Narrative:

Once cleared for takeoff departing runway 9L and rolling at approximately 110 KIAS, the captain asked me why there was an aircraft crossing our runway. At this point I had my head down scanning and monitoring the engine instruments and I saw an MD80 crossing the runway at intersection south. I then asked the captain 'are you going to abort?' at this point he called 'abort.' we were fortunate enough to have plenty of time and runway to reject the takeoff roll. We had announced our action to the tower controller and were instructed to taxi off at M14. We contacted ground and he had asked us if we had rejected the takeoff for the aircraft crossing the runway, to which I answered yes. On this day there was significant WX for the east gate departures, and for a while the east departures were shut down. This time is perhaps the heaviest peak traffic for departures and arrs at atl. To accommodate the heavier than normal congestion on the txwys, ATC was stacking up the departures for the east gate on taxiway north. In order to do this, most aircraft must cross runway 9L. I am not sure why or where there was a breakdown in communication, but it happened. I was with the tower controller and cleared for takeoff. The crossing traffic was perhaps on ground and cleared to cross, or maybe told to hold short. I now will include looking down the runway in my scan on the takeoff roll as I usually dedicate my scan inside the cockpit till V2. Supplemental information from acn 630345: we taxied out to find our departure gate shut down. Our taxi clearance was to taxi to a crossing taxiway and hold short of the departure runway. While holding short, atl ground control cleared us to cross the active runway and join another taxiway. This put us in line with the other aircraft holding for the closed departure gate. As we crossed the active runway, we noticed an aircraft that appeared to be sitting on the departure end. As we cleared the active runway, we noticed movement and then realized, listening still to atl ground control, that the other aircraft had aborted their takeoff because of traffic on the runway. They requested taxi back for another takeoff. Atl ground control was very busy with an east operation and the east departure gate closed. Lack of proper communication the most likely cause.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE TAKING OFF ON RWY 9L AT ATL, A B717 FLT CREW SEE AN MD80 XING THE RWY AND ABORT TKOF.

Narrative: ONCE CLRED FOR TKOF DEPARTING RWY 9L AND ROLLING AT APPROX 110 KIAS, THE CAPT ASKED ME WHY THERE WAS AN ACFT XING OUR RWY. AT THIS POINT I HAD MY HEAD DOWN SCANNING AND MONITORING THE ENG INSTS AND I SAW AN MD80 XING THE RWY AT INTXN S. I THEN ASKED THE CAPT 'ARE YOU GOING TO ABORT?' AT THIS POINT HE CALLED 'ABORT.' WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE PLENTY OF TIME AND RWY TO REJECT THE TKOF ROLL. WE HAD ANNOUNCED OUR ACTION TO THE TWR CTLR AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI OFF AT M14. WE CONTACTED GND AND HE HAD ASKED US IF WE HAD REJECTED THE TKOF FOR THE ACFT XING THE RWY, TO WHICH I ANSWERED YES. ON THIS DAY THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT WX FOR THE E GATE DEPS, AND FOR A WHILE THE E DEPS WERE SHUT DOWN. THIS TIME IS PERHAPS THE HEAVIEST PEAK TFC FOR DEPS AND ARRS AT ATL. TO ACCOMMODATE THE HEAVIER THAN NORMAL CONGESTION ON THE TXWYS, ATC WAS STACKING UP THE DEPS FOR THE E GATE ON TXWY N. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, MOST ACFT MUST CROSS RWY 9L. I AM NOT SURE WHY OR WHERE THERE WAS A BREAKDOWN IN COM, BUT IT HAPPENED. I WAS WITH THE TWR CTLR AND CLRED FOR TKOF. THE XING TFC WAS PERHAPS ON GND AND CLRED TO CROSS, OR MAYBE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT. I NOW WILL INCLUDE LOOKING DOWN THE RWY IN MY SCAN ON THE TKOF ROLL AS I USUALLY DEDICATE MY SCAN INSIDE THE COCKPIT TILL V2. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 630345: WE TAXIED OUT TO FIND OUR DEP GATE SHUT DOWN. OUR TAXI CLRNC WAS TO TAXI TO A XING TXWY AND HOLD SHORT OF THE DEP RWY. WHILE HOLDING SHORT, ATL GND CTL CLRED US TO CROSS THE ACTIVE RWY AND JOIN ANOTHER TXWY. THIS PUT US IN LINE WITH THE OTHER ACFT HOLDING FOR THE CLOSED DEP GATE. AS WE CROSSED THE ACTIVE RWY, WE NOTICED AN ACFT THAT APPEARED TO BE SITTING ON THE DEP END. AS WE CLRED THE ACTIVE RWY, WE NOTICED MOVEMENT AND THEN REALIZED, LISTENING STILL TO ATL GND CTL, THAT THE OTHER ACFT HAD ABORTED THEIR TKOF BECAUSE OF TFC ON THE RWY. THEY REQUESTED TAXI BACK FOR ANOTHER TKOF. ATL GND CTL WAS VERY BUSY WITH AN E OP AND THE E DEP GATE CLOSED. LACK OF PROPER COM THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE.

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.