Narrative:

Conditions were marginal at best for this type of approach, with fog and mist moving in. Picked out the runway at about 2800 ft still high from the late descent. Landed without incident and turned off at the high speed taxiway. There was tower controller training in progress. I thought I was given clearance to cross runway 28L and contact ground on the other side, and that is what I believe I read back. I always repeat the clearance to the copilot before crossing a runway, and when I repeated cleared to cross, he thought the controller said to hold short. Slowed the aircraft, and asked him to confirm. When he got through to tower, the tower controller said to hold short of runway 28L, and that was our clearance. Stopped the aircraft, but had crossed the hold line, but was well short of the runway 28L. Saw another aircraft on final while slowing to stop, and tower asked that aircraft to go around because the hold line had been violated. Taxied in without further incident. Sfo is always a problem because of the parallel runways being too close together. Any lowering of ceilings, and visual approachs cannot be flown, causing huge delays. This is why they try to use visual approachs as long as possible, but sometimes it is a little too long. While on ground, heard other aircraft on approach say that the WX was too marginal to be using visual approachs. This is the first time in my 30 yrs of flying that I really cannot say for sure what the controller said. This was our second round trip into sfo and I may have gotten the previous clearance confused with this one, but I still believe in my mind that I was told to cross the runway. Have thought about it for several days and only remember the words to cross the runway, and not the words hold short of the runway. The solution is to be even more aware of all communications, and I will definitely continue to repeat to copilot what I believe the crossing clearance is before doing it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF AN ACR STOPPED PAST RWY HOLD SHORT LINE DUE TO MISUNDERSTANDING OF HOLDING SHORT OF PARALLEL RWY AFTER LNDG RESULTING IN TWR SENDING ANOTHER ACFT AROUND.

Narrative: CONDITIONS WERE MARGINAL AT BEST FOR THIS TYPE OF APCH, WITH FOG AND MIST MOVING IN. PICKED OUT THE RWY AT ABOUT 2800 FT STILL HIGH FROM THE LATE DSCNT. LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TURNED OFF AT THE HIGH SPD TXWY. THERE WAS TWR CTLR TRAINING IN PROGRESS. I THOUGHT I WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 28L AND CONTACT GND ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND THAT IS WHAT I BELIEVE I READ BACK. I ALWAYS REPEAT THE CLRNC TO THE COPLT BEFORE XING A RWY, AND WHEN I REPEATED CLRED TO CROSS, HE THOUGHT THE CTLR SAID TO HOLD SHORT. SLOWED THE ACFT, AND ASKED HIM TO CONFIRM. WHEN HE GOT THROUGH TO TWR, THE TWR CTLR SAID TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28L, AND THAT WAS OUR CLRNC. STOPPED THE ACFT, BUT HAD CROSSED THE HOLD LINE, BUT WAS WELL SHORT OF THE RWY 28L. SAW ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL WHILE SLOWING TO STOP, AND TWR ASKED THAT ACFT TO GO AROUND BECAUSE THE HOLD LINE HAD BEEN VIOLATED. TAXIED IN WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. SFO IS ALWAYS A PROB BECAUSE OF THE PARALLEL RWYS BEING TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. ANY LOWERING OF CEILINGS, AND VISUAL APCHS CANNOT BE FLOWN, CAUSING HUGE DELAYS. THIS IS WHY THEY TRY TO USE VISUAL APCHS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, BUT SOMETIMES IT IS A LITTLE TOO LONG. WHILE ON GND, HEARD OTHER ACFT ON APCH SAY THAT THE WX WAS TOO MARGINAL TO BE USING VISUAL APCHS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY 30 YRS OF FLYING THAT I REALLY CANNOT SAY FOR SURE WHAT THE CTLR SAID. THIS WAS OUR SECOND ROUND TRIP INTO SFO AND I MAY HAVE GOTTEN THE PREVIOUS CLRNC CONFUSED WITH THIS ONE, BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN MY MIND THAT I WAS TOLD TO CROSS THE RWY. HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND ONLY REMEMBER THE WORDS TO CROSS THE RWY, AND NOT THE WORDS HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY. THE SOLUTION IS TO BE EVEN MORE AWARE OF ALL COMS, AND I WILL DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO REPEAT TO COPLT WHAT I BELIEVE THE XING CLRNC IS BEFORE DOING IT.

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.