Narrative:

We were cleared to taxi from ramp (air carrier cargo ramp) to runway 17L with no hold short instructions. Prior to crossing runway 11, we observed what appeared to be an aircraft taxiing down runway 11. On further observation, we found it was taking off. We stopped our aircraft with our nose across the hold line just as the controller told us to stop. The shorts would have collided with our aircraft if we had continued across the runway. If we had not slowed our taxi speed down when we were unsure of whether the aircraft was taxiing or taking off, the controller probably would not have caught the error until an accident occurred. If the visibility had been poor we would not have been able to visually avert an accident. The shorts rotated prior to the runway intersection, but would not have cleared our aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC8 CREW, AFTER BEING CLRED TO RWY 17L AT SDF, OBSERVED A SHORTS ACFT TAKING OFF ON A RWY 11 THEY WERE CLRED TO CROSS.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI FROM RAMP (ACR CARGO RAMP) TO RWY 17L WITH NO HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS. PRIOR TO XING RWY 11, WE OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ACFT TAXIING DOWN RWY 11. ON FURTHER OBSERVATION, WE FOUND IT WAS TAKING OFF. WE STOPPED OUR ACFT WITH OUR NOSE ACROSS THE HOLD LINE JUST AS THE CTLR TOLD US TO STOP. THE SHORTS WOULD HAVE COLLIDED WITH OUR ACFT IF WE HAD CONTINUED ACROSS THE RWY. IF WE HAD NOT SLOWED OUR TAXI SPD DOWN WHEN WE WERE UNSURE OF WHETHER THE ACFT WAS TAXIING OR TAKING OFF, THE CTLR PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE CAUGHT THE ERROR UNTIL AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. IF THE VISIBILITY HAD BEEN POOR WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VISUALLY AVERT AN ACCIDENT. THE SHORTS ROTATED PRIOR TO THE RWY INTXN, BUT WOULD NOT HAVE CLRED OUR ACFT.

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.