Narrative:

I was the captain flying. Upon first contact with ground control after leaving the gate; our first instruction was to taxi to runway 19 via taxiway K; hold short of runway 15. Holding short of runway 15; the next instruction received was to turn left onto taxiway north and hold short of taxiway south. Upon arriving short of taxiway south; there were a few other aircraft waiting at that intersection. Ground control gave the aircraft in front of us clearance to go to the pad. Since this clearance was not for us; I did not listen to the exact wording of his clearance. He taxied across runway 15 to the runway 19 run-up pad. The next instruction for us was to taxi to the run-up pad for our wheels up time. Before turing onto taxiway south; I looked around the arrival and departure corridor for runway 15 and saw what appeared to be an aircraft flying 'down the river' on the river approach. We turned on all external lights for the runway crossing. As the cockpit crossed the hold short line; I again checked for traffic and noticed that an aircraft now appeared to be on a 1-2 mi final for runway 15. In my mind I initially thought that there was plenty of room to cross the runway; but it began to look a bit closer and I vocalized my concern to the first officer. I immediately stopped the aircraft but since the cockpit had crossed the hold short line for runway 15; I was in the process of instructing the first officer to confirm our clearance and inform ground control of our location past the hold short line. At the same time the ground controller asked us 'where are you going?' the ground controller also advised us to stop; which we had already done. He asked us to make a 180 degree turn and taxi clear of the runway and that the aircraft on final was going around. As I started to do that; I could observe the white runway edge stripe in my windscreen; so I knew we had not encroached onto the runway but would have to taxi slightly onto the runway to comply with the ground control clearance to do a 180 degree turn and taxi clear. We did that and positioned the aircraft behind another airplane that was going to cross runway 15 at that intersection. While we were on the taxiway/ramp area near the intersection of north and south; the controller gave us another instruction to do a 180 degree turn and taxi to the runway 15 run-up pad. At this time it became clear tome that he had been referring to the wide paved area near the departure end of runway 15. After subsequent taxi for takeoff at our wheels up time; the ground controller gave us clearance to taxi to runway 19 via runway 15 and taxiway south. As we approached taxiway south; ground told us to pull up in the block. This again caused us a bit of confusion; but the only place to go was in the large paved parking area directly ahead. This was the area just short of the runway 19. After reviewing the events; I feel a contributing factor to the confusion was in the terminology used to devine the 'run-up pad' and the term 'block' in addition to our unfamiliarity with the area on the northwest side of the airport. Also; with the original clearance to taxi to runway 19 gave us the mind set that our destination on the airport would be runway 19. The area on the 10-9 airport diagram we were referring to did not list the area 'run-up pad' or 'block' referred to by ground control. Supplemental information from acn 690282: the initial taxi clearance was to runway 19. At that point I thought we would be holding in the runway 19 run-up pad for the wheels up time. That combined with the rj in front of us going to the same location as well reinforced the mindset that we were going to runway 19 also. I am not familiar with any other run-up pad other than the ones for runway 1/19. Unfamiliarity with the northwest side of the airport. Holding short of taxiway south on taxiway north there was an area off to the left where a few rj's were holding. In my opinion; this could be mistaken for a run-up pad for runway 15. Not specifying which run-up pad can lead to confusion on where you think you are going and where you should be going.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 FLT CREW HAS A RWY INCURSION AT DCA. CTLR ISSUES AN ADVISORY AND FLT CREW EXITS RWY.

