Narrative:

After landing on runway 3 in abq, ATC instructed us to 'hold short of runway 8 on taxiway charlie for landing traffic and stay with me.' as I taxied up to runway 12, my first officer asked me, 'we are cleared to cross 12 correct?' and I repeated the original clearance. First officer then looked right and reported 'clear right' and I looked left and reported 'clear left' and crossed runway 12. Just as I cleared runway 12 we heard a transmission from an unidentified aircraft, 'abq tower I stopped my takeoff because an airplane crossed the runway.' at this point I looked back over my left shoulder and observed a small, all white home built aircraft about 1500 ft up runway 12 from my position. Abq tower then repeated the same instructions to us as before 'hold short of runway 8.' there was very little dialogue between ATC and the home built. We then received a clearance 'cross runway 8 and contact ground control.' after parking at the gate I called the control tower and asked to speak to the supervisor. Approximately 2 to 3 mins passed before the controller came on the line. I introduced myself and asked point blank did we or did we not have a clearance to cross runway 12. The controller then responded we are checking on that right now. During this time we both conversed about the incident and he stated 'the plan was to hold you short of 12.' he put me on hold for about a min then came back and stated, 'you had a clearance to hold short of runway 8.' he then asked me if I had a problem with this and if not it's over, because we are not going to pursue this and the home built pilot is not going to pursue this. I then apologized for my part of this incident and said good-bye. Upon arrival in mdw, I contacted a chief pilot and I gave him the details of this incident. He said he would call an ATC specialist. I then continued to fly the rest of my pairing. The chief pilot later left a message on my home phone that we were correct and the incident did not happen as far as abq was concerned. Unfortunately it did happen. The aircraft (home built) was taking off on runway 12. Whether he had a clearance or not is unknown. Whether runway 12 was the intended runway is unknown. As I stated earlier the aircraft was a small 2 seat home built about the size of an RV4. At the point I finally did see him, I did notice a wing tip strobe as the only visible light on. I believe the contrast between the light colored concrete runway and the all white aircraft made him undetectable as I approached the runway. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he was first aware of the departing light aircraft when the pilot notified the tower he was stopping his takeoff because of the airliner crossing the runway. The reporter looked back and saw the light aircraft's strobe lights about 1500 ft away on the runway. He said even though it was broad daylight with 50 miles visibility, it was difficult to see the small 2 seat aircraft. He said the runway is bleached white cement and the small aircraft was painted white. He said they were held short of runway 08 because a formation of military F-18's were landing at the time. After parking, the reporter talked to the controller that was working the local control position at the time of the incident. The controller said his plan was to hold the flight short of the crossing runway until the small aircraft departed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LNDG ABQ A B737 CREW CROSSED AN INTERSECTING RWY WHILE A SMALL ACFT WAS DEPARTING.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 3 IN ABQ, ATC INSTRUCTED US TO 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8 ON TXWY CHARLIE FOR LNDG TFC AND STAY WITH ME.' AS I TAXIED UP TO RWY 12, MY FO ASKED ME, 'WE ARE CLRED TO CROSS 12 CORRECT?' AND I REPEATED THE ORIGINAL CLRNC. FO THEN LOOKED RIGHT AND RPTED 'CLR RIGHT' AND I LOOKED LEFT AND RPTED 'CLR LEFT' AND CROSSED RWY 12. JUST AS I CLRED RWY 12 WE HEARD A TRANSMISSION FROM AN UNIDENTIFIED ACFT, 'ABQ TWR I STOPPED MY TKOF BECAUSE AN AIRPLANE CROSSED THE RWY.' AT THIS POINT I LOOKED BACK OVER MY LEFT SHOULDER AND OBSERVED A SMALL, ALL WHITE HOME BUILT ACFT ABOUT 1500 FT UP RWY 12 FROM MY POSITION. ABQ TWR THEN REPEATED THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS TO US AS BEFORE 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8.' THERE WAS VERY LITTLE DIALOGUE BTWN ATC AND THE HOME BUILT. WE THEN RECEIVED A CLRNC 'CROSS RWY 8 AND CONTACT GND CTL.' AFTER PARKING AT THE GATE I CALLED THE CTL TWR AND ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE SUPERVISOR. APPROX 2 TO 3 MINS PASSED BEFORE THE CTLR CAME ON THE LINE. I INTRODUCED MYSELF AND ASKED POINT BLANK DID WE OR DID WE NOT HAVE A CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 12. THE CTLR THEN RESPONDED WE ARE CHECKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW. DURING THIS TIME WE BOTH CONVERSED ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND HE STATED 'THE PLAN WAS TO HOLD YOU SHORT OF 12.' HE PUT ME ON HOLD FOR ABOUT A MIN THEN CAME BACK AND STATED, 'YOU HAD A CLRNC TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8.' HE THEN ASKED ME IF I HAD A PROB WITH THIS AND IF NOT IT'S OVER, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT GOING TO PURSUE THIS AND THE HOME BUILT PLT IS NOT GOING TO PURSUE THIS. I THEN APOLOGIZED FOR MY PART OF THIS INCIDENT AND SAID GOOD-BYE. UPON ARR IN MDW, I CONTACTED A CHIEF PLT AND I GAVE HIM THE DETAILS OF THIS INCIDENT. HE SAID HE WOULD CALL AN ATC SPECIALIST. I THEN CONTINUED TO FLY THE REST OF MY PAIRING. THE CHIEF PLT LATER LEFT A MSG ON MY HOME PHONE THAT WE WERE CORRECT AND THE INCIDENT DID NOT HAPPEN AS FAR AS ABQ WAS CONCERNED. UNFORTUNATELY IT DID HAPPEN. THE ACFT (HOME BUILT) WAS TAKING OFF ON RWY 12. WHETHER HE HAD A CLRNC OR NOT IS UNKNOWN. WHETHER RWY 12 WAS THE INTENDED RWY IS UNKNOWN. AS I STATED EARLIER THE ACFT WAS A SMALL 2 SEAT HOME BUILT ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN RV4. AT THE POINT I FINALLY DID SEE HIM, I DID NOTICE A WING TIP STROBE AS THE ONLY VISIBLE LIGHT ON. I BELIEVE THE CONTRAST BTWN THE LIGHT COLORED CONCRETE RWY AND THE ALL WHITE ACFT MADE HIM UNDETECTABLE AS I APCHED THE RWY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE WAS FIRST AWARE OF THE DEPARTING LIGHT ACFT WHEN THE PLT NOTIFIED THE TWR HE WAS STOPPING HIS TKOF BECAUSE OF THE AIRLINER XING THE RWY. THE RPTR LOOKED BACK AND SAW THE LIGHT ACFT'S STROBE LIGHTS ABOUT 1500 FT AWAY ON THE RWY. HE SAID EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BROAD DAYLIGHT WITH 50 MILES VISIBILITY, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE THE SMALL 2 SEAT ACFT. HE SAID THE RWY IS BLEACHED WHITE CEMENT AND THE SMALL ACFT WAS PAINTED WHITE. HE SAID THEY WERE HELD SHORT OF RWY 08 BECAUSE A FORMATION OF MIL F-18'S WERE LNDG AT THE TIME. AFTER PARKING, THE RPTR TALKED TO THE CTLR THAT WAS WORKING THE LCL CTL POSITION AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE CTLR SAID HIS PLAN WAS TO HOLD THE FLT SHORT OF THE XING RWY UNTIL THE SMALL ACFT DEPARTED.

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.