Narrative:

A clear case of distraction on my part aggravated by poor prioritizing of duties. Just after engine start, we were cleared to 'taxi to runway 14L, left on taxiway B, taxiway J, cross runway 9L.' as we began to move, I positioned the flaps to takeoff setting and just then the cabin crew call signal illuminated along with a chime. The purser reported that she was having trouble with a passenger who initially refused to turn off his calculator and then would not change seats when requested. His seat would not stay upright and he was blocking an exit row. I advised her to tell the passenger that the captain requested that he move for safety purposes and the only alternative would be a return to the gate. Upon finishing that conversation, I noticed that we had an indication of an air conditioning malfunction in the right system. I pointed this out to the captain and said I would check the manual for procedures to clear the problem. I got the manual out, found the page and proceeded with the air conditioning reset procedure, which cleared the fault indication. At some point in this process I looked up forward and we were about to cross a runway. The captain made a comment about either 'taxiway B' or 'taxiway J' and I remembered that we had been cleared to cross runway 9R. A little later, ground control called and said, 'I wanted you to stay on taxiway B, you just crossed an active runway.' we had left taxiway B, gone straight on taxiway H, and crossed runway 22L which was in use for landing traffic. Ground said, 'no problem, the closest traffic was on a 2 mi final.' I should have asked to have the aircraft stopped to resolve the passenger issue, and since the taxi to runway 14L was long there was plenty of time to delay the air conditioning reset until a less congested taxi area. My attention to the most important detail, safe operation of the aircraft, was impaired by minor events occurring together. Supplemental information from acn 446250: taxi instruction: taxi on taxiway B to taxiway J for runway 09L. (You can't taxi from taxiway B to taxiway J unless you make a right turn on taxiway A3 to taxiway J.) on the way out, taxiing on taxiway B, the first officer got busy with cabin problem and company communication for weights, while the captain taxied on taxiway B, taxiway H, straight ahead towards runway 09L intersection J, crossing runway 22R/4L which was active, but did not interfere with traffic at the time of crossing. Contributing factors: incomplete and confusing taxi instructions, frequency, ground control congestion, cabin problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISTR ACR CREW TAXIES ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: A CLR CASE OF DISTR ON MY PART AGGRAVATED BY POOR PRIORITIZING OF DUTIES. JUST AFTER ENG START, WE WERE CLRED TO 'TAXI TO RWY 14L, L ON TXWY B, TXWY J, CROSS RWY 9L.' AS WE BEGAN TO MOVE, I POSITIONED THE FLAPS TO TKOF SETTING AND JUST THEN THE CABIN CREW CALL SIGNAL ILLUMINATED ALONG WITH A CHIME. THE PURSER RPTED THAT SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH A PAX WHO INITIALLY REFUSED TO TURN OFF HIS CALCULATOR AND THEN WOULD NOT CHANGE SEATS WHEN REQUESTED. HIS SEAT WOULD NOT STAY UPRIGHT AND HE WAS BLOCKING AN EXIT ROW. I ADVISED HER TO TELL THE PAX THAT THE CAPT REQUESTED THAT HE MOVE FOR SAFETY PURPOSES AND THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE A RETURN TO THE GATE. UPON FINISHING THAT CONVERSATION, I NOTICED THAT WE HAD AN INDICATION OF AN AIR CONDITIONING MALFUNCTION IN THE R SYS. I POINTED THIS OUT TO THE CAPT AND SAID I WOULD CHK THE MANUAL FOR PROCS TO CLR THE PROB. I GOT THE MANUAL OUT, FOUND THE PAGE AND PROCEEDED WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING RESET PROC, WHICH CLRED THE FAULT INDICATION. AT SOME POINT IN THIS PROCESS I LOOKED UP FORWARD AND WE WERE ABOUT TO CROSS A RWY. THE CAPT MADE A COMMENT ABOUT EITHER 'TXWY B' OR 'TXWY J' AND I REMEMBERED THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO CROSS RWY 9R. A LITTLE LATER, GND CTL CALLED AND SAID, 'I WANTED YOU TO STAY ON TXWY B, YOU JUST CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY.' WE HAD LEFT TXWY B, GONE STRAIGHT ON TXWY H, AND CROSSED RWY 22L WHICH WAS IN USE FOR LNDG TFC. GND SAID, 'NO PROB, THE CLOSEST TFC WAS ON A 2 MI FINAL.' I SHOULD HAVE ASKED TO HAVE THE ACFT STOPPED TO RESOLVE THE PAX ISSUE, AND SINCE THE TAXI TO RWY 14L WAS LONG THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME TO DELAY THE AIR CONDITIONING RESET UNTIL A LESS CONGESTED TAXI AREA. MY ATTN TO THE MOST IMPORTANT DETAIL, SAFE OP OF THE ACFT, WAS IMPAIRED BY MINOR EVENTS OCCURRING TOGETHER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 446250: TAXI INSTRUCTION: TAXI ON TXWY B TO TXWY J FOR RWY 09L. (YOU CAN'T TAXI FROM TXWY B TO TXWY J UNLESS YOU MAKE A R TURN ON TXWY A3 TO TXWY J.) ON THE WAY OUT, TAXIING ON TXWY B, THE FO GOT BUSY WITH CABIN PROB AND COMPANY COM FOR WTS, WHILE THE CAPT TAXIED ON TXWY B, TXWY H, STRAIGHT AHEAD TOWARDS RWY 09L INTXN J, XING RWY 22R/4L WHICH WAS ACTIVE, BUT DID NOT INTERFERE WITH TFC AT THE TIME OF XING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: INCOMPLETE AND CONFUSING TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, FREQ, GND CTL CONGESTION, CABIN PROBS.

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.