Narrative:

I was captain, scheduled from dfw airport, tx to oakland, ca. Preflight and ground operations were normal. Approaching runway 18L the tower controller instructed us to 'hold short' and shortly there after issued a 'taxi into position and old' clearance. As we were lining up with runway 18L, tower then cleared us for takeoff. I added power and once lined up with the runway I set takeoff power. The first officer checked power set correctly and instruments were normally as we rolled down the runway both the first officer and I noted a B737 taxiing east on taxiway 'wl' or 'wm.' the B737 then approached the hold area for runway 18L and taxiied onto the runway with the B737 directly in our path, and considering our speed and weight at the time, we seemed in a better position to continue the takeoff, rather than attempt to stop prior to the crossing B737. I advanced the thrust levers to maximum and exited at a point we would clear the B737. As the aircraft rotated, I felt a slight bump, and we passed over the B737 at 100 ft or more. We accelerated to flap retraction speed and contacted departure control. As we were vectored to intercept the departure route, the first officer and I discussed the possibility that we may have exceeded the operating limits of one or both engines and that we may have sustained some damage to the aircraft as we rotated for takeoff. We returned to dfw as a precaution, notified the dispatcher and passenger and made an overweight landing without further incident. After landing, post flight revealed the aft lav drain bent and minor scraping of the lower skin of the tail. The B737 was apparently cleared to cross our runway. However, neither I nor the first officer heard such a clearance. He may have been on another frequency. Even so, the B737 may not have seen us, or if he did, gave no indication from our vantage he was trying to get out of the way. We were both complying with our clrncs with nearly catastrophic results. Luckily we had enough runway to takeoff and avoid a collision. Supplemental information from acn 521609: one aircraft was cleared for takeoff on runway 18L the second aircraft was cleared to cross runway 18L at taxiway wm approximately 30 seconds later after they had landed on runway 18R. I was working two positions-combined ground control and local control and was distracted by numerous ground calls and aircraft movements. There were a few unusual situations on ground (closed taxiway) and one aircraft stopped blocking a taxiway for no apparent reason. I did not see the surface incursion, but was informed about it by the departing aircraft once they were airborne. The departing aircraft did say they heard someone clear the other aircraft to cross the runway while they were cleared for takeoff. FAA management should've had the other position (ground control) open to relieve the workload off of the other position (local control). Pilot of the departing aircraft maybe could've grabbed the microphone and said something like we're rolling, or hey, you crossed a guy downfield and we're rolling.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON TKOF ROLL, B737 ROTATED EARLY TO AVOID CONTACT WITH ANOTHER ACR CROSSING RWY AT DFW.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT, SCHEDULED FROM DFW ARPT, TX TO OAKLAND, CA. PREFLT AND GND OPS WERE NORMAL. APCHING RWY 18L THE TWR CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO 'HOLD SHORT' AND SHORTLY THERE AFTER ISSUED A 'TAXI INTO POSITION AND OLD' CLRNC. AS WE WERE LINING UP WITH RWY 18L, TWR THEN CLRED US FOR TAKEOFF. I ADDED PWR AND ONCE LINED UP WITH THE RWY I SET TAKEOFF PWR. THE FO CHKED PWR SET CORRECTLY AND INSTRUMENTS WERE NORMALLY AS WE ROLLED DOWN THE RWY BOTH THE FO AND I NOTED A B737 TAXIING E ON TXWY 'WL' OR 'WM.' THE B737 THEN APCHED THE HOLD AREA FOR RWY 18L AND TAXIIED ONTO THE RWY WITH THE B737 DIRECTLY IN OUR PATH, AND CONSIDERING OUR SPEED AND WEIGHT AT THE TIME, WE SEEMED IN A BETTER POSITION TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF, RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO STOP PRIOR TO THE CROSSING B737. I ADVANCED THE THRUST LEVERS TO MAXIMUM AND EXITED AT A POINT WE WOULD CLR THE B737. AS THE ACFT ROTATED, I FELT A SLIGHT BUMP, AND WE PASSED OVER THE B737 AT 100 FT OR MORE. WE ACCELERATED TO FLAP RETRACTION SPEED AND CONTACTED DEP CTL. AS WE WERE VECTORED TO INTERCEPT THE DEP RTE, THE FO AND I DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE MAY HAVE EXCEEDED THE OPERATING LIMITS OF ONE OR BOTH ENGINES AND THAT WE MAY HAVE SUSTAINED SOME DAMAGE TO THE ACFT AS WE ROTATED FOR TAKEOFF. WE RETURNED TO DFW AS A PRECAUTION, NOTIFIED THE DISPATCHER AND PAX AND MADE AN OVERWEIGHT LNDG WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER LNDG, POST FLIGHT REVEALED THE AFT LAV DRAIN BENT AND MINOR SCRAPING OF THE LOWER SKIN OF THE TAIL. THE B737 WAS APPARENTLY CLRED TO CROSS OUR RWY. HOWEVER, NEITHER I NOR THE FO HEARD SUCH A CLRNC. HE MAY HAVE BEEN ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. EVEN SO, THE B737 MAY NOT HAVE SEEN US, OR IF HE DID, GAVE NO INDICATION FROM OUR VANTAGE HE WAS TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. WE WERE BOTH COMPLYING WITH OUR CLRNCS WITH NEARLY CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. LUCKILY WE HAD ENOUGH RWY TO TAKEOFF AND AVOID A COLLISION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 521609: ONE ACFT WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 18L THE SECOND ACFT WAS CLRED TO CROSS RWY 18L AT TXWY WM APPROX 30 SECONDS LATER AFTER THEY HAD LANDED ON RWY 18R. I WAS WORKING TWO POSITIONS-COMBINED GND CTL AND LOCAL CTL AND WAS DISTRACTED BY NUMEROUS GND CALLS AND ACFT MOVEMENTS. THERE WERE A FEW UNUSUAL SITUATIONS ON GND (CLOSED TXWY) AND ONE ACFT STOPPED BLOCKING A TXWY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I DID NOT SEE THE SURFACE INCURSION, BUT WAS INFORMED ABOUT IT BY THE DEPARTING ACFT ONCE THEY WERE AIRBORNE. THE DEPARTING ACFT DID SAY THEY HEARD SOMEONE CLR THE OTHER ACFT TO CROSS THE RWY WHILE THEY WERE CLRED FOR TAKEOFF. FAA MANAGEMENT SHOULD'VE HAD THE OTHER POSITION (GND CTL) OPEN TO RELIEVE THE WORKLOAD OFF OF THE OTHER POSITION (LCL CTL). PILOT OF THE DEPARTING ACFT MAYBE COULD'VE GRABBED THE MIKE AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE WE'RE ROLLING, OR HEY, YOU CROSSED A GUY DOWNFIELD AND WE'RE ROLLING.

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.