLD SHORT!' I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, THE NOSE AND THE FRONT WHEEL WAS JUST OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE. BOTH THE FO AND I, THE CAPT, LOOKED TO OUR R AND SAW AN ACR Y DC9 ON THE TKOF ROLL. EVEN AT THIS POINT I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I SAW. THE DC9 CROSSED IN FRONT OF US ABOUT 4-5 SECONDS LATER AT ROTATION. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED ACROSS RWY 7R AND INSTRUCTED TO MONITOR THE TWR. WE CROSSED RWY 7R AND HELD SHORT OF RWY 1L ON TWR FREQ WITH NOTHING ELSE SAID. FACTORS OF THIS INCIDENT WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB: CONFUSION BY THE GND CTLR AS TO WHICH ACFT WE WERE, AS EVIDENCED BY THE INITIAL CALLUP AND THE INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS FOR AN ACFT LEAVING THE RWY. THE CTLR HAD IT IN HIS HEAD TO CLR US TO RWY 7R WHILE HONORING OUR REQUEST AND CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 1L. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY THE LACK OF THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS NORMALLY ISSUED WITH INTERSECTING RWYS USED ON LNDG ONE RWY AND DEPARTING ON ANOTHER RWY. STOP BAR LIGHTS SHOULD BE USED AT THE INTXN OF TXWY R AND RWY 7R PRIOR TO XING. I'M GLAD I ALWAYS TAXI SLOW. HAD I BEEN FASTER, THE END RESULT COULD HAVE BEEN FAR MORE TRAGIC. WHEN I BRAKED, NO ONE COMMENTED ON THE STOP -- NOT EVEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS. TAXIING FAST WITH FLT ATTENDANTS DOING THEIR DEMONSTRATIONS COULD BE A HAZARD FOR THEM, REGARDLESS OF WHY YOU WOULD HAVE TO BRAKE HARD ON A TAXI OUT OR IN TO THE GATE. MILWAUKEE IS TELLING ACFT WHEN TO GO TO THE TWR FREQ FROM GND FREQ. IF YOU ARE TAXIING ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY, THE ACFT SHOULD BE ON TWR FREQ, NOT GND. HAD WE BEEN ON TWR FOR THE CROSS, WE WOULD HAVE HEARD THE DC9 ON THE TKOF (CLRED FOR TKOF) AND BEEN ABLE TO STOP IN AMPLE TIME AND AVOIDED THE WHOLE INCIDENT.

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.