Flight crew of B737 taxied to and entered the wrong runway at aus.

Attributes
ACN	585627
Time
Date	200306
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : aus.airport
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : taxi ground : pushback ground : holding
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tower : aus.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : pushback ground : taxi ground : holding
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 70 flight time total : 9800 flight time type : 1300
ASRS Report	585627
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	incursion : runway non adherence : far non adherence : company policies non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to original clearance other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On push call were told to expect runway 17R. On taxi we were issued runway 35L. There was a company aircraft that had pushed at the same time as us and they were given runway 35R. We made a left turn and taxied via the ramp towards runway 35L. I called the tower as we approached the end of the runway. I said that we were ready for takeoff and was told to taxi into position and hold runway 35R. The other aircraft said that he did not make the call. Tower then asked which runway we were short of as he did not see anyone at the end of runway 35L. At this point, both of us realized that we had taxied to the wrong runway. As the aircraft had taxied over the bars, we made a 180 degree turn and taxied clear of the runway. We then called ground and taxied to runway 35L. There is no excuse for what we had done and boils down to simple complacency. We had flown this pairing the whole month and on every trip in and out of aus had a south flow. We allowed ourselves to get into a rut. Another contributing factor was that ground should have seen us make the wrong turn from the ramp area. Also, ground had not given us any specific route to take to the runway. Although a simple taxi route, a specific clearance would have caused us to think about following a specific path and would have raised our situational awareness.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF B737 TAXIED TO AND ENTERED THE WRONG RWY AT AUS.

Narrative: ON PUSH CALL WERE TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 17R. ON TAXI WE WERE ISSUED RWY 35L. THERE WAS A COMPANY ACFT THAT HAD PUSHED AT THE SAME TIME AS US AND THEY WERE GIVEN RWY 35R. WE MADE A L TURN AND TAXIED VIA THE RAMP TOWARDS RWY 35L. I CALLED THE TWR AS WE APCHED THE END OF THE RWY. I SAID THAT WE WERE READY FOR TKOF AND WAS TOLD TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 35R. THE OTHER ACFT SAID THAT HE DID NOT MAKE THE CALL. TWR THEN ASKED WHICH RWY WE WERE SHORT OF AS HE DID NOT SEE ANYONE AT THE END OF RWY 35L. AT THIS POINT, BOTH OF US REALIZED THAT WE HAD TAXIED TO THE WRONG RWY. AS THE ACFT HAD TAXIED OVER THE BARS, WE MADE A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXIED CLEAR OF THE RWY. WE THEN CALLED GND AND TAXIED TO RWY 35L. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT WE HAD DONE AND BOILS DOWN TO SIMPLE COMPLACENCY. WE HAD FLOWN THIS PAIRING THE WHOLE MONTH AND ON EVERY TRIP IN AND OUT OF AUS HAD A S FLOW. WE ALLOWED OURSELVES TO GET INTO A RUT. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT GND SHOULD HAVE SEEN US MAKE THE WRONG TURN FROM THE RAMP AREA. ALSO, GND HAD NOT GIVEN US ANY SPECIFIC RTE TO TAKE TO THE RWY. ALTHOUGH A SIMPLE TAXI RTE, A SPECIFIC CLRNC WOULD HAVE CAUSED US TO THINK ABOUT FOLLOWING A SPECIFIC PATH AND WOULD HAVE RAISED OUR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

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.