Narrative:

Flight from las to ewr landed at newark on runway 04R and taxied clear of runway at taxiway K intersection. Ewr tower instructed us to follow a preceding B737 on kilo and taxi south on papa and to remain with him. The B737 we were following continued ahead on kilo and crossed runway 04L. As we joined taxiway kilo following the B737, we completed the after landing checks and looked at the taxiway diagram for papa taxiway and miss the papa taxiway sign. We continued ahead on kilo taxiway and we approached the parallel runway 04L, I sighted an aircraft on the runway and the captain stopped the aircraft at the runway hold short line. As we stopped the aircraft, the tower instructed us to hold our position. While holding short, we then determined that taxiway papa was behind us. Tower cleared us across runway 04L and switched us to ground control. We taxied to the gate uneventfully. Instructions to follow the B737 traffic, which was taxiing in on a different route was distracting. Easier taxi instructions would have been to make first left turn on taxiway papa, rather than 'taxi south on papa,' which puts eyes from outside to the chart to look for taxiway papa.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLC ALMOST HAVE A RWY INCURSION AFTER THEY BECOME CONFUSED REGARDING THE TWR INSTRUCTING THEM TO FOLLOW ANOTHER B737 AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: FLT FROM LAS TO EWR LANDED AT NEWARK ON RWY 04R AND TAXIED CLR OF RWY AT TXWY K INTERSECTION. EWR TWR INSTRUCTED US TO FOLLOW A PRECEDING B737 ON KILO AND TAXI S ON PAPA AND TO REMAIN WITH HIM. THE B737 WE WERE FOLLOWING CONTINUED AHEAD ON KILO AND CROSSED RWY 04L. AS WE JOINED TXWY KILO FOLLOWING THE B737, WE COMPLETED THE AFTER LNDG CHKS AND LOOKED AT THE TXWY DIAGRAM FOR PAPA TXWY AND MISS THE PAPA TXWY SIGN. WE CONTINUED AHEAD ON KILO TXWY AND WE APCHED THE PARALLEL RWY 04L, I SIGHTED AN ACFT ON THE RWY AND THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT AT THE RWY HOLD SHORT LINE. AS WE STOPPED THE ACFT, THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO HOLD OUR POS. WHILE HOLDING SHORT, WE THEN DETERMINED THAT TXWY PAPA WAS BEHIND US. TWR CLRED US ACROSS RWY 04L AND SWITCHED US TO GND CONTROL. WE TAXIED TO THE GATE UNEVENTFULLY. INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW THE B737 TFC, WHICH WAS TAXIING IN ON A DIFFERENT RTE WAS DISTRACTING. EASIER TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN TO MAKE FIRST L TURN ON TXWY PAPA, RATHER THAN 'TAXI S ON PAPA,' WHICH PUTS EYES FROM OUTSIDE TO THE CHART TO LOOK FOR TXWY PAPA.

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.