Narrative:

We experienced a recurring taxiway incursion problem. The aggravating thing is that I had already seen a report of it before our event. There are some mitigating circumstances I believe contributed to us missing the gate. One of the big problems is getting out to the aircraft with enough time to preflight without being rushed. The crew van situation in sdf can make this very difficult; especially when they are servicing multiple ramps. This is an ongoing source of frustration and I would like to advocate that vans only service 1 ramp. There were problems with the computer/printer interface; which necessitated a call to technical support. It took 5 extra mins; so 15-20 mins total. Headed for the back door and looked up our ramp. At ramp; a van pulled up shortly and a full load of crew members ahead of us boarded. We had to wait another 5 mins for the next van. Boarded van and now it's probably 30-35 mins to block-out time. Van dropped crew on far end of ramp X first; stopping to wait for an aircraft that was blocking out; then reversed route through complex to head for far end of ramp and dropped us next. Another 10-12 mins elapsed. Started lugging our bags up the stairs at approximately 20-25 mins prior to block time. This is not enough time to do a preflight/flight deck security check; manually load flight plan in FMC; do cockpit flows; obtain ATIS; complete runway analysis; obtain pre departure clearance; modify FMC routing since the filed flight plan and pre departure clearance are always slightly different; close doors; call rcc with load complete time; and release brakes for an on-time block-out. On top of everything else; when power was xferred; ACARS froze up; which took another 3-4 mins of fiddling before it functioned again. Weight and balance paperwork arrived with load complete time of XA38Z and captain signed at XA40Z. Scheduled block was XA52. See above text to understand what all was going on during this time. Finally blocked out 1 min late; but it was very rushed. Just like above report; we also failed to brief the taxi route; not because we were complacent; but because things had been so rushed. We should have taxied to the hold point for the ramp; set the parking brake; and briefed it there; but once you have the aircraft rolling; there's a tendency to want to maintain the inertia; especially with a crowded ramp behind you. Also; this was the first time either of us had taxied to runway 35L since the runway threshold had been relocated to gate. I am a firm believer in briefing the taxi route and can honestly say this is the first time in memory that I failed to do so. There was also no page which might have allowed us to trap this error. Called ground for taxi and told to 'taxi to runway 35L via taxiway B.' captain repeated clearance. It is a very short taxi. I did not start my takeoff briefing until we were on a straightaway and the flaps were at 15 degrees; as is one of my error-trapping habits. As I was briefing the seo pink page and looking at the 10-7 chart; ground called us to ask if we realized that gate was the last remaining intersection for runway 35L. Of course; at this time we had a pretty good head of steam and there was no way we could have stopped; so I sheepishly told ATC we would have to go down to end of taxiway B and do the loop through ramp. Received further clearance to do so; and proceeded through ramp to gate. Remainder of flight uneventful. We discussed this scenario in cruise; and all of us (including our jumpseater) agreed that if ATC were to change their phraseology to 'taxi to runway 35L at gate via bravo;' this probably would have given us a heads-up and allowed us to trap the error. I hope this can be discussed with ATC. Also; what about temporarily painting something on taxiway B; or putting up temporary wig-wag lights; etc -- something to get one's attention? I know that ultimately it is the crew's responsibility; but there sure could have been some better error traps built in; starting with improved van service that doesn't 'chew up' our allotted preflight time; a construction page; making sure we either brief the taxi route while in the blocks or stop at the ramp spot; set the parking brake; and brief it before calling for taxi; and ATC phraseology which could specify the intersection unambiguously.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FORGETTING THAT TXWY B1 WAS CLOSED; B767 FLT CREW FAILS TO STOP AT TXWY B2 FOR TKOF AT SDF.

