Narrative:

All nighter flight, first officer flying. We were cleared for takeoff sfo runway 28L at XY20 local. During the rotation we noticed another airplane starting to cross our runway downfield. As we climbed over him, I considered it marginal and unsafe and asked the tower why the airplane was on the runway. It appeared the other aircraft noticed us and stopped midway across the runway as we passed over him. The tower said he saw us rotating and cleared the other plane to cross. My concern was if we had to abort or if we had an engine failure that the aircraft downfield could have become a major conflict. I recommend tower controllers wait until large transport aircraft are safely airborne and at least 200-300 ft on climb out and/or past the downwind intersection before clearing anyone across that runway. Certainly judgement is a factor here and should be used. It was uneventful this time but had we aborted the takeoff or had an engine failure and not climbed quite as well it may have turned out differently. Supplemental information from acn 418482: rotation and liftoff were normal, but we felt the need to increase our deck angle to ensure clearance. Captain asked tower why an aircraft was on our runway. Tower responded saying, 'the aircraft was given crossing clearance after our rotation.' supplemental information from acn 419180: on takeoff roll around 100 KTS or so, we all noticed an aircraft that had just landed on runway 28R attempting to cross runway 28L. At the V1/rotate call I witnessed the first officer pulling back on the yoke a little more aggressively than normal. I assumed the first officer did this to avoid a potential mishap with the other aircraft. This was also the time we assumed the other aircraft saw us taking off and he aggressively stopped his aircraft. From my view in the flight engineer seat facing forward in the takeoff position, it appeared as though the nose of the other aircraft invaded the runway edge of runway 28L. I strongly feel that if we had to abort or had lost an engine and kept the aircraft on the runway a little longer I do not believe that our wingtip would have cleared the other aircraft. Tower's reply was that the other aircraft was to cross after we were airborne. There was some miscom somewhere with tower and the other aircraft. Supplemental information from acn 418418: after landing on runway 28R at sfo, we were told to hold short of runway 28L. Shortly after this clearance we were told to cross runway 28L and contact ground. We acknowledged. As we turned onto taxiway D between the runways we were given clearance again to cross runway 28L. As we approached the hold line for runway 28L, I looked right and left to clear runway 28L. At that time I saw a plane with landing lights illuminated, taking off. It was a DC10 rotating for takeoff about 1500 ft up runway 28L from taxiway D. I immediately applied maximum braking and stopped our plane (taxi speed was about 5-8 KTS). I estimate that half of our plane was over the runway 28L hold line and approximately 6 ft of our aircraft nose was over the edge of runway 28L. As the DC10 lifted off, we think he banked slightly to his left to establish more separation from our plane. We then heard a comment to tower 'that was a little too close.' I called the tower after arriving at the gate and spoke to the tower supervisor. She was not aware of the problem and said she would pull the audio tapes and review them. The point of closest approach between our planes was 100-200 ft. Cause: tower cleared us to cross runway 28L before the DC10 had gotten safely airborne. Prevention: bottom line -- had I not seen the DC10 on takeoff roll and made an emergency stop, a disaster costing several hundred lives could have happened. We were within 1 or 2 seconds from a collision. Lessons learned: always, always clear. Taxi, takeoff and landing continue to be the most dangerous environment. Slow down your operation on the ground. Supplemental information from acn 418480: I think there was some confusion as to whether the DC10 had lifted off when we were cleared across runway 28L.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-500 IS GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 28L AT SFO WHILE A DC10 IS JUST NEAR ROTATION 1500 FT DOWN THAT SAME RWY. THE B737 PIC STOPS WITH ACFT'S NOSE 6 FT INTO THE RWY.

