Narrative:

I and my passenger were told by our lead to taxi aircraft X from gate to company hangar. My passenger was the radio operator and I was taxiing the aircraft. My passenger called ZZZ ground for pushback and ground cleared us for taxiway. Once we started our engines and ramp personnel were clear of taxiway, my passenger called ground for taxi instructions to company hangar. Ground instructed us to hold short runway xa right at taxiway. My passenger replied back instructions to ground. We held short of quebec runway xa right. As were holding, another company aircraft Y was coming from the company hangar to gate. Ground decided to call them company one. There was also another company aircraft (with a similar a/north) aircraft Z, on ground waiting for crossing instructions. Ground called us and instructed us to cross runway xa right after the B757 and hold runway xa left. Passenger replied back taxi instructions. Ground called us back and told us to disregard instructions and hold runway xa right. We held short runway xa right. Ground called company Y about 3 mins later and said to hold short runway xa right. My passenger replied back and said we are holding short of runway xa right. Ground said ok. Then ground called us back and instructed us to cross runway xa right/xb left. I applied power, proceeding to cross runway xa right, noticed aircraft (saab) to be holding at end of runway, then appeared to be on takeoff roll. Applied moderate power and cleared runway xa right. Supplemental information from acn 521951: ground said cross runway xa right and xb left and then hold runway xa right and xb left and I replied hold short runway xa right and xb left but, it was too late we already proceeded crossing runway xa right and xb left and we were about a quarter of the way in of the in of the runway xa right and xb left hold short line, so at this time we saw a light at the end of the xa right and xb left runway and realized an aircraft appeared to be at takeoff. Seeing the lights were getting closer we proceeded to make way for the aircraft. We then notified ground that we crossed runway xa right and xb left. While all this was taking place there was a lot confusion with aircraft Z and aircraft Y and us (aircraft X). The tower was confused of the locations and numbers, that's when tower assigned aircraft Y company number one. There was a lot of movement on the airport that day and possibly gave us the wrong instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAINT PERSONNEL, DURING ACFT REPOSITIONING ON ARPT, CONFUSE SIMILAR SOUNDING ACR CALL SIGNS AND CROSS RWY, CAUSING AN SF34 ON FINAL TO BE ISSUED A GAR.

Narrative: I AND MY PAX WERE TOLD BY OUR LEAD TO TAXI ACFT X FROM GATE TO COMPANY HANGAR. MY PAX WAS THE RADIO OPERATOR AND I WAS TAXIING THE ACFT. MY PAX CALLED ZZZ GND FOR PUSHBACK AND GND CLRED US FOR TXWY. ONCE WE STARTED OUR ENGINES AND RAMP PERSONNEL WERE CLR OF TXWY, MY PAX CALLED GND FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO COMPANY HANGAR. GND INSTRUCTED US TO HOLD SHORT RWY XA RIGHT AT TXWY. MY PAX REPLIED BACK INSTRUCTIONS TO GND. WE HELD SHORT OF QUEBEC RWY XA RIGHT. AS WERE HOLDING, ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT Y WAS COMING FROM THE COMPANY HANGAR TO GATE. GND DECIDED TO CALL THEM COMPANY ONE. THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT (WITH A SIMILAR A/N) ACFT Z, ON GND WAITING FOR CROSSING INSTRUCTIONS. GND CALLED US AND INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS RWY XA RIGHT AFTER THE B757 AND HOLD RWY XA LEFT. PAX REPLIED BACK TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. GND CALLED US BACK AND TOLD US TO DISREGARD INSTRUCTIONS AND HOLD RWY XA RIGHT. WE HELD SHORT RWY XA RIGHT. GND CALLED COMPANY Y ABOUT 3 MINS LATER AND SAID TO HOLD SHORT RWY XA RIGHT. MY PAX REPLIED BACK AND SAID WE ARE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY XA RIGHT. GND SAID OK. THEN GND CALLED US BACK AND INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS RWY XA RIGHT/XB LEFT. I APPLIED PWR, PROCEEDING TO CROSS RWY XA RIGHT, NOTICED ACFT (SAAB) TO BE HOLDING AT END OF RWY, THEN APPEARED TO BE ON TAKEOFF ROLL. APPLIED MODERATE PWR AND CLRED RWY XA RIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 521951: GND SAID CROSS RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT AND THEN HOLD RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT AND I REPLIED HOLD SHORT RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT BUT, IT WAS TOO LATE WE ALREADY PROCEEDED CROSSING RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT AND WE WERE ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY IN OF THE IN OF THE RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT HOLD SHORT LINE, SO AT THIS TIME WE SAW A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT RWY AND REALIZED AN ACFT APPEARED TO BE AT TAKEOFF. SEEING THE LIGHTS WERE GETTING CLOSER WE PROCEEDED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE ACFT. WE THEN NOTIFIED GND THAT WE CROSSED RWY XA RIGHT AND XB LEFT. WHILE ALL THIS WAS TAKING PLACE THERE WAS A LOT CONFUSION WITH ACFT Z AND ACFT Y AND US (ACFT X). THE TWR WAS CONFUSED OF THE LOCATIONS AND NUMBERS, THAT'S WHEN TWR ASSIGNED ACFT Y COMPANY NUMBER ONE. THERE WAS A LOT OF MOVEMENT ON THE ARPT THAT DAY AND POSSIBLY GAVE US THE WRONG INSTRUCTIONS.

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.