Narrative:

Our gate is very close to the end of the runway, so our taxi is very short. Flows and checklists can keep you busy. As we switched our radio to tower, the controller issued our takeoff clearance, which we accepted. We then did our takeoff flow, which brought our attention inside the cockpit, while peripherally following the green centerline lights. I started to bring up the power in the turn, for a rolling takeoff. As I looked up, I realized that we were on a taxiway. I retarded the power to idle. Although we had not gone very far down the taxiway, we were not in a position to turn onto the runway. We taxied to the next intersection, to return for an uneventful takeoff. As the first officer and I discussed the event in retrospect, we wondered why green centerline lights, that we would call 'lead in' or 'runway turnoff' lights are there leading to another taxiway, but not to a runway (see charts attached). At this point in the takeoff some of our work is 'heads down' in the cockpit. We depend on outside lights to be consistent, from airport to airport. We watch them with our peripheral vision as we take care of tasks inside the cockpit. At every other airport that we could think of, the green centerline lights lead on to the end of a runway. We believe the lack of these lights was causal in my error. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: an ont tower specialist revealed that, txwys north, from taxiway west to txwys K, left, P, right, U, V, and west all have green centerline lighting. It was also stated that both txwys V and west's green centerline lights extend from taxiway N1 to runway 26R. This confign has been in effect for sometime.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 CREW, TAXIING FOR TKOF AT ONT, MISTOOK THE PARALLEL TXWY AS THE RWY, REALIZED MISTAKE, RETURNED TO RWY'S END FOR TAKEOFF.

Narrative: OUR GATE IS VERY CLOSE TO THE END OF THE RWY, SO OUR TAXI IS VERY SHORT. FLOWS AND CHKLISTS CAN KEEP YOU BUSY. AS WE SWITCHED OUR RADIO TO TWR, THE CTLR ISSUED OUR TKOF CLRNC, WHICH WE ACCEPTED. WE THEN DID OUR TKOF FLOW, WHICH BROUGHT OUR ATTN INSIDE THE COCKPIT, WHILE PERIPHERALLY FOLLOWING THE GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS. I STARTED TO BRING UP THE PWR IN THE TURN, FOR A ROLLING TKOF. AS I LOOKED UP, I REALIZED THAT WE WERE ON A TXWY. I RETARDED THE PWR TO IDLE. ALTHOUGH WE HAD NOT GONE VERY FAR DOWN THE TXWY, WE WERE NOT IN A POS TO TURN ONTO THE RWY. WE TAXIED TO THE NEXT INTXN, TO RETURN FOR AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF. AS THE FO AND I DISCUSSED THE EVENT IN RETROSPECT, WE WONDERED WHY GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS, THAT WE WOULD CALL 'LEAD IN' OR 'RWY TURNOFF' LIGHTS ARE THERE LEADING TO ANOTHER TXWY, BUT NOT TO A RWY (SEE CHARTS ATTACHED). AT THIS POINT IN THE TKOF SOME OF OUR WORK IS 'HEADS DOWN' IN THE COCKPIT. WE DEPEND ON OUTSIDE LIGHTS TO BE CONSISTENT, FROM ARPT TO ARPT. WE WATCH THEM WITH OUR PERIPHERAL VISION AS WE TAKE CARE OF TASKS INSIDE THE COCKPIT. AT EVERY OTHER ARPT THAT WE COULD THINK OF, THE GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS LEAD ON TO THE END OF A RWY. WE BELIEVE THE LACK OF THESE LIGHTS WAS CAUSAL IN MY ERROR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AN ONT TWR SPECIALIST REVEALED THAT, TXWYS N, FROM TXWY W TO TXWYS K, L, P, R, U, V, AND W ALL HAVE GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTING. IT WAS ALSO STATED THAT BOTH TXWYS V AND W'S GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS EXTEND FROM TXWY N1 TO RWY 26R. THIS CONFIGN HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR SOMETIME.

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.