Narrative:

We had been parked at the lax west gates. Preparing for a reposition ferry flight to phx, we had been delayed about 2 hours dealing with a maintenance problem. We planned and briefed for a departure from runway 24L. Our initial taxi instructions were something close to, 'we have flow going to phoenix this afternoon, so we'll take you over to runway 25R. Taxi via E17, turn north or south, whichever works better for you. Bridge route, runway 25R.' my first officer and I were not familiar with the bridge route, and seldom depart from runway 25L. We delayed taxiing until we had both read and discussed the bridge route, deciding that we would turn south on E17, following that until we joined taxiway aa. Ground control called us inquiring about our status, as he had seen on a video monitor that we were not taxiing yet. We told him we were unfamiliar with the route, and asked him to verify that our intentions were acceptable. He told us that was fine, and to call him if we needed further directions. At check point, we were instructed to taxi via taxiway B, hold short of taxiway south. Approaching taxiway south, we were instructed to continue, hold short of C10. At this point the first officer left the ground control frequency to inform company operations about the change in departure runway (company required call). Approaching C10, the first officer came back on ground control frequency just as we were instructed, '...continue, turn right at C7, C to C1.' the first officer read back, 'right turn on C7, C to C1.' I told the first officer that we would look for the C7 sign, turn right, and join the next parallel taxiway, continuing on it to C1. We assumed that ground control wanted us to bypass the line of aircraft taxiing on taxiway B, probably because of the flow time to phx. Approaching C7, I was beginning to mentally question the situation, as I could see a C7 sign to the left, but not right, and the visual image I saw of the runway/taxiway confign did not make sense to me. This was definitely a situation where the mental model I had accepted was at odds with the visual scene, which created confusion. I slowed considerably, and started a slow turn onto what I thought was C7 but was actually taxiway J. I realized that the 'taxiway' ahead was actually a runway, and stopped, just as ground control said, 'stop!!' there was no aircraft on runway 25R, there were several arrs using runway 25L. At this point we figured out where we were, and asked ground control to verify that he wanted us to turn left on C6 and join taxiway C to C1. We were told that was correct, and nothing further was said. We departed runway 25R from taxiway F. In retrospect, I think that we were both so focused on the 'turn right' instruction that we both accepted the mental model that I verbalized. We both felt that the controller's instruction to turn right was probably a mistake caused by him wanting us to turn right in relation to him, since we were coming toward the control tower. Since we read back 'turn right' and this wasn't corrected, it further ingrained the mental model that a right turn was required. The first officer said he didn't realize anything was wrong until he saw rubber marks on the 'taxiway' ahead, which didn't look right to him and created more confusion. Contributing to our susceptibility to confusion in this instance was fatigue. We had already had 2 'minimum (contractual) rest' overnights, each only affording an opportunity for less than 6 hours of sleep. While neither of us felt too tired to fly safely, we both agreed that we might not have made the mistake had we been more rested.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NEAR RWY INCURSION OCCURS WHEN A TIRED CREW ACCEPTS AN ERRED TAXI INSTRUCTION FROM THE GND CTLR AT LAX, CA.