Narrative: ALL NIGHTER FLT, FO FLYING. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF SFO RWY 28L AT XY20 LCL. DURING THE ROTATION WE NOTICED ANOTHER AIRPLANE STARTING TO CROSS OUR RWY DOWNFIELD. AS WE CLBED OVER HIM, I CONSIDERED IT MARGINAL AND UNSAFE AND ASKED THE TWR WHY THE AIRPLANE WAS ON THE RWY. IT APPEARED THE OTHER ACFT NOTICED US AND STOPPED MIDWAY ACROSS THE RWY AS WE PASSED OVER HIM. THE TWR SAID HE SAW US ROTATING AND CLRED THE OTHER PLANE TO CROSS. MY CONCERN WAS IF WE HAD TO ABORT OR IF WE HAD AN ENG FAILURE THAT THE ACFT DOWNFIELD COULD HAVE BECOME A MAJOR CONFLICT. I RECOMMEND TWR CTLRS WAIT UNTIL LARGE TRANSPORT ACFT ARE SAFELY AIRBORNE AND AT LEAST 200-300 FT ON CLBOUT AND/OR PAST THE DOWNWIND INTXN BEFORE CLRING ANYONE ACROSS THAT RWY. CERTAINLY JUDGEMENT IS A FACTOR HERE AND SHOULD BE USED. IT WAS UNEVENTFUL THIS TIME BUT HAD WE ABORTED THE TKOF OR HAD AN ENG FAILURE AND NOT CLBED QUITE AS WELL IT MAY HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418482: ROTATION AND LIFTOFF WERE NORMAL, BUT WE FELT THE NEED TO INCREASE OUR DECK ANGLE TO ENSURE CLRNC. CAPT ASKED TWR WHY AN ACFT WAS ON OUR RWY. TWR RESPONDED SAYING, 'THE ACFT WAS GIVEN XING CLRNC AFTER OUR ROTATION.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419180: ON TKOF ROLL AROUND 100 KTS OR SO, WE ALL NOTICED AN ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 28R ATTEMPTING TO CROSS RWY 28L. AT THE V1/ROTATE CALL I WITNESSED THE FO PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVELY THAN NORMAL. I ASSUMED THE FO DID THIS TO AVOID A POTENTIAL MISHAP WITH THE OTHER ACFT. THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME WE ASSUMED THE OTHER ACFT SAW US TAKING OFF AND HE AGGRESSIVELY STOPPED HIS ACFT. FROM MY VIEW IN THE FE SEAT FACING FORWARD IN THE TKOF POS, IT APPEARED AS THOUGH THE NOSE OF THE OTHER ACFT INVADED THE RWY EDGE OF RWY 28L. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT IF WE HAD TO ABORT OR HAD LOST AN ENG AND KEPT THE ACFT ON THE RWY A LITTLE LONGER I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OUR WINGTIP WOULD HAVE CLRED THE OTHER ACFT. TWR'S REPLY WAS THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS TO CROSS AFTER WE WERE AIRBORNE. THERE WAS SOME MISCOM SOMEWHERE WITH TWR AND THE OTHER ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418418: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 28R AT SFO, WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28L. SHORTLY AFTER THIS CLRNC WE WERE TOLD TO CROSS RWY 28L AND CONTACT GND. WE ACKNOWLEDGED. AS WE TURNED ONTO TXWY D BTWN THE RWYS WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC AGAIN TO CROSS RWY 28L. AS WE APCHED THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 28L, I LOOKED R AND L TO CLR RWY 28L. AT THAT TIME I SAW A PLANE WITH LNDG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, TAKING OFF. IT WAS A DC10 ROTATING FOR TKOF ABOUT 1500 FT UP RWY 28L FROM TXWY D. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED MAX BRAKING AND STOPPED OUR PLANE (TAXI SPD WAS ABOUT 5-8 KTS). I ESTIMATE THAT HALF OF OUR PLANE WAS OVER THE RWY 28L HOLD LINE AND APPROX 6 FT OF OUR ACFT NOSE WAS OVER THE EDGE OF RWY 28L. AS THE DC10 LIFTED OFF, WE THINK HE BANKED SLIGHTLY TO HIS L TO ESTABLISH MORE SEPARATION FROM OUR PLANE. WE THEN HEARD A COMMENT TO TWR 'THAT WAS A LITTLE TOO CLOSE.' I CALLED THE TWR AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE AND SPOKE TO THE TWR SUPVR. SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROB AND SAID SHE WOULD PULL THE AUDIO TAPES AND REVIEW THEM. THE POINT OF CLOSEST APCH BTWN OUR PLANES WAS 100-200 FT. CAUSE: TWR CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 28L BEFORE THE DC10 HAD GOTTEN SAFELY AIRBORNE. PREVENTION: BOTTOM LINE -- HAD I NOT SEEN THE DC10 ON TKOF ROLL AND MADE AN EMER STOP, A DISASTER COSTING SEVERAL HUNDRED LIVES COULD HAVE HAPPENED. WE WERE WITHIN 1 OR 2 SECONDS FROM A COLLISION. LESSONS LEARNED: ALWAYS, ALWAYS CLR. TAXI, TKOF AND LNDG CONTINUE TO BE THE MOST DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT. SLOW DOWN YOUR OP ON THE GND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418480: I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER THE DC10 HAD LIFTED OFF WHEN WE WERE CLRED ACROSS RWY 28L.

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.