Narrative:

After receiving phx ATIS information, the first officer and myself planned a taxi to and takeoff from runway 8R from the west side of terminal. Our taxi instructions were to runway 26R via txwys east and south, hold short of taxiway C. Having the airport diagram in front of me on the clipboard, I planned a new taxi route to runway 26R. After getting on the taxi line from the ramp area to txwys D, east, and E4, I looked east toward the island separating taxiway D from taxiway east at taxiway E5 to taxiway E6 and saw a taxiway sign designating taxiway east. Rather than turn toward taxiway E5, I stayed on the taxi line. I noticed a turn line toward taxiway D, but not taxiway east. For some reason I was thinking about an island that I was to taxi around, but there is no island between taxiway D and taxiway east in the vicinity of taxiway E4 and taxiway E5. There is, however, an island between runway 26L and taxiway east. Since I was thinking about going around an island in the vicinity of taxiway east and taxiway E4, I started to taxi toward runway 26L at taxiway E4. The first officer was heads down, calculating takeoff data for runway 26R. Just as I saw the hold short line at runway 26L and taxiway E4 I started to slow down and stop, realizing that something was not right. As I started to slow down, I looked up and saw air carrier Y landing on runway 26L and started to brake harder. At that instant, ground control also said, 'air carrier X stop.' I stopped the aircraft with the nosewheel just past the hold short line at runway 26L and taxiway E4. After air carrier Y cleared the runway, I was cleared to cross runway 26L at taxiway E4, turn left on taxiway F, hold short of taxiway F6. We then received a clearance to cross runway 26L and taxiway F6 to join taxiway south. We then received further clearance to runway 26R and performed the takeoff. The entire flight, with the exception of the taxi out to the runway, was uneventful. Upon arrival to stl, I called the phx tower supervisor and another controller as requested by phx ground control and we discussed the incident and past incidents. The following points were discussed: 1) no turn on lines for some txwys but for others. 2) stop bar or wig wag lights on some runway xings, but not others. 3) taxiway E6 was closed because of runway incursions, but not others, why? 4) colors reversed on some taxiway signs. Yellow on black or black on yellow where it is not supposed to be. 5) islands separating taxiway east and taxiway D in some places but not others. 6) my aircraft was one of the aircraft reported to be involved in a runway incursion at phx during 1999 through may/xa/99. Runway incursions are believed to be a frequent problem at phx and there is no apparent fix for the problem. A meeting was held on mar/xa/99 between controllers, union representatives, and FAA to discuss runway incursions and taxiway markings. One statement made was that changes were not made because it was a waste of paint. My recommendations are: taxiway turn lines where all txwys merge, wig wag lights at all runway crossing points to designate active runways, improved taxiway lighting, have all taxiway designation signs and painted taxiway markings changed to the proper color, and install islands separating parallel txwys. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that a runway incursion report was indeed filed by phx ATC personnel. He states that this incursion was the main topic at a meeting with ATC controllers union, FAA, and airport personnel held mar/99. The reporter cites pdx as being an airport with proper paint markings with lighting and instructions clear enough to understand. The reporter air carrier has come out with the equivalent of a company NOTAM requiring flcs to be 'heads up' while the aircraft is taxiing to the assigned runway and that the air carrier is working with phx ATC personnel to remedy the inconsistent and poor markings, islands and signage as well as taxi instructions given to flcs. The reporter emphasized that the aircraft was in the process of stopping at the time the controller instructed him to stop the aircraft and that the incursion consisted of the nosewheel being slightly passed the runway hold line.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD82 RWY INCURSION PHX.

