Narrative:

I did a runway incursion. I am very disappointed with myself. I know how dangerous this mistake is and the emphasis the company puts on it. There was no danger of an accident. Lax tower did not think it was serious. I do. I am also sure that lax tower will not report it. It was the last leg of the day, the last day of a 4-DAY. My first officer was very new. We pushed off gate on time with 17 passenger. Company pushed off gate simultaneously. I coordinated with lax ground and the tug driver to push us to the top of the alley to give company room to complete their push off gate. Company called for taxi before us. We were still doing our pre-takeoff checklist when company called for taxi. My first officer was new, so we were probably a little slower than the other crew. We were at the top on the alley and there was no way for him to get around us. I really don't know why he called to taxi if it was impossible to do so. We completed the pre-takeoff checklist and were told to taxi to the concrete pad. Company was told to follow us to the pad. We switched to tower frequency. I was in a left turn on the pad when tower cleared company for takeoff. We told tower that we were in front of company. Tower told us to do a hard right turn, use the runway bypass and hold between the runways. Tower cleared company for takeoff on runway 24L. I had to clear the area behind runway 24L expeditiously because of company going to takeoff thrust, but I did not want to taxi too fast, or I might taxi past the hold short line for runway 24R. I had never been on this taxiway before and was very concerned about ending up on runway 24R. There were flashing yellow lights embedded in the surface, but the lights were too bright -- they washed out the paint on the taxiway. I was trying very hard to see which painted line was solid and which was dashed. Just as I got my bearings and felt comfortable that we were at the right place on the bypass, tower told us to keep company in sight and that we were also cleared for takeoff. I kept the plane rolling and entered runway 24L. Tower said we were actually cleared for takeoff on runway 24R, but it was ok. I said 'sorry about that' and lined up on the centerline for runway 24L. Too many things had been too unusual in the last few mins and I wanted some reassurance so I made one more radio call. Tower confirmed again that we were cleared for takeoff on runway 24L. Again I said, 'sorry for the mix-up.' tower said, 'no problem.' the takeoff and remainder of the flight was uneventful. I was clear on the far side of runway 24L, then cleared for takeoff on runway 24R, missed the word 'right' and did a runway incursion on runway 24L. I had a rock solid expectation that we were going to take off on the left. That's the way it always is and during push, ground control even said 'push for runway 24L.' I will not make these assumptions in the future at lax, or anywhere else. When I received a clearance to keep the airplane ahead in sight and cleared for takeoff, it was always on the same runway, never a parallel runway. The terminology used really led me to believe I was cleared on the same runway as company. It really would have helped if tower had said 'expect the right.' it was my fault, period. I always thought if I ever did something like this, it would be at an unfamiliar field and in bad visibility. Supplemental information from acn 578889: I was heads down (big mistake) turning on the transponder and getting my stuff ready for the takeoff since it was my leg.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 CREW HAD A RWY INCURSION AT LAX, AND LINED UP FOR DEP ON THE INCORRECT RWY.

Narrative: I DID A RWY INCURSION. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MYSELF. I KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THIS MISTAKE IS AND THE EMPHASIS THE COMPANY PUTS ON IT. THERE WAS NO DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT. LAX TWR DID NOT THINK IT WAS SERIOUS. I DO. I AM ALSO SURE THAT LAX TWR WILL NOT RPT IT. IT WAS THE LAST LEG OF THE DAY, THE LAST DAY OF A 4-DAY. MY FO WAS VERY NEW. WE PUSHED OFF GATE ON TIME WITH 17 PAX. COMPANY PUSHED OFF GATE SIMULTANEOUSLY. I COORDINATED WITH LAX GND AND THE TUG DRIVER TO PUSH US TO THE TOP OF THE ALLEY TO GIVE COMPANY ROOM TO COMPLETE THEIR PUSH OFF GATE. COMPANY CALLED FOR TAXI BEFORE US. WE WERE STILL DOING OUR PRE-TKOF CHKLIST WHEN COMPANY CALLED FOR TAXI. MY FO WAS NEW, SO WE WERE PROBABLY A LITTLE SLOWER THAN THE OTHER CREW. WE WERE AT THE TOP ON THE ALLEY AND THERE WAS NO WAY FOR HIM TO GET AROUND US. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHY HE CALLED TO TAXI IF IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SO. WE COMPLETED THE PRE-TKOF CHKLIST AND WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO THE CONCRETE PAD. COMPANY WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW US TO THE PAD. WE SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ. I WAS IN A L TURN ON THE PAD WHEN TWR CLRED COMPANY FOR TKOF. WE TOLD TWR THAT WE WERE IN FRONT OF COMPANY. TWR TOLD US TO DO A HARD R TURN, USE THE RWY BYPASS AND HOLD BTWN THE RWYS. TWR CLRED COMPANY FOR TKOF ON RWY 24L. I HAD TO CLR THE AREA BEHIND RWY 24L EXPEDITIOUSLY BECAUSE OF COMPANY GOING TO TKOF THRUST, BUT I DID NOT WANT TO TAXI TOO FAST, OR I MIGHT TAXI PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 24R. I HAD NEVER BEEN ON THIS TXWY BEFORE AND WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ENDING UP ON RWY 24R. THERE WERE FLASHING YELLOW LIGHTS EMBEDDED IN THE SURFACE, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE TOO BRIGHT -- THEY WASHED OUT THE PAINT ON THE TXWY. I WAS TRYING VERY HARD TO SEE WHICH PAINTED LINE WAS SOLID AND WHICH WAS DASHED. JUST AS I GOT MY BEARINGS AND FELT COMFORTABLE THAT WE WERE AT THE RIGHT PLACE ON THE BYPASS, TWR TOLD US TO KEEP COMPANY IN SIGHT AND THAT WE WERE ALSO CLRED FOR TKOF. I KEPT THE PLANE ROLLING AND ENTERED RWY 24L. TWR SAID WE WERE ACTUALLY CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 24R, BUT IT WAS OK. I SAID 'SORRY ABOUT THAT' AND LINED UP ON THE CTRLINE FOR RWY 24L. TOO MANY THINGS HAD BEEN TOO UNUSUAL IN THE LAST FEW MINS AND I WANTED SOME REASSURANCE SO I MADE ONE MORE RADIO CALL. TWR CONFIRMED AGAIN THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 24L. AGAIN I SAID, 'SORRY FOR THE MIX-UP.' TWR SAID, 'NO PROB.' THE TKOF AND REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. I WAS CLR ON THE FAR SIDE OF RWY 24L, THEN CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 24R, MISSED THE WORD 'RIGHT' AND DID A RWY INCURSION ON RWY 24L. I HAD A ROCK SOLID EXPECTATION THAT WE WERE GOING TO TAKE OFF ON THE L. THAT'S THE WAY IT ALWAYS IS AND DURING PUSH, GND CTL EVEN SAID 'PUSH FOR RWY 24L.' I WILL NOT MAKE THESE ASSUMPTIONS IN THE FUTURE AT LAX, OR ANYWHERE ELSE. WHEN I RECEIVED A CLRNC TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE AHEAD IN SIGHT AND CLRED FOR TKOF, IT WAS ALWAYS ON THE SAME RWY, NEVER A PARALLEL RWY. THE TERMINOLOGY USED REALLY LED ME TO BELIEVE I WAS CLRED ON THE SAME RWY AS COMPANY. IT REALLY WOULD HAVE HELPED IF TWR HAD SAID 'EXPECT THE R.' IT WAS MY FAULT, PERIOD. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IF I EVER DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IT WOULD BE AT AN UNFAMILIAR FIELD AND IN BAD VISIBILITY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 578889: I WAS HEADS DOWN (BIG MISTAKE) TURNING ON THE XPONDER AND GETTING MY STUFF READY FOR THE TKOF SINCE IT WAS MY LEG.

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.