Narrative:

Our clearance was to taxi via V6 to taxiway V to taxiway east then to runway 28C for takeoff at pit. After turing onto taxiway V sbound, I again verbally confirmed the taxi instructions with my first officer. At this point, the weight and balance message came across on the aircraft ACARS screen. It was wrong. We both became 'involved' in solving yet another problem with recently introduced new computer system. The system is less flexible than our previous system and has increased crew workload at inopportune times. Often, manual recompilation of aircraft performance is necessary, and/or requiring one pilot to make repeated calls to 'company' to attempt to obtain accurate and corrected weight and balance performance information! For some reason, I transposed taxiway east and taxiway F when I became distraction with helping the first officer with the takeoff performance problem. It is not uncommon at pit to taxi via taxiway V, to cross the departure end of runway 28C, to taxiway F, and then to taxi to runway 28L, at intersection P for takeoff on runway 28L. This is exactly what I started to do! Only after inadvertently crossing runway 28C on taxiway V, did I suddenly realize that I had transposed taxiway east and taxiway F. The first officer, engaged in our performance problems, realized my error almost immediately after I began to voice my realization of my distraction. The ground controller now called us almost immediately after my first officer and I discussed the taxi error, restating our original taxi instructions and then reclring us to taxi via taxiway F, to runway 28L at taxiway P for an intersection takeoff on runway 28L. She said that there was 'no problem.' I did follow up with a phone call to the tower supervisor, after our subsequent landing. He was professional, and told me that traffic was in position on runway 28C, but had not been cleared for takeoff, since the local controller had noticed us 'infringing' on runway 28C, at the departure end. Although the WX was good VFR, it may have had different consequences if the WX had been IFR! I acknowledged my error, and am upset at myself for breaking my own cardinal (unintentionally) rules of preventing distraction in the cockpit at critical points of ground movement (such as crossing runways), allowing both of us to be distraction simultaneously, and not reconfirming crossing an active runway with my first officer. From now on, the parking brake will be 'set,' if I have to get 'heads down' when involved in assisting in the solving of a ground problem!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW CROSSED ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative: OUR CLRNC WAS TO TAXI VIA V6 TO TXWY V TO TXWY E THEN TO RWY 28C FOR TKOF AT PIT. AFTER TURING ONTO TXWY V SBOUND, I AGAIN VERBALLY CONFIRMED THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WITH MY FO. AT THIS POINT, THE WT AND BAL MESSAGE CAME ACROSS ON THE ACFT ACARS SCREEN. IT WAS WRONG. WE BOTH BECAME 'INVOLVED' IN SOLVING YET ANOTHER PROB WITH RECENTLY INTRODUCED NEW COMPUTER SYS. THE SYS IS LESS FLEXIBLE THAN OUR PREVIOUS SYS AND HAS INCREASED CREW WORKLOAD AT INOPPORTUNE TIMES. OFTEN, MANUAL RECOMPILATION OF ACFT PERFORMANCE IS NECESSARY, AND/OR REQUIRING ONE PLT TO MAKE REPEATED CALLS TO 'COMPANY' TO ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN ACCURATE AND CORRECTED WT AND BAL PERFORMANCE INFO! FOR SOME REASON, I TRANSPOSED TXWY E AND TXWY F WHEN I BECAME DISTR WITH HELPING THE FO WITH THE TKOF PERFORMANCE PROB. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON AT PIT TO TAXI VIA TXWY V, TO CROSS THE DEP END OF RWY 28C, TO TXWY F, AND THEN TO TAXI TO RWY 28L, AT INTXN P FOR TKOF ON RWY 28L. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I STARTED TO DO! ONLY AFTER INADVERTENTLY XING RWY 28C ON TXWY V, DID I SUDDENLY REALIZE THAT I HAD TRANSPOSED TXWY E AND TXWY F. THE FO, ENGAGED IN OUR PERFORMANCE PROBS, REALIZED MY ERROR ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER I BEGAN TO VOICE MY REALIZATION OF MY DISTR. THE GND CTLR NOW CALLED US ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY FO AND I DISCUSSED THE TAXI ERROR, RESTATING OUR ORIGINAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND THEN RECLRING US TO TAXI VIA TXWY F, TO RWY 28L AT TXWY P FOR AN INTXN TKOF ON RWY 28L. SHE SAID THAT THERE WAS 'NO PROB.' I DID FOLLOW UP WITH A PHONE CALL TO THE TWR SUPVR, AFTER OUR SUBSEQUENT LNDG. HE WAS PROFESSIONAL, AND TOLD ME THAT TFC WAS IN POS ON RWY 28C, BUT HAD NOT BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF, SINCE THE LCL CTLR HAD NOTICED US 'INFRINGING' ON RWY 28C, AT THE DEP END. ALTHOUGH THE WX WAS GOOD VFR, IT MAY HAVE HAD DIFFERENT CONSEQUENCES IF THE WX HAD BEEN IFR! I ACKNOWLEDGED MY ERROR, AND AM UPSET AT MYSELF FOR BREAKING MY OWN CARDINAL (UNINTENTIONALLY) RULES OF PREVENTING DISTR IN THE COCKPIT AT CRITICAL POINTS OF GND MOVEMENT (SUCH AS XING RWYS), ALLOWING BOTH OF US TO BE DISTR SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND NOT RECONFIRMING XING AN ACTIVE RWY WITH MY FO. FROM NOW ON, THE PARKING BRAKE WILL BE 'SET,' IF I HAVE TO GET 'HEADS DOWN' WHEN INVOLVED IN ASSISTING IN THE SOLVING OF A GND PROB!

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.