Narrative:

From the ramp of FBO at phl, I called clearance delivery and asked for our instruments down to pbi. I was told cleared as filed. I read the clearance back and was told 'readback is correct.' I went inside to get my first officer and then we started the engines. My first officer called ground control and asked for our taxi clearance. The ground controller replied 'taxi via taxiway a, taxiway D, taxiway G, hold short of runway 35,' and that's all he said. We started our taxi out of the ramp and onto taxiway a. At this point the ground controller asked us to contact clearance delivery again. My first officer called clearance while I monitored ground and clearance. We were given a new very lengthy and complicated clearance which included intxns on the low charts and radial to and from VOR's which we were to intercept, I had only filed jet rtes and departures. The clearance was read to us so fast that after the third attempt my first officer was still getting it wrong. So at this point and before taxiway D, I called clearance delivery and idented myself as the captain and told him I was now becoming confused. I asked him to read the new clearance again and I copied it and read it back to him, he replied readback correct. At this time I called ground control again and asked for the taxi clearance once more. The ground controller very quickly said 'taxi to runway 27L via taxiway a, taxiway D, taxiway G, hold short of runway 35' and that's all he said. The normal taxi route to runway 27L from FBO at phl is wbound on taxiway a, then a left turn sbound on taxiway D, then a right turn wbound on taxiway south, hold short of runway 35. Well, this particular day there was a work truck at the end of taxiway D, so instead of turning left on taxiway D, we were supposed to go right. We did not because of all of the confusion, and being instructed to contact clearance just before reaching taxiway D, we turned left the usual and standard way and crossed runway 8. About 1/2 way across, the ground controller told us we had just crossed an active runway. We were told to clear the runway and stop, so we did just that. At that point, the ground controller issued new taxi instructions to runway 27L. We read back the new taxi instructions, and at this point, I told the controller I would like to graciously apologize. He replied 'it's ok, no problem' so we finished the flight without any other contact by phl. I don't think it's a good idea for you to have to contact clearance delivery after you have already been given taxi instructions, especially after you have already started taxiing. It does not seem like a good procedure -- especially at part 121 airports. I think because of this distraction and the ground controller not issuing very clear taxi instructions such as taxi via taxiway a wbound, then turn right northbound on taxiway D, and west on taxiway G, hold short of runway 35, the end result was a runway incursion. I also feel that the ground controller knew the standard taxi route and because this was different than pilots usually taxi to runway 27L from FBO, he should have been especially careful and clear with his taxi instructions this day. I also feel that he realized this just after the incursion and that's why when I apologized he said 'it's ok, no problem.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE40 CREW, TAXIING FOR TKOF AT PHL, TAXIED ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT A CLRNC.

Narrative: FROM THE RAMP OF FBO AT PHL, I CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY AND ASKED FOR OUR INSTS DOWN TO PBI. I WAS TOLD CLRED AS FILED. I READ THE CLRNC BACK AND WAS TOLD 'READBACK IS CORRECT.' I WENT INSIDE TO GET MY FO AND THEN WE STARTED THE ENGS. MY FO CALLED GND CTL AND ASKED FOR OUR TAXI CLRNC. THE GND CTLR REPLIED 'TAXI VIA TXWY A, TXWY D, TXWY G, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 35,' AND THAT'S ALL HE SAID. WE STARTED OUR TAXI OUT OF THE RAMP AND ONTO TXWY A. AT THIS POINT THE GND CTLR ASKED US TO CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY AGAIN. MY FO CALLED CLRNC WHILE I MONITORED GND AND CLRNC. WE WERE GIVEN A NEW VERY LENGTHY AND COMPLICATED CLRNC WHICH INCLUDED INTXNS ON THE LOW CHARTS AND RADIAL TO AND FROM VOR'S WHICH WE WERE TO INTERCEPT, I HAD ONLY FILED JET RTES AND DEPS. THE CLRNC WAS READ TO US SO FAST THAT AFTER THE THIRD ATTEMPT MY FO WAS STILL GETTING IT WRONG. SO AT THIS POINT AND BEFORE TXWY D, I CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY AND IDENTED MYSELF AS THE CAPT AND TOLD HIM I WAS NOW BECOMING CONFUSED. I ASKED HIM TO READ THE NEW CLRNC AGAIN AND I COPIED IT AND READ IT BACK TO HIM, HE REPLIED READBACK CORRECT. AT THIS TIME I CALLED GND CTL AGAIN AND ASKED FOR THE TAXI CLRNC ONCE MORE. THE GND CTLR VERY QUICKLY SAID 'TAXI TO RWY 27L VIA TXWY A, TXWY D, TXWY G, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 35' AND THAT'S ALL HE SAID. THE NORMAL TAXI RTE TO RWY 27L FROM FBO AT PHL IS WBOUND ON TXWY A, THEN A L TURN SBOUND ON TXWY D, THEN A R TURN WBOUND ON TXWY S, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 35. WELL, THIS PARTICULAR DAY THERE WAS A WORK TRUCK AT THE END OF TXWY D, SO INSTEAD OF TURNING L ON TXWY D, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO R. WE DID NOT BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE CONFUSION, AND BEING INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT CLRNC JUST BEFORE REACHING TXWY D, WE TURNED L THE USUAL AND STANDARD WAY AND CROSSED RWY 8. ABOUT 1/2 WAY ACROSS, THE GND CTLR TOLD US WE HAD JUST CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY. WE WERE TOLD TO CLR THE RWY AND STOP, SO WE DID JUST THAT. AT THAT POINT, THE GND CTLR ISSUED NEW TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO RWY 27L. WE READ BACK THE NEW TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, AND AT THIS POINT, I TOLD THE CTLR I WOULD LIKE TO GRACIOUSLY APOLOGIZE. HE REPLIED 'IT'S OK, NO PROB' SO WE FINISHED THE FLT WITHOUT ANY OTHER CONTACT BY PHL. I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU TO HAVE TO CONTACT CLRNC DELIVERY AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY STARTED TAXIING. IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE A GOOD PROC -- ESPECIALLY AT PART 121 ARPTS. I THINK BECAUSE OF THIS DISTR AND THE GND CTLR NOT ISSUING VERY CLR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS SUCH AS TAXI VIA TXWY A WBOUND, THEN TURN R NBOUND ON TXWY D, AND W ON TXWY G, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 35, THE END RESULT WAS A RWY INCURSION. I ALSO FEEL THAT THE GND CTLR KNEW THE STANDARD TAXI RTE AND BECAUSE THIS WAS DIFFERENT THAN PLTS USUALLY TAXI TO RWY 27L FROM FBO, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY CAREFUL AND CLR WITH HIS TAXI INSTRUCTIONS THIS DAY. I ALSO FEEL THAT HE REALIZED THIS JUST AFTER THE INCURSION AND THAT'S WHY WHEN I APOLOGIZED HE SAID 'IT'S OK, NO PROB.'

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.