Narrative: I WAS THE CAPT FLYING. UPON FIRST CONTACT WITH GND CTL AFTER LEAVING THE GATE; OUR FIRST INSTRUCTION WAS TO TAXI TO RWY 19 VIA TXWY K; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 15. HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 15; THE NEXT INSTRUCTION RECEIVED WAS TO TURN L ONTO TXWY N AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY S. UPON ARRIVING SHORT OF TXWY S; THERE WERE A FEW OTHER ACFT WAITING AT THAT INTXN. GND CTL GAVE THE ACFT IN FRONT OF US CLRNC TO GO TO THE PAD. SINCE THIS CLRNC WAS NOT FOR US; I DID NOT LISTEN TO THE EXACT WORDING OF HIS CLRNC. HE TAXIED ACROSS RWY 15 TO THE RWY 19 RUN-UP PAD. THE NEXT INSTRUCTION FOR US WAS TO TAXI TO THE RUN-UP PAD FOR OUR WHEELS UP TIME. BEFORE TURING ONTO TXWY S; I LOOKED AROUND THE ARR AND DEP CORRIDOR FOR RWY 15 AND SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ACFT FLYING 'DOWN THE RIVER' ON THE RIVER APCH. WE TURNED ON ALL EXTERNAL LIGHTS FOR THE RWY XING. AS THE COCKPIT CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE; I AGAIN CHKED FOR TFC AND NOTICED THAT AN ACFT NOW APPEARED TO BE ON A 1-2 MI FINAL FOR RWY 15. IN MY MIND I INITIALLY THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM TO CROSS THE RWY; BUT IT BEGAN TO LOOK A BIT CLOSER AND I VOCALIZED MY CONCERN TO THE FO. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT BUT SINCE THE COCKPIT HAD CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 15; I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF INSTRUCTING THE FO TO CONFIRM OUR CLRNC AND INFORM GND CTL OF OUR LOCATION PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE. AT THE SAME TIME THE GND CTLR ASKED US 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING?' THE GND CTLR ALSO ADVISED US TO STOP; WHICH WE HAD ALREADY DONE. HE ASKED US TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXI CLR OF THE RWY AND THAT THE ACFT ON FINAL WAS GOING AROUND. AS I STARTED TO DO THAT; I COULD OBSERVE THE WHITE RWY EDGE STRIPE IN MY WINDSCREEN; SO I KNEW WE HAD NOT ENCROACHED ONTO THE RWY BUT WOULD HAVE TO TAXI SLIGHTLY ONTO THE RWY TO COMPLY WITH THE GND CTL CLRNC TO DO A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXI CLR. WE DID THAT AND POSITIONED THE ACFT BEHIND ANOTHER AIRPLANE THAT WAS GOING TO CROSS RWY 15 AT THAT INTXN. WHILE WE WERE ON THE TXWY/RAMP AREA NEAR THE INTXN OF N AND S; THE CTLR GAVE US ANOTHER INSTRUCTION TO DO A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXI TO THE RWY 15 RUN-UP PAD. AT THIS TIME IT BECAME CLR TOME THAT HE HAD BEEN REFERRING TO THE WIDE PAVED AREA NEAR THE DEP END OF RWY 15. AFTER SUBSEQUENT TAXI FOR TKOF AT OUR WHEELS UP TIME; THE GND CTLR GAVE US CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 19 VIA RWY 15 AND TXWY S. AS WE APCHED TXWY S; GND TOLD US TO PULL UP IN THE BLOCK. THIS AGAIN CAUSED US A BIT OF CONFUSION; BUT THE ONLY PLACE TO GO WAS IN THE LARGE PAVED PARKING AREA DIRECTLY AHEAD. THIS WAS THE AREA JUST SHORT OF THE RWY 19. AFTER REVIEWING THE EVENTS; I FEEL A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE CONFUSION WAS IN THE TERMINOLOGY USED TO DEVINE THE 'RUN-UP PAD' AND THE TERM 'BLOCK' IN ADDITION TO OUR UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA ON THE NW SIDE OF THE ARPT. ALSO; WITH THE ORIGINAL CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 19 GAVE US THE MIND SET THAT OUR DEST ON THE ARPT WOULD BE RWY 19. THE AREA ON THE 10-9 ARPT DIAGRAM WE WERE REFERRING TO DID NOT LIST THE AREA 'RUN-UP PAD' OR 'BLOCK' REFERRED TO BY GND CTL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 690282: THE INITIAL TAXI CLRNC WAS TO RWY 19. AT THAT POINT I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE HOLDING IN THE RWY 19 RUN-UP PAD FOR THE WHEELS UP TIME. THAT COMBINED WITH THE RJ IN FRONT OF US GOING TO THE SAME LOCATION AS WELL REINFORCED THE MINDSET THAT WE WERE GOING TO RWY 19 ALSO. I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH ANY OTHER RUN-UP PAD OTHER THAN THE ONES FOR RWY 1/19. UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE NW SIDE OF THE ARPT. HOLDING SHORT OF TXWY S ON TXWY N THERE WAS AN AREA OFF TO THE L WHERE A FEW RJ'S WERE HOLDING. IN MY OPINION; THIS COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR A RUN-UP PAD FOR RWY 15. NOT SPECIFYING WHICH RUN-UP PAD CAN LEAD TO CONFUSION ON WHERE YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING AND WHERE YOU SHOULD BE GOING.

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.