C208 pilot taxied with assumed clearance confirmation and had a runway incursion at pit.

Attributes
ACN	541644
Time
Date	200203
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : pit.airport
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : sjc.tower
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Caravan 1 208A
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 10750 flight time type : 7000
ASRS Report	541644
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : ground
Events
Anomaly	incursion : taxiway incursion : runway non adherence : far non adherence : company policies non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued alert controller : issued new clearance none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew faa : investigated
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Pittsburgh was using runway 10L for arrs and runway 14 for departure, I was the last of five cargo flts following a large air carrier cargo air bus from the ramp north of runway 28R. I called and received an IFR clearance and switched to ground control and waited behind the other aircraft for a break in the chatter. I called ground, and got a reply 'who is the last aircraft in line?' I answer back 'aircraft X.' ground came back with 'aircraft X... (Transmission broke up)... Cross runway 28R to runway 14.' I read back 'going to runway 14 aircraft X.' I believe my read back may have been blocked by another call. After crossing the runway and proceeding down taxiway november, ground control called and asked 'aircraft X, did I talk to you?' I replied 'yes, you cleared me to cross runway 28 to runway 14.' he replied 'I don't think I cleared you' or, 'I didn't or something like that. When I reached my destination, FSS told me to call the pittsburgh tower. I think some of the contributing factors are: 1)ground control trying to hurry six aircraft across an active runway. 2)poor communication due to amount of calls and pilots and controllers blocking one another. 3)nonstandard radio calls.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C208 PLT TAXIED WITH ASSUMED CLRNC CONFIRMATION AND HAD A RWY INCURSION AT PIT.

Narrative: PITTSBURGH WAS USING RWY 10L FOR ARRS AND RWY 14 FOR DEP, I WAS THE LAST OF FIVE CARGO FLTS FOLLOWING A LARGE ACR CARGO AIR BUS FROM THE RAMP N OF RWY 28R. I CALLED AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC AND SWITCHED TO GND CTL AND WAITED BEHIND THE OTHER ACFT FOR A BREAK IN THE CHATTER. I CALLED GND, AND GOT A REPLY 'WHO IS THE LAST ACFT IN LINE?' I ANSWER BACK 'ACFT X.' GND CAME BACK WITH 'ACFT X... (TRANSMISSION BROKE UP)... CROSS RWY 28R TO RWY 14.' I READ BACK 'GOING TO RWY 14 ACFT X.' I BELIEVE MY READ BACK MAY HAVE BEEN BLOCKED BY ANOTHER CALL. AFTER CROSSING THE RWY AND PROCEEDING DOWN TXWY NOVEMBER, GND CTL CALLED AND ASKED 'ACFT X, DID I TALK TO YOU?' I REPLIED 'YES, YOU CLRED ME TO CROSS RWY 28 TO RWY 14.' HE REPLIED 'I DON'T THINK I CLRED YOU' OR, 'I DIDN'T OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WHEN I REACHED MY DEST, FSS TOLD ME TO CALL THE PITTSBURGH TWR. I THINK SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE: 1)GND CTL TRYING TO HURRY SIX ACFT ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY. 2)POOR COM DUE TO AMOUNT OF CALLS AND PLTS AND CTLRS BLOCKING ONE ANOTHER. 3)NONSTANDARD RADIO CALLS.

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.