Narrative:

Flight was first flight from mht; day #2 of a 3-DAY pairing. We were cleared to taxi to runway 17 via taxiway D and taxiway H; hold short of runway 24. On taxi out; both of us reviewed the airport diagram and talked about the taxi plan. While on taxiway H; we were cleared to taxi all the way to runway 17. Shortly after crossing runway 24; we turned off the exterior lights; turned off the engine anti-ice; and did the before takeoff checklist and switched up the tower frequency. Approaching the end of the parallel taxiway; the captain stated; 'let the tower know we're ready.' after making the call to tower; they responded with; 'hold short runway 17; awaiting release.' at about this time; we were beginning the turn at the end of the parallel taxiway and realized that we had; in fact; passed the hold short line by approximately 100 ft. Tower then cleared us for takeoff and asked us to give them a call when we got on the ground. When we called the tower; they told us that we were not the first ones to miss this particular hold line and; in fact; many company crews consistently do the same thing. They were curious why our crews seem to be missing it while other airlines are not. After a little reflection and research; I came up with several factors that I think contributed to our failure as a crew to see and properly stop at the hold short line. First of all; the manchester page shows the hold line on the parallel taxiway with no written explanation or note. It appears to be the only airport in our system with a designated hold line (non-ILS hold line) that is somewhere other than at the end of the runway and without a written note. The hold line is on a section of the taxiway that goes from being normal width to probably 150-250 ft wide. The line is straight for a portion of the taxiway and then angles off at about a 45 degree angle to the far side of the taxiway; making it extremely difficult for the first officer to see the sign if he/she is not looking at it directly (or preoccupied inside the cockpit). The hold line also comes just after crossing an active runway before reaching the end of the parallel taxiway; so it comes at a time when your attention is diverted momentarily inside the cockpit flipping switches and doing checklists. Bottom line is that there is no excuse to miss it. Unfortunately; the placement of the line and its design makes it easy to miss. Our checklists and cockpit flows occur at the exact moment that you come up on the hold short line and at the time when you need to have your eyes outside the cockpit instead of inside the cockpit. Barring any change of the actual hold short line; I recommend that at the very least; a note be added to the mht page warning crews of the unusual placement and markings of the hold short line.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 CREW MISSED THE MHT RWY 17 HOLD SHORT LINE ON TXWY H AT TXWY L BECAUSE OF ITS UNEXPECTED LOCATION.

Narrative: FLT WAS FIRST FLT FROM MHT; DAY #2 OF A 3-DAY PAIRING. WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 17 VIA TXWY D AND TXWY H; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24. ON TAXI OUT; BOTH OF US REVIEWED THE ARPT DIAGRAM AND TALKED ABOUT THE TAXI PLAN. WHILE ON TXWY H; WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI ALL THE WAY TO RWY 17. SHORTLY AFTER XING RWY 24; WE TURNED OFF THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS; TURNED OFF THE ENG ANTI-ICE; AND DID THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AND SWITCHED UP THE TWR FREQ. APCHING THE END OF THE PARALLEL TXWY; THE CAPT STATED; 'LET THE TWR KNOW WE'RE READY.' AFTER MAKING THE CALL TO TWR; THEY RESPONDED WITH; 'HOLD SHORT RWY 17; AWAITING RELEASE.' AT ABOUT THIS TIME; WE WERE BEGINNING THE TURN AT THE END OF THE PARALLEL TXWY AND REALIZED THAT WE HAD; IN FACT; PASSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE BY APPROX 100 FT. TWR THEN CLRED US FOR TKOF AND ASKED US TO GIVE THEM A CALL WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. WHEN WE CALLED THE TWR; THEY TOLD US THAT WE WERE NOT THE FIRST ONES TO MISS THIS PARTICULAR HOLD LINE AND; IN FACT; MANY COMPANY CREWS CONSISTENTLY DO THE SAME THING. THEY WERE CURIOUS WHY OUR CREWS SEEM TO BE MISSING IT WHILE OTHER AIRLINES ARE NOT. AFTER A LITTLE REFLECTION AND RESEARCH; I CAME UP WITH SEVERAL FACTORS THAT I THINK CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FAILURE AS A CREW TO SEE AND PROPERLY STOP AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE. FIRST OF ALL; THE MANCHESTER PAGE SHOWS THE HOLD LINE ON THE PARALLEL TXWY WITH NO WRITTEN EXPLANATION OR NOTE. IT APPEARS TO BE THE ONLY ARPT IN OUR SYS WITH A DESIGNATED HOLD LINE (NON-ILS HOLD LINE) THAT IS SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN AT THE END OF THE RWY AND WITHOUT A WRITTEN NOTE. THE HOLD LINE IS ON A SECTION OF THE TXWY THAT GOES FROM BEING NORMAL WIDTH TO PROBABLY 150-250 FT WIDE. THE LINE IS STRAIGHT FOR A PORTION OF THE TXWY AND THEN ANGLES OFF AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE TXWY; MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR THE FO TO SEE THE SIGN IF HE/SHE IS NOT LOOKING AT IT DIRECTLY (OR PREOCCUPIED INSIDE THE COCKPIT). THE HOLD LINE ALSO COMES JUST AFTER XING AN ACTIVE RWY BEFORE REACHING THE END OF THE PARALLEL TXWY; SO IT COMES AT A TIME WHEN YOUR ATTN IS DIVERTED MOMENTARILY INSIDE THE COCKPIT FLIPPING SWITCHES AND DOING CHKLISTS. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO MISS IT. UNFORTUNATELY; THE PLACEMENT OF THE LINE AND ITS DESIGN MAKES IT EASY TO MISS. OUR CHKLISTS AND COCKPIT FLOWS OCCUR AT THE EXACT MOMENT THAT YOU COME UP ON THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND AT THE TIME WHEN YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR EYES OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT INSTEAD OF INSIDE THE COCKPIT. BARRING ANY CHANGE OF THE ACTUAL HOLD SHORT LINE; I RECOMMEND THAT AT THE VERY LEAST; A NOTE BE ADDED TO THE MHT PAGE WARNING CREWS OF THE UNUSUAL PLACEMENT AND MARKINGS OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.