Narrative:

Aircraft X landed runway 18R at dfw, exited high speed and was cleared to hold number two behind company B757 at taxiway bravo. Company aircraft were waiting at wm, bravo, and alpha to cross runway 18L. An aircraft was cleared into position and hold runway 18L and advised of traffic crossing downfield. The company aircraft at wm, bravo, and alpha were cleared to cross runway 18L. A second S80 was believed to be cleared to cross 18L that was actually behind me being # two at bravo. Anticipating that I would be next cleared across runway 18L, I started taxiing toward the hold short line, vacated by the company B757. While observing the traffic on alpha and upfield on wm, I taxied past the holdshort line by half an aircraft length before I realized a crossing clearance had not been received. At that point the wm traffic was still slightly aft of my aircraft and I considered the most prudent action was to continue across runway 18L. No loss of separation nor safety was compromised. The tower frequency was nonstop during this entire evolution. We taxied over the alpha bridge, contacted east ground and taxied to park without further incident. I subsequently called tower chief, identified myself as captain of aircraft X and asked him to review the occurance. The cause of this runway excursion was my heightened anticipation of crossing clearance amid company aircraft that were cleared to cross in front of and on both sides of me. Supplemental information from acn 483370: location taxiway bravo, between runway 18R and runway 18L. We were holding short of runway 18L at taxiway B after having landed on runway 18R. Tower cleared numerous aircraft to cross runway 18L, but he did not clear us. Nevertheless the captain added power and started to cross. I told him we had not been cleared to cross. He said that he realized that, but tower had cleared everyone else and that he was going to cross anyway. I did not take aircraft control away from him because what he was doing was not unsafe. We followed a B757 across and there were numerous other aircraft crossing so there was no actual conflict. I mentioned this incident to him on the taxi in and again at the gate. He did not seem concerned about it and did not plan on submitting an as soon as possible rprt. I hate to submit a rprt without the captain doing the same, but this is blatantly illegal as far as I can see, and I feel I have no other option. Supplemental information from acn 483371: holding # 2 to cross runway 18L at taxiway a. We received a rapid fire clearance to cross runway 18L. By that, I mean a large # of aircraft were cleared in mass in the same transmission. I don't believe the break-break techinique was used by tower. I started across along with aircraft ahead and first officer asked if we had been cleared. I said to confirm but the frequency was totally jammed and we got no response. By this time I had stopped the aircraft, but was across the hold line. I looked up the runway, no one in holding position and saw a second MD80 on bravo crossing and a second B757 at the next taxiway near the mid point of runway crossing. In my mind, this confirmed that tower had crossed 2 sets of aircraft and since I was across the hold line, I held that belief when the first officer told me she did not hear a clearance to cross. I believed I did and told her I heard a clearance and crossed the runway. In writing this I still think I heard a clearance, but cannot dispute tower's assertion as I did not get unequivocal confirmation with my first officer. I don't even know if she was on frequency when I think I heard it. Other factors, 100 hour captain, extremely high stress load on me right now, maybe some get homeitis, but I don't think so. Rapid fire multiple aircraft clearance radio calls, no one way free radio frequency to give tower a critical message, the whole runway crossing-mess.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WITH NUMEROUS ACFT WAITING TO CROSS A RWY AT DFW, THE CTLR ISSUES NUMEROUS CLRNCES WITH NO BREAK IN XMISSION, LEADING TO TWO RWY INCURSIONS AND MUCH CONFUSION.