Narrative: WE HAD BEEN PARKED AT THE LAX W GATES. PREPARING FOR A REPOSITION FERRY FLT TO PHX, WE HAD BEEN DELAYED ABOUT 2 HRS DEALING WITH A MAINT PROB. WE PLANNED AND BRIEFED FOR A DEP FROM RWY 24L. OUR INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE SOMETHING CLOSE TO, 'WE HAVE FLOW GOING TO PHOENIX THIS AFTERNOON, SO WE'LL TAKE YOU OVER TO RWY 25R. TAXI VIA E17, TURN N OR S, WHICHEVER WORKS BETTER FOR YOU. BRIDGE RTE, RWY 25R.' MY FO AND I WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE BRIDGE RTE, AND SELDOM DEPART FROM RWY 25L. WE DELAYED TAXIING UNTIL WE HAD BOTH READ AND DISCUSSED THE BRIDGE RTE, DECIDING THAT WE WOULD TURN S ON E17, FOLLOWING THAT UNTIL WE JOINED TXWY AA. GND CTL CALLED US INQUIRING ABOUT OUR STATUS, AS HE HAD SEEN ON A VIDEO MONITOR THAT WE WERE NOT TAXIING YET. WE TOLD HIM WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RTE, AND ASKED HIM TO VERIFY THAT OUR INTENTIONS WERE ACCEPTABLE. HE TOLD US THAT WAS FINE, AND TO CALL HIM IF WE NEEDED FURTHER DIRECTIONS. AT CHK POINT, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI VIA TXWY B, HOLD SHORT OF TXWY S. APCHING TXWY S, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTINUE, HOLD SHORT OF C10. AT THIS POINT THE FO LEFT THE GND CTL FREQ TO INFORM COMPANY OPS ABOUT THE CHANGE IN DEP RWY (COMPANY REQUIRED CALL). APCHING C10, THE FO CAME BACK ON GND CTL FREQ JUST AS WE WERE INSTRUCTED, '...CONTINUE, TURN R AT C7, C TO C1.' THE FO READ BACK, 'R TURN ON C7, C TO C1.' I TOLD THE FO THAT WE WOULD LOOK FOR THE C7 SIGN, TURN R, AND JOIN THE NEXT PARALLEL TXWY, CONTINUING ON IT TO C1. WE ASSUMED THAT GND CTL WANTED US TO BYPASS THE LINE OF ACFT TAXIING ON TXWY B, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE FLOW TIME TO PHX. APCHING C7, I WAS BEGINNING TO MENTALLY QUESTION THE SIT, AS I COULD SEE A C7 SIGN TO THE L, BUT NOT R, AND THE VISUAL IMAGE I SAW OF THE RWY/TXWY CONFIGN DID NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A SIT WHERE THE MENTAL MODEL I HAD ACCEPTED WAS AT ODDS WITH THE VISUAL SCENE, WHICH CREATED CONFUSION. I SLOWED CONSIDERABLY, AND STARTED A SLOW TURN ONTO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS C7 BUT WAS ACTUALLY TXWY J. I REALIZED THAT THE 'TXWY' AHEAD WAS ACTUALLY A RWY, AND STOPPED, JUST AS GND CTL SAID, 'STOP!!' THERE WAS NO ACFT ON RWY 25R, THERE WERE SEVERAL ARRS USING RWY 25L. AT THIS POINT WE FIGURED OUT WHERE WE WERE, AND ASKED GND CTL TO VERIFY THAT HE WANTED US TO TURN L ON C6 AND JOIN TXWY C TO C1. WE WERE TOLD THAT WAS CORRECT, AND NOTHING FURTHER WAS SAID. WE DEPARTED RWY 25R FROM TXWY F. IN RETROSPECT, I THINK THAT WE WERE BOTH SO FOCUSED ON THE 'TURN R' INSTRUCTION THAT WE BOTH ACCEPTED THE MENTAL MODEL THAT I VERBALIZED. WE BOTH FELT THAT THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTION TO TURN R WAS PROBABLY A MISTAKE CAUSED BY HIM WANTING US TO TURN R IN RELATION TO HIM, SINCE WE WERE COMING TOWARD THE CTL TWR. SINCE WE READ BACK 'TURN R' AND THIS WASN'T CORRECTED, IT FURTHER INGRAINED THE MENTAL MODEL THAT A R TURN WAS REQUIRED. THE FO SAID HE DIDN'T REALIZE ANYTHING WAS WRONG UNTIL HE SAW RUBBER MARKS ON THE 'TXWY' AHEAD, WHICH DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT TO HIM AND CREATED MORE CONFUSION. CONTRIBUTING TO OUR SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CONFUSION IN THIS INSTANCE WAS FATIGUE. WE HAD ALREADY HAD 2 'MINIMUM (CONTRACTUAL) REST' OVERNIGHTS, EACH ONLY AFFORDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LESS THAN 6 HRS OF SLEEP. WHILE NEITHER OF US FELT TOO TIRED TO FLY SAFELY, WE BOTH AGREED THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE THE MISTAKE HAD WE BEEN MORE RESTED.

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.