Narrative:

After arriving from a revenue flight, my captain and I were asked to reposition our aircraft from the south ramp at mdw (located near intersection of txwys F and P) to the north ramp (located north of taxiway north). I called ground and requested a reposition taxi from the south ramp to the north ramp. Ground responded with a taxi to the ramp via taxiway P. To go from south to north ramp on taxiway P will require you to cross all 5 runways at mdw. So he gave us an unrestr taxi. Since we were done after the reposition, we had put our headsets away and were using the cockpit speakers. We were also doing the taxi with only 1 engine running. Also, mdw's active runways were runways 4L/right. So I thought I would verify crossing those runways as we approached since I didn't feel comfortable with the clearance. Taxiing via taxiway P, we crossed the approach of runway 31L and as we taxied across runway 31C, we were told by ground to hold short of runway 31R for a B737 taxiing to runway 4R from the terminal. After the B737 cleared the area in front of us, I asked ground if we could cross runway 31R. He responded with yes, cross runway 31R to parking or something similar. I then responded with crossing runway 31R and runways 4L/right to parking. I purposely stated that to give him a chance to stop us, but he did not respond. As we got closer to runway 4R, I wanted to verify clearance to cross runway 4R, but due to frequency congestion I was unable. The captain had not looked towards the approach end of runway 4R as we approached, so I said 'clearing left,' after looking at the departure end of runway 4R. This statement luckily got the captain to look left. He looked a couple of times, then stopped the aircraft abruptly. The aircraft was now located with the nose about 25 ft past the hold short line of runway 4R and taxiway P. I asked him who or what is there. He said an aircraft was rolling out of its landing on runway 4R. Moments later another B737 appeared in front of us. I then got a beak in the frequency and told ground we were 'holding short of runway 4R.' he saw our position (I'm assuming) and it sounded as if he recognized the error. A min or so later after another aircraft landed we were allowed to cross runway 4R and continue the taxi. Possible contributing factors: our decision to not use headsets hampered our ability to communicate, time of day was night, I don't think ground knew exactly where we wanted to go.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SF340 CREW AT MDW REPOSITION ACFT FROM S RAMP TO N RAMP IS ISSUED 'TAXI TO' INSTRUCTIONS THAT CROSSES 5 RWYS.

Narrative: AFTER ARRIVING FROM A REVENUE FLT, MY CAPT AND I WERE ASKED TO REPOSITION OUR ACFT FROM THE S RAMP AT MDW (LOCATED NEAR INTXN OF TXWYS F AND P) TO THE N RAMP (LOCATED N OF TXWY N). I CALLED GND AND REQUESTED A REPOSITION TAXI FROM THE S RAMP TO THE N RAMP. GND RESPONDED WITH A TAXI TO THE RAMP VIA TXWY P. TO GO FROM S TO N RAMP ON TXWY P WILL REQUIRE YOU TO CROSS ALL 5 RWYS AT MDW. SO HE GAVE US AN UNRESTR TAXI. SINCE WE WERE DONE AFTER THE REPOSITION, WE HAD PUT OUR HEADSETS AWAY AND WERE USING THE COCKPIT SPEAKERS. WE WERE ALSO DOING THE TAXI WITH ONLY 1 ENG RUNNING. ALSO, MDW'S ACTIVE RWYS WERE RWYS 4L/R. SO I THOUGHT I WOULD VERIFY XING THOSE RWYS AS WE APCHED SINCE I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE CLRNC. TAXIING VIA TXWY P, WE CROSSED THE APCH OF RWY 31L AND AS WE TAXIED ACROSS RWY 31C, WE WERE TOLD BY GND TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 31R FOR A B737 TAXIING TO RWY 4R FROM THE TERMINAL. AFTER THE B737 CLRED THE AREA IN FRONT OF US, I ASKED GND IF WE COULD CROSS RWY 31R. HE RESPONDED WITH YES, CROSS RWY 31R TO PARKING OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. I THEN RESPONDED WITH XING RWY 31R AND RWYS 4L/R TO PARKING. I PURPOSELY STATED THAT TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO STOP US, BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. AS WE GOT CLOSER TO RWY 4R, I WANTED TO VERIFY CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 4R, BUT DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION I WAS UNABLE. THE CAPT HAD NOT LOOKED TOWARDS THE APCH END OF RWY 4R AS WE APCHED, SO I SAID 'CLRING L,' AFTER LOOKING AT THE DEP END OF RWY 4R. THIS STATEMENT LUCKILY GOT THE CAPT TO LOOK L. HE LOOKED A COUPLE OF TIMES, THEN STOPPED THE ACFT ABRUPTLY. THE ACFT WAS NOW LOCATED WITH THE NOSE ABOUT 25 FT PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE OF RWY 4R AND TXWY P. I ASKED HIM WHO OR WHAT IS THERE. HE SAID AN ACFT WAS ROLLING OUT OF ITS LNDG ON RWY 4R. MOMENTS LATER ANOTHER B737 APPEARED IN FRONT OF US. I THEN GOT A BEAK IN THE FREQ AND TOLD GND WE WERE 'HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 4R.' HE SAW OUR POS (I'M ASSUMING) AND IT SOUNDED AS IF HE RECOGNIZED THE ERROR. A MIN OR SO LATER AFTER ANOTHER ACFT LANDED WE WERE ALLOWED TO CROSS RWY 4R AND CONTINUE THE TAXI. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: OUR DECISION TO NOT USE HEADSETS HAMPERED OUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE, TIME OF DAY WAS NIGHT, I DON'T THINK GND KNEW EXACTLY WHERE WE WANTED TO GO.

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.