Narrative: AFTER RECEIVING PHX ATIS INFO, THE FO AND MYSELF PLANNED A TAXI TO AND TKOF FROM RWY 8R FROM THE W SIDE OF TERMINAL. OUR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO RWY 26R VIA TXWYS E AND S, HOLD SHORT OF TXWY C. HAVING THE ARPT DIAGRAM IN FRONT OF ME ON THE CLIPBOARD, I PLANNED A NEW TAXI RTE TO RWY 26R. AFTER GETTING ON THE TAXI LINE FROM THE RAMP AREA TO TXWYS D, E, AND E4, I LOOKED E TOWARD THE ISLAND SEPARATING TXWY D FROM TXWY E AT TXWY E5 TO TXWY E6 AND SAW A TXWY SIGN DESIGNATING TXWY E. RATHER THAN TURN TOWARD TXWY E5, I STAYED ON THE TAXI LINE. I NOTICED A TURN LINE TOWARD TXWY D, BUT NOT TXWY E. FOR SOME REASON I WAS THINKING ABOUT AN ISLAND THAT I WAS TO TAXI AROUND, BUT THERE IS NO ISLAND BTWN TXWY D AND TXWY E IN THE VICINITY OF TXWY E4 AND TXWY E5. THERE IS, HOWEVER, AN ISLAND BTWN RWY 26L AND TXWY E. SINCE I WAS THINKING ABOUT GOING AROUND AN ISLAND IN THE VICINITY OF TXWY E AND TXWY E4, I STARTED TO TAXI TOWARD RWY 26L AT TXWY E4. THE FO WAS HEADS DOWN, CALCULATING TKOF DATA FOR RWY 26R. JUST AS I SAW THE HOLD SHORT LINE AT RWY 26L AND TXWY E4 I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP, REALIZING THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. AS I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, I LOOKED UP AND SAW ACR Y LNDG ON RWY 26L AND STARTED TO BRAKE HARDER. AT THAT INSTANT, GND CTL ALSO SAID, 'ACR X STOP.' I STOPPED THE ACFT WITH THE NOSEWHEEL JUST PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE AT RWY 26L AND TXWY E4. AFTER ACR Y CLRED THE RWY, I WAS CLRED TO CROSS RWY 26L AT TXWY E4, TURN L ON TXWY F, HOLD SHORT OF TXWY F6. WE THEN RECEIVED A CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 26L AND TXWY F6 TO JOIN TXWY S. WE THEN RECEIVED FURTHER CLRNC TO RWY 26R AND PERFORMED THE TKOF. THE ENTIRE FLT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TAXI OUT TO THE RWY, WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON ARR TO STL, I CALLED THE PHX TWR SUPVR AND ANOTHER CTLR AS REQUESTED BY PHX GND CTL AND WE DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT AND PAST INCIDENTS. THE FOLLOWING POINTS WERE DISCUSSED: 1) NO TURN ON LINES FOR SOME TXWYS BUT FOR OTHERS. 2) STOP BAR OR WIG WAG LIGHTS ON SOME RWY XINGS, BUT NOT OTHERS. 3) TXWY E6 WAS CLOSED BECAUSE OF RWY INCURSIONS, BUT NOT OTHERS, WHY? 4) COLORS REVERSED ON SOME TXWY SIGNS. YELLOW ON BLACK OR BLACK ON YELLOW WHERE IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE. 5) ISLANDS SEPARATING TXWY E AND TXWY D IN SOME PLACES BUT NOT OTHERS. 6) MY ACFT WAS ONE OF THE ACFT RPTED TO BE INVOLVED IN A RWY INCURSION AT PHX DURING 1999 THROUGH MAY/XA/99. RWY INCURSIONS ARE BELIEVED TO BE A FREQUENT PROB AT PHX AND THERE IS NO APPARENT FIX FOR THE PROB. A MEETING WAS HELD ON MAR/XA/99 BTWN CTLRS, UNION REPRESENTATIVES, AND FAA TO DISCUSS RWY INCURSIONS AND TXWY MARKINGS. ONE STATEMENT MADE WAS THAT CHANGES WERE NOT MADE BECAUSE IT WAS A WASTE OF PAINT. MY RECOMMENDATIONS ARE: TXWY TURN LINES WHERE ALL TXWYS MERGE, WIG WAG LIGHTS AT ALL RWY XING POINTS TO DESIGNATE ACTIVE RWYS, IMPROVED TXWY LIGHTING, HAVE ALL TXWY DESIGNATION SIGNS AND PAINTED TXWY MARKINGS CHANGED TO THE PROPER COLOR, AND INSTALL ISLANDS SEPARATING PARALLEL TXWYS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT A RWY INCURSION RPT WAS INDEED FILED BY PHX ATC PERSONNEL. HE STATES THAT THIS INCURSION WAS THE MAIN TOPIC AT A MEETING WITH ATC CTLRS UNION, FAA, AND ARPT PERSONNEL HELD MAR/99. THE RPTR CITES PDX AS BEING AN ARPT WITH PROPER PAINT MARKINGS WITH LIGHTING AND INSTRUCTIONS CLR ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND. THE RPTR ACR HAS COME OUT WITH THE EQUIVALENT OF A COMPANY NOTAM REQUIRING FLCS TO BE 'HEADS UP' WHILE THE ACFT IS TAXIING TO THE ASSIGNED RWY AND THAT THE ACR IS WORKING WITH PHX ATC PERSONNEL TO REMEDY THE INCONSISTENT AND POOR MARKINGS, ISLANDS AND SIGNAGE AS WELL AS TAXI INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO FLCS. THE RPTR EMPHASIZED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF STOPPING AT THE TIME THE CTLR INSTRUCTED HIM TO STOP THE ACFT AND THAT THE INCURSION CONSISTED OF THE NOSEWHEEL BEING SLIGHTLY PASSED THE RWY 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.