Narrative: ACFT X LANDED RWY 18R AT DFW, EXITED HIGH SPEED AND WAS CLRED TO HOLD NUMBER TWO BEHIND COMPANY B757 AT TXWY BRAVO. COMPANY ACFT WERE WAITING AT WM, BRAVO, AND ALPHA TO CROSS RWY 18L. AN ACFT WAS CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 18L AND ADVISED OF TFC XING DOWNFIELD. THE COMPANY ACFT AT WM, BRAVO, AND ALPHA WERE CLRED TO CROSS RWY 18L. A SECOND S80 WAS BELIEVED TO BE CLRED TO CROSS 18L THAT WAS ACTUALLY BEHIND ME BEING # TWO AT BRAVO. ANTICIPATING THAT I WOULD BE NEXT CLRED ACROSS RWY 18L, I STARTED TAXIING TOWARD THE HOLD SHORT LINE, VACATED BY THE COMPANY B757. WHILE OBSERVING THE TFC ON ALPHA AND UPFIELD ON WM, I TAXIED PAST THE HOLDSHORT LINE BY HALF AN ACFT LENGTH BEFORE I REALIZED A XING CLRNC HAD NOT BEEN RECEIVED. AT THAT POINT THE WM TFC WAS STILL SLIGHTLY AFT OF MY ACFT AND I CONSIDERED THE MOST PRUDENT ACTION WAS TO CONTINUE ACROSS RWY 18L. NO LOSS OF SEPARATION NOR SAFETY WAS COMPROMISED. THE TWR FREQ WAS NONSTOP DURING THIS ENTIRE EVOLUTION. WE TAXIED OVER THE ALPHA BRIDGE, CONTACTED E GND AND TAXIED TO PARK WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED TWR CHIEF, IDENTIFIED MYSELF AS CAPT OF ACFT X AND ASKED HIM TO REVIEW THE OCCURANCE. THE CAUSE OF THIS RWY EXCURSION WAS MY HEIGHTENED ANTICIPATION OF CROSSING CLRNC AMID COMPANY ACFT THAT WERE CLRED TO CROSS IN FRONT OF AND ON BOTH SIDES OF ME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 483370: LOCATION TXWY BRAVO, BTWN RWY 18R AND RWY 18L. WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 18L AT TXWY B AFTER HAVING LANDED ON RWY 18R. TWR CLRED NUMEROUS ACFT TO CROSS RWY 18L, BUT HE DID NOT CLR US. NEVERTHELESS THE CAPT ADDED PWR AND STARTED TO CROSS. I TOLD HIM WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO CROSS. HE SAID THAT HE REALIZED THAT, BUT TWR HAD CLRED EVERYONE ELSE AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO CROSS ANYWAY. I DID NOT TAKE ACFT CTL AWAY FROM HIM BECAUSE WHAT HE WAS DOING WAS NOT UNSAFE. WE FOLLOWED A B757 ACROSS AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS OTHER ACFT CROSSING SO THERE WAS NO ACTUAL CONFLICT. I MENTIONED THIS INCIDENT TO HIM ON THE TAXI IN AND AGAIN AT THE GATE. HE DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT IT AND DID NOT PLAN ON SUBMITTING AN ASAP RPRT. I HATE TO SUBMIT A RPRT WITHOUT THE CAPT DOING THE SAME, BUT THIS IS BLATANTLY ILLEGAL AS FAR AS I CAN SEE, AND I FEEL I HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 483371: HOLDING # 2 TO CROSS RWY 18L AT TXWY A. WE RECEIVED A RAPID FIRE CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 18L. BY THAT, I MEAN A LARGE # OF ACFT WERE CLRED IN MASS IN THE SAME XMISSION. I DON'T BELIEVE THE BREAK-BREAK TECHINIQUE WAS USED BY TWR. I STARTED ACROSS ALONG WITH ACFT AHEAD AND FO ASKED IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED. I SAID TO CONFIRM BUT THE FREQ WAS TOTALLY JAMMED AND WE GOT NO RESPONSE. BY THIS TIME I HAD STOPPED THE ACFT, BUT WAS ACROSS THE HOLD LINE. I LOOKED UP THE RWY, NO ONE IN HOLDING POS AND SAW A SECOND MD80 ON BRAVO XING AND A SECOND B757 AT THE NEXT TXWY NEAR THE MID POINT OF RWY XING. IN MY MIND, THIS CONFIRMED THAT TWR HAD CROSSED 2 SETS OF ACFT AND SINCE I WAS ACROSS THE HOLD LINE, I HELD THAT BELIEF WHEN THE FO TOLD ME SHE DID NOT HEAR A CLRNC TO CROSS. I BELIEVED I DID AND TOLD HER I HEARD A CLRNC AND CROSSED THE RWY. IN WRITING THIS I STILL THINK I HEARD A CLRNC, BUT CANNOT DISPUTE TWR'S ASSERTION AS I DID NOT GET UNEQUIVOCAL CONFIRMATION WITH MY FO. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SHE WAS ON FREQ WHEN I THINK I HEARD IT. OTHER FACTORS, 100 HR CAPT, EXTREMELY HIGH STRESS LOAD ON ME RIGHT NOW, MAYBE SOME GET HOMEITIS, BUT I DON'T THINK SO. RAPID FIRE MULTIPLE ACFT CLRNC RADIO CALLS, NO ONE WAY FREE RADIO FREQ TO GIVE TWR A CRITICAL MSG, THE WHOLE RWY XING-MESS.

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.