Narrative: WE EXPERIENCED A RECURRING TXWY INCURSION PROB. THE AGGRAVATING THING IS THAT I HAD ALREADY SEEN A RPT OF IT BEFORE OUR EVENT. THERE ARE SOME MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES I BELIEVE CONTRIBUTED TO US MISSING THE GATE. ONE OF THE BIG PROBS IS GETTING OUT TO THE ACFT WITH ENOUGH TIME TO PREFLT WITHOUT BEING RUSHED. THE CREW VAN SITUATION IN SDF CAN MAKE THIS VERY DIFFICULT; ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE SVCING MULTIPLE RAMPS. THIS IS AN ONGOING SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADVOCATE THAT VANS ONLY SVC 1 RAMP. THERE WERE PROBS WITH THE COMPUTER/PRINTER INTERFACE; WHICH NECESSITATED A CALL TO TECHNICAL SUPPORT. IT TOOK 5 EXTRA MINS; SO 15-20 MINS TOTAL. HEADED FOR THE BACK DOOR AND LOOKED UP OUR RAMP. AT RAMP; A VAN PULLED UP SHORTLY AND A FULL LOAD OF CREW MEMBERS AHEAD OF US BOARDED. WE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER 5 MINS FOR THE NEXT VAN. BOARDED VAN AND NOW IT'S PROBABLY 30-35 MINS TO BLOCK-OUT TIME. VAN DROPPED CREW ON FAR END OF RAMP X FIRST; STOPPING TO WAIT FOR AN ACFT THAT WAS BLOCKING OUT; THEN REVERSED RTE THROUGH COMPLEX TO HEAD FOR FAR END OF RAMP AND DROPPED US NEXT. ANOTHER 10-12 MINS ELAPSED. STARTED LUGGING OUR BAGS UP THE STAIRS AT APPROX 20-25 MINS PRIOR TO BLOCK TIME. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO A PREFLT/FLT DECK SECURITY CHK; MANUALLY LOAD FLT PLAN IN FMC; DO COCKPIT FLOWS; OBTAIN ATIS; COMPLETE RWY ANALYSIS; OBTAIN PDC; MODIFY FMC ROUTING SINCE THE FILED FLT PLAN AND PDC ARE ALWAYS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT; CLOSE DOORS; CALL RCC WITH LOAD COMPLETE TIME; AND RELEASE BRAKES FOR AN ON-TIME BLOCK-OUT. ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE; WHEN PWR WAS XFERRED; ACARS FROZE UP; WHICH TOOK ANOTHER 3-4 MINS OF FIDDLING BEFORE IT FUNCTIONED AGAIN. WT AND BAL PAPERWORK ARRIVED WITH LOAD COMPLETE TIME OF XA38Z AND CAPT SIGNED AT XA40Z. SCHEDULED BLOCK WAS XA52. SEE ABOVE TEXT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL WAS GOING ON DURING THIS TIME. FINALLY BLOCKED OUT 1 MIN LATE; BUT IT WAS VERY RUSHED. JUST LIKE ABOVE RPT; WE ALSO FAILED TO BRIEF THE TAXI RTE; NOT BECAUSE WE WERE COMPLACENT; BUT BECAUSE THINGS HAD BEEN SO RUSHED. WE SHOULD HAVE TAXIED TO THE HOLD POINT FOR THE RAMP; SET THE PARKING BRAKE; AND BRIEFED IT THERE; BUT ONCE YOU HAVE THE ACFT ROLLING; THERE'S A TENDENCY TO WANT TO MAINTAIN THE INERTIA; ESPECIALLY WITH A CROWDED RAMP BEHIND YOU. ALSO; THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME EITHER OF US HAD TAXIED TO RWY 35L SINCE THE RWY THRESHOLD HAD BEEN RELOCATED TO GATE. I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN BRIEFING THE TAXI RTE AND CAN HONESTLY SAY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MEMORY THAT I FAILED TO DO SO. THERE WAS ALSO NO PAGE WHICH MIGHT HAVE ALLOWED US TO TRAP THIS ERROR. CALLED GND FOR TAXI AND TOLD TO 'TAXI TO RWY 35L VIA TXWY B.' CAPT REPEATED CLRNC. IT IS A VERY SHORT TAXI. I DID NOT START MY TKOF BRIEFING UNTIL WE WERE ON A STRAIGHTAWAY AND THE FLAPS WERE AT 15 DEGS; AS IS ONE OF MY ERROR-TRAPPING HABITS. AS I WAS BRIEFING THE SEO PINK PAGE AND LOOKING AT THE 10-7 CHART; GND CALLED US TO ASK IF WE REALIZED THAT GATE WAS THE LAST REMAINING INTXN FOR RWY 35L. OF COURSE; AT THIS TIME WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD HEAD OF STEAM AND THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD HAVE STOPPED; SO I SHEEPISHLY TOLD ATC WE WOULD HAVE TO GO DOWN TO END OF TXWY B AND DO THE LOOP THROUGH RAMP. RECEIVED FURTHER CLRNC TO DO SO; AND PROCEEDED THROUGH RAMP TO GATE. REMAINDER OF FLT UNEVENTFUL. WE DISCUSSED THIS SCENARIO IN CRUISE; AND