Narrative:

Ground holds were in effect due to both a computer outage at ZID and a thunderstorm moving across the field. Ramp control cleared us to start engines, and shortly thereafter to block out. We were told that due to taxiway congestion, we were to taxi south on ramp X to exit at spot X, rather than the usual exit spot Y for runway 17R departures. When we called sdf ground control, they instructed us to 'hold your position.' we remained parked on ramp X, near spot X for about 15 mins. When finally cleared to taxi to runway 17R, we exited ramp X at spot X, and taxied north on taxiway B. At this point I will explain the thought process which led to my error. Sdf runways and txwys have been extensively reworked over the last several years. There have been many temporary and permanent changes to txwys and ramps. I have not had occasion to exit the ramp at spot X in the past. Nevertheless, I believed I had a clear picture in my head of how the txwys went. In my mind, I thought that spot X put me on the 'inner' of the 2 parallel txwys, which is taxiway C. My plan, (though mistaken) was to jog over to the 'outer' taxiway, which is taxiway B, at taxiway B3. Because I was actually on taxiway B already, when I jogged left at taxiway B3 I inadvertently entered runway 17R northbound. We saw bright aircraft lights at the approach end of runway 17R, which we at first thought were an aircraft taxiing opposite direction on our taxiway, but almost immediately (within 3-4 seconds) realized our mistake and that we were on the runway. I added considerable power to expedite up to taxiway B4 and clear the runway. Just about simultaneous with our realization, ground control informed us we were on the runway. I gathered from subsequent conversation on the frequency that the other aircraft, (a DC8) had initiated takeoff roll and then rejected. The most contributory aspect of this episode was my unquestioning mindset that I was on taxiway C. Our normal ramp exit point is spot Y, which does enter taxiway C. I simply performed the same 'jog left' on taxiway B3, that I am used to doing from spot Y, and the incursion resulted. I hesitate to use the word 'complacent,' because I don't think I am complacent about any aspect of my flying. Yet my failing to observe the white runway lights, and other clues, because I thought I knew where I was, can only be called that. A slightly contributing factor to my inattentiveness was that the first officer commenced briefing the takeoff as soon as we turned north on taxiway B. I normally hold the briefing until all taxi maneuvering has been completed (ie, on the parallel taxiway for the runway in use). In this case, we were, and the first officer was correct to begin the briefing. However, because I intended to turn left (erroneously) on taxiway B3, I should have asked him to hold his briefing. Because of my mistaken belief about my own familiarity with the txwys, I allowed him to proceed. With our attention thus slightly diverted with the briefing, we both failed to catch my mistake in time. Supplemental information from acn 464108: the captain stated he would transition at taxiway B3. I assumed he was going to taxi via txwys P and C because there was an aircraft holding at spot X that we might follow. I did not confirm this with him as I assumed he was comfortable with his taxi route. I failed to realize that we did not jog right onto taxiway P toward taxiway C. I completed my briefing when we started our left turn onto taxiway B3. I saw in the distance an aircraft opposing us and the white runway lights. At that point, as instructed by the captain, I called ground. I informed them we were on the runway and were taxiing clear at taxiway B4. I believe the captain thought he was on taxiway C as soon as he made his right turn northbound. I failed to realize this and lost situational awareness in regard to our taxi route. I do not believe fatigue was a factor although no one is 100% at XA00. I should have been monitoring our taxi more closely and got sucked into a bit of complacency (ie, thought we knew all the taxi rtes cold). Supplemental information from acn 464114: we were cleared for takeoff on runway 17R sdf. At approximately 80 KT callout, we noticed aircraft lights on runway at other end. After rejected takeoff, aircraft (B767 or B757) was noticed taxiing opposite direction on active runway and cleared approximately 2000 ft away from us. Tower did not immediately understand why we were rejecting takeoff until our aircraft queried about other aircraft. We do not know whether other aircraft was cleared to taxi on runway or not. Contributing factors: ramp metering delays for wbound departures due to ATC center computer problems. Night operations (ie, fatigue). Light rain on end of field where aircraft was taxiing from. Tower seemed very busy with revised clrncs due to center ATC outages.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767 TAXIES ONTO ACTIVE RWY AT SDF, KY, CAUSING A DC8 TO ABORT ITS TKOF.

Narrative: GND HOLDS WERE IN EFFECT DUE TO BOTH A COMPUTER OUTAGE AT ZID AND A TSTM MOVING ACROSS THE FIELD. RAMP CTL CLRED US TO START ENGS, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER TO BLOCK OUT. WE WERE TOLD THAT DUE TO TXWY CONGESTION, WE WERE TO TAXI S ON RAMP X TO EXIT AT SPOT X, RATHER THAN THE USUAL EXIT SPOT Y FOR RWY 17R DEPS. WHEN WE CALLED SDF GND CTL, THEY INSTRUCTED US TO 'HOLD YOUR POS.' WE REMAINED PARKED ON RAMP X, NEAR SPOT X FOR ABOUT 15 MINS. WHEN FINALLY CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 17R, WE EXITED RAMP X AT SPOT X, AND TAXIED N ON TXWY B. AT THIS POINT I WILL EXPLAIN THE THOUGHT PROCESS WHICH LED TO MY ERROR. SDF RWYS AND TXWYS HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY REWORKED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT CHANGES TO TXWYS AND RAMPS. I HAVE NOT HAD OCCASION TO EXIT THE RAMP AT SPOT X IN THE PAST. NEVERTHELESS, I BELIEVED I HAD A CLR PICTURE IN MY HEAD OF HOW THE TXWYS WENT. IN MY MIND, I THOUGHT THAT SPOT X PUT ME ON THE 'INNER' OF THE 2 PARALLEL TXWYS, WHICH IS TXWY C. MY PLAN, (THOUGH MISTAKEN) WAS TO JOG OVER TO THE 'OUTER' TXWY, WHICH IS TXWY B, AT TXWY B3. BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY ON TXWY B ALREADY, WHEN I JOGGED L AT TXWY B3 I INADVERTENTLY ENTERED RWY 17R NBOUND. WE SAW BRIGHT ACFT LIGHTS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 17R, WHICH WE AT FIRST THOUGHT WERE AN ACFT TAXIING OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON OUR TXWY, BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY (WITHIN 3-4 SECONDS) REALIZED OUR MISTAKE AND THAT WE WERE ON THE RWY. I ADDED CONSIDERABLE PWR TO EXPEDITE UP TO TXWY B4 AND CLR THE RWY. JUST ABOUT SIMULTANEOUS WITH OUR REALIZATION, GND CTL INFORMED US WE WERE ON THE RWY. I GATHERED FROM SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION ON THE FREQ THAT THE OTHER ACFT, (A DC8) HAD INITIATED TKOF ROLL AND THEN REJECTED. THE MOST CONTRIBUTORY ASPECT OF THIS EPISODE WAS MY UNQUESTIONING MINDSET THAT I WAS ON TXWY C. OUR NORMAL RAMP EXIT POINT IS SPOT Y, WHICH DOES ENTER TXWY C. I SIMPLY PERFORMED THE SAME 'JOG L' ON TXWY B3, THAT I AM USED TO DOING FROM SPOT Y, AND THE INCURSION RESULTED. I HESITATE TO USE THE WORD 'COMPLACENT,' BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I AM COMPLACENT ABOUT ANY ASPECT OF MY FLYING. YET MY FAILING TO OBSERVE THE WHITE RWY LIGHTS, AND OTHER CLUES, BECAUSE I THOUGHT I KNEW WHERE I WAS, CAN ONLY BE CALLED THAT. A SLIGHTLY CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO MY INATTENTIVENESS WAS THAT THE FO COMMENCED BRIEFING THE TKOF AS SOON AS WE TURNED N ON TXWY B. I NORMALLY HOLD THE BRIEFING UNTIL ALL TAXI MANEUVERING HAS BEEN COMPLETED (IE, ON THE PARALLEL TXWY FOR THE RWY IN USE). IN THIS CASE, WE WERE, AND THE FO WAS CORRECT TO BEGIN THE BRIEFING. HOWEVER, BECAUSE I INTENDED TO TURN L (ERRONEOUSLY) ON TXWY B3, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED HIM TO HOLD HIS BRIEFING. BECAUSE OF MY MISTAKEN BELIEF ABOUT MY OWN FAMILIARITY WITH THE TXWYS, I ALLOWED HIM TO PROCEED. WITH OUR ATTN THUS SLIGHTLY DIVERTED WITH THE BRIEFING, WE BOTH FAILED TO CATCH MY MISTAKE IN TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 464108: THE CAPT STATED HE WOULD TRANSITION AT TXWY B3. I ASSUMED HE WAS GOING TO TAXI VIA TXWYS P AND C BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ACFT HOLDING AT SPOT X THAT WE MIGHT FOLLOW. I DID NOT CONFIRM THIS WITH HIM AS I ASSUMED HE WAS COMFORTABLE WITH HIS TAXI RTE. I FAILED TO REALIZE THAT WE DID NOT JOG R ONTO TXWY P TOWARD TXWY C. I COMPLETED MY BRIEFING WHEN WE STARTED OUR L TURN ONTO TXWY B3. I SAW IN THE DISTANCE AN ACFT OPPOSING US AND THE WHITE RWY LIGHTS. AT THAT POINT, AS INSTRUCTED BY THE CAPT, I CALLED GND. I INFORMED THEM WE WERE ON THE RWY AND WERE TAXIING CLR AT TXWY B4. I BELIEVE THE CAPT THOUGHT HE WAS ON TXWY C AS SOON AS HE MADE HIS R TURN NBOUND. I FAILED TO REALIZE THIS AND LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN REGARD TO OUR TAXI RTE. I DO NOT BELIEVE FATIGUE WAS A FACTOR ALTHOUGH NO ONE IS 100% AT XA00. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MONITORING OUR TAXI MORE CLOSELY AND GOT SUCKED INTO A BIT OF COMPLACENCY (IE, THOUGHT WE KNEW ALL THE TAXI RTES COLD). SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 464114: WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 17R SDF. AT APPROX 80 KT CALLOUT, WE NOTICED ACFT LIGHTS ON RWY AT OTHER END. AFTER RTO, ACFT (B767 OR B757) WAS NOTICED TAXIING OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON ACTIVE RWY AND CLRED APPROX 2000 FT AWAY FROM US. TWR DID NOT IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND WHY WE WERE REJECTING TKOF UNTIL OUR ACFT QUERIED ABOUT OTHER ACFT. WE DO NOT KNOW WHETHER OTHER ACFT WAS CLRED TO TAXI ON RWY OR NOT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: RAMP METERING DELAYS FOR WBOUND DEPS DUE TO ATC CTR COMPUTER PROBS. NIGHT OPS (IE, FATIGUE). LIGHT RAIN ON END OF FIELD WHERE ACFT WAS TAXIING FROM. TWR SEEMED VERY BUSY WITH REVISED CLRNCS DUE TO CTR ATC OUTAGES.

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.