Narrative:

We had just finished deicing and were cleared to exit the deicing bay in montreal via taxiway J. Conditions were night, approximately 28 KT gusts, ice on the ramp and txwys with blowing and drifting snow. We briefed the taxi route to our assigned runway, runway 28. We stopped on taxiway J, contacted ground and were cleared 'txwys J, a, hold short of runway 28.' we turned off taxiway J onto taxiway a and saw no indication we were crossing the approach of runway 28. I saw no hold short line, possibly due to blowing snow. The runway 28 sign is angled so that it is visible if approaching runway 28 on taxiway a but not if turning onto taxiway a from taxiway J. The taxiway lights are all blue on the southeast edge of taxiway a as the taxiway caps the runway 28 threshold lights. There are no flashing hold short lights. But off in the distance there are yellow lights apparently marking taxiway intxns, which I mistook for runway hold short lights. Suggest that aircraft taxiing from taxiway J be instructed to hold short of taxiway a and contact tower there. Supplemental information from acn 460979: the captain was taxiing towards the hold short line and instructed me to run the 'before takeoff' checklist. This checklist has many items on it that require 100% of my attention to be inside of the airplane. The captain said he knew where he was at, that he had the runway in sight. While I was running the checklists, I heard the controller in the tower (tower was now being monitored) telling us that we had just crossed an active runway. He then told us to do a 180 degree turn and hold short of runway 28 (on the south side of the runway). The next instruction from the tower was that we were cleared for takeoff. No other comments were made from the controller regarding the inadvertent runway crossing. The blowing snow had reduced the visibility at our location to an estimated 1/4 mi at the deice pad, with an improvement as we left the deice pad. However, it seemed that most of the taxiway and runway lighting was often obscured by the blowing and sometimes drifting snow.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLC OF A CL65 CROSSES AN ACTIVE RWY DURING A NIGHT OP WITHOUT CLRNC AT CYUL, PQ.

Narrative: WE HAD JUST FINISHED DEICING AND WERE CLRED TO EXIT THE DEICING BAY IN MONTREAL VIA TXWY J. CONDITIONS WERE NIGHT, APPROX 28 KT GUSTS, ICE ON THE RAMP AND TXWYS WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WE BRIEFED THE TAXI RTE TO OUR ASSIGNED RWY, RWY 28. WE STOPPED ON TXWY J, CONTACTED GND AND WERE CLRED 'TXWYS J, A, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28.' WE TURNED OFF TXWY J ONTO TXWY A AND SAW NO INDICATION WE WERE XING THE APCH OF RWY 28. I SAW NO HOLD SHORT LINE, POSSIBLY DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. THE RWY 28 SIGN IS ANGLED SO THAT IT IS VISIBLE IF APCHING RWY 28 ON TXWY A BUT NOT IF TURNING ONTO TXWY A FROM TXWY J. THE TXWY LIGHTS ARE ALL BLUE ON THE SE EDGE OF TXWY A AS THE TXWY CAPS THE RWY 28 THRESHOLD LIGHTS. THERE ARE NO FLASHING HOLD SHORT LIGHTS. BUT OFF IN THE DISTANCE THERE ARE YELLOW LIGHTS APPARENTLY MARKING TXWY INTXNS, WHICH I MISTOOK FOR RWY HOLD SHORT LIGHTS. SUGGEST THAT ACFT TAXIING FROM TXWY J BE INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A AND CONTACT TWR THERE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 460979: THE CAPT WAS TAXIING TOWARDS THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND INSTRUCTED ME TO RUN THE 'BEFORE TKOF' CHKLIST. THIS CHKLIST HAS MANY ITEMS ON IT THAT REQUIRE 100% OF MY ATTN TO BE INSIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. THE CAPT SAID HE KNEW WHERE HE WAS AT, THAT HE HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT. WHILE I WAS RUNNING THE CHKLISTS, I HEARD THE CTLR IN THE TWR (TWR WAS NOW BEING MONITORED) TELLING US THAT WE HAD JUST CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY. HE THEN TOLD US TO DO A 180 DEG TURN AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28 (ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY). THE NEXT INSTRUCTION FROM THE TWR WAS THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. NO OTHER COMMENTS WERE MADE FROM THE CTLR REGARDING THE INADVERTENT RWY XING. THE BLOWING SNOW HAD REDUCED THE VISIBILITY AT OUR LOCATION TO AN ESTIMATED 1/4 MI AT THE DEICE PAD, WITH AN IMPROVEMENT AS WE LEFT THE DEICE PAD. HOWEVER, IT SEEMED THAT MOST OF THE TXWY AND RWY LIGHTING WAS OFTEN OBSCURED BY THE BLOWING AND SOMETIMES DRIFTING SNOW.

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.