Narrative:

I was the PNF for our third and last leg for the day from msp to cle and was assigned a visual approach to runway 24R. I knew this was a relatively new runway and this was to be my first landing on this side. As we were expecting this approach as per ATIS, we had briefed the approach and taxi route in noting that with a normal landing rollout we could expect to turn off at taxiway K and that would be the expected taxiway to take us to our ramp for the ACARS assigned gate. We also observed we would have to cross both runways 24C and 24L. I noticed that taxiway K was not just a straight line across the runways due to some offsets indicated on the airport diagram. During the final portion of the approach, I noticed an aircraft which appeared to be taxiing toward the takeoff end of runway 24L and made a mental note that we would probably have to hold short of runway 24L. After a normal landing and rollout, I took control of the aircraft at around 60 KTS and slowed for the turn onto taxiway K, following the curved lead-off taxiway lines. As we were turning and cleaning up, I observed that the taxi light only illuminated ahead of the aircraft to the crown of runway 24C and that there were no taxi lines designating the taxiway, only more curved lead-in lines for runway 24C. About this time, tower issued what I heard to be 'cleared to cross and stay on my frequency' as is a common practice during non-peak times. I was trying to interpret the curved taxi lines and as we neared the crown, the nose taxi light illuminated further across and I saw the curved lead in taxi lines for coming from the other direction and was trying to see where they intersected, which would indicate where taxiway K crossed between runways 24C and 24L. Another set of curved lead-in lines came into view, so I again attempted to judge where the lines would intersect and saw hold short line for what was now runway 24L coming from the other direction. About this time, tower came up and asked us if we were holding short of runway 24L. The first officer was about to answer in the affirmative and I told her no, we were now stopped at the hold short line on the other side or runway 24L. I heard tower transmit in the blind (blind for us) to an aircraft on another frequency who had aborted their takeoff early thankfully, but, my heart sank not believing what had just happened. If they were there, I never noticed a hold short line for either runways 24C or 24L coming from our direction. I believe if I had noticed a hold short line for runway 24L, I would have at least looked down the runway before crossing as usual, but especially as I expected to hold short due to the other aircraft I had thought observed taxiing out. I always turn on the nacelle lights crossing runways day or night so we're seen and hopefully this helped prevent what could have been disastrous. Contributing factors for me were not hearing and affirming the hold short instructions for wy 24L, confusion as to taxiway location and identify, and runway hold short identify from our direction. If the hold short lines are there, I was so confused as to taxiway identify to the point where I was distraction from the big picture as to where we were with respect to runway 24L. You wouldn't think such a short taxi would be such a big problem. Fatigue: I was assigned the trip the day before the departure day around XA30 and deadheaded to detroit the next morning on the XD30 flight from mem, which required me to awaken at XA30. After a release time of XA24, my first layover of XA41 in ric was interrupted several times throughout the night with fire truck sirens which seemed to originate from a couple of blocks away. I woke 2 hours before the alarm clock for no apparent reason, took a shower and went back to sleep until the alarm clock and wake up call went off at XC00. I then dressed and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Our duty time on the day of this occurrence was XF26, which commenced at XD05 EST and had a scheduled release of XN31 EST. We had XA46 ground time in dtw after our first leg. Dtw-msp was our next leg and was remarkable only in that we were late getting in due to taxi-in delays and a last min gate changethat only gave us 45 mins (vice the scheduled 59 mins) to get from gate Y to gate X. I didn't really feel deficient in rest as I didn't feel the least bit sleepy. But I also wonder if I was as sharp as I could have been. The WX had been good all day and no aircraft maintenance problems were encountered. Nor were there any mels to distract from routine procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DC9 LNDG CLE RWY 24R CROSSED RWY 24L WITHOUT CLRNC PROMPTING DEP ABORT.

Narrative: I WAS THE PNF FOR OUR THIRD AND LAST LEG FOR THE DAY FROM MSP TO CLE AND WAS ASSIGNED A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 24R. I KNEW THIS WAS A RELATIVELY NEW RWY AND THIS WAS TO BE MY FIRST LNDG ON THIS SIDE. AS WE WERE EXPECTING THIS APCH AS PER ATIS, WE HAD BRIEFED THE APCH AND TAXI RTE IN NOTING THAT WITH A NORMAL LNDG ROLLOUT WE COULD EXPECT TO TURN OFF AT TXWY K AND THAT WOULD BE THE EXPECTED TXWY TO TAKE US TO OUR RAMP FOR THE ACARS ASSIGNED GATE. WE ALSO OBSERVED WE WOULD HAVE TO CROSS BOTH RWYS 24C AND 24L. I NOTICED THAT TXWY K WAS NOT JUST A STRAIGHT LINE ACROSS THE RWYS DUE TO SOME OFFSETS INDICATED ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM. DURING THE FINAL PORTION OF THE APCH, I NOTICED AN ACFT WHICH APPEARED TO BE TAXIING TOWARD THE TKOF END OF RWY 24L AND MADE A MENTAL NOTE THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24L. AFTER A NORMAL LNDG AND ROLLOUT, I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AT AROUND 60 KTS AND SLOWED FOR THE TURN ONTO TXWY K, FOLLOWING THE CURVED LEAD-OFF TXWY LINES. AS WE WERE TURNING AND CLEANING UP, I OBSERVED THAT THE TAXI LIGHT ONLY ILLUMINATED AHEAD OF THE ACFT TO THE CROWN OF RWY 24C AND THAT THERE WERE NO TAXI LINES DESIGNATING THE TXWY, ONLY MORE CURVED LEAD-IN LINES FOR RWY 24C. ABOUT THIS TIME, TWR ISSUED WHAT I HEARD TO BE 'CLRED TO CROSS AND STAY ON MY FREQ' AS IS A COMMON PRACTICE DURING NON-PEAK TIMES. I WAS TRYING TO INTERPRET THE CURVED TAXI LINES AND AS WE NEARED THE CROWN, THE NOSE TAXI LIGHT ILLUMINATED FURTHER ACROSS AND I SAW THE CURVED LEAD IN TAXI LINES FOR COMING FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION AND WAS TRYING TO SEE WHERE THEY INTERSECTED, WHICH WOULD INDICATE WHERE TXWY K CROSSED BTWN RWYS 24C AND 24L. ANOTHER SET OF CURVED LEAD-IN LINES CAME INTO VIEW, SO I AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO JUDGE WHERE THE LINES WOULD INTERSECT AND SAW HOLD SHORT LINE FOR WHAT WAS NOW RWY 24L COMING FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION. ABOUT THIS TIME, TWR CAME UP AND ASKED US IF WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 24L. THE FO WAS ABOUT TO ANSWER IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND I TOLD HER NO, WE WERE NOW STOPPED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE ON THE OTHER SIDE OR RWY 24L. I HEARD TWR XMIT IN THE BLIND (BLIND FOR US) TO AN ACFT ON ANOTHER FREQ WHO HAD ABORTED THEIR TKOF EARLY THANKFULLY, BUT, MY HEART SANK NOT BELIEVING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. IF THEY WERE THERE, I NEVER NOTICED A HOLD SHORT LINE FOR EITHER RWYS 24C OR 24L COMING FROM OUR DIRECTION. I BELIEVE IF I HAD NOTICED A HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 24L, I WOULD HAVE AT LEAST LOOKED DOWN THE RWY BEFORE XING AS USUAL, BUT ESPECIALLY AS I EXPECTED TO HOLD SHORT DUE TO THE OTHER ACFT I HAD THOUGHT OBSERVED TAXIING OUT. I ALWAYS TURN ON THE NACELLE LIGHTS XING RWYS DAY OR NIGHT SO WE'RE SEEN AND HOPEFULLY THIS HELPED PREVENT WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR ME WERE NOT HEARING AND AFFIRMING THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS FOR WY 24L, CONFUSION AS TO TXWY LOCATION AND IDENT, AND RWY HOLD SHORT IDENT FROM OUR DIRECTION. IF THE HOLD SHORT LINES ARE THERE, I WAS SO CONFUSED AS TO TXWY IDENT TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS DISTR FROM THE BIG PICTURE AS TO WHERE WE WERE WITH RESPECT TO RWY 24L. YOU WOULDN'T THINK SUCH A SHORT TAXI WOULD BE SUCH A BIG PROB. FATIGUE: I WAS ASSIGNED THE TRIP THE DAY BEFORE THE DEP DAY AROUND XA30 AND DEADHEADED TO DETROIT THE NEXT MORNING ON THE XD30 FLT FROM MEM, WHICH REQUIRED ME TO AWAKEN AT XA30. AFTER A RELEASE TIME OF XA24, MY FIRST LAYOVER OF XA41 IN RIC WAS INTERRUPTED SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT WITH FIRE TRUCK SIRENS WHICH SEEMED TO ORIGINATE FROM A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY. I WOKE 2 HRS BEFORE THE ALARM CLOCK FOR NO APPARENT REASON, TOOK A SHOWER AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP UNTIL THE ALARM CLOCK AND WAKE UP CALL WENT OFF AT XC00. I THEN DRESSED AND WENT TO THE HOTEL RESTAURANT FOR BREAKFAST. OUR DUTY TIME ON THE DAY OF THIS OCCURRENCE WAS XF26, WHICH COMMENCED AT XD05 EST AND HAD A SCHEDULED RELEASE OF XN31 EST. WE HAD XA46 GND TIME IN DTW AFTER OUR FIRST LEG. DTW-MSP WAS OUR NEXT LEG AND WAS REMARKABLE ONLY IN THAT WE WERE LATE GETTING IN DUE TO TAXI-IN DELAYS AND A LAST MIN GATE CHANGETHAT ONLY GAVE US 45 MINS (VICE THE SCHEDULED 59 MINS) TO GET FROM GATE Y TO GATE X. I DIDN'T REALLY FEEL DEFICIENT IN REST AS I DIDN'T FEEL THE LEAST BIT SLEEPY. BUT I ALSO WONDER IF I WAS AS SHARP AS I COULD HAVE BEEN. THE WX HAD BEEN GOOD ALL DAY AND NO ACFT MAINT PROBS WERE ENCOUNTERED. NOR WERE THERE ANY MELS TO DISTRACT FROM ROUTINE PROCS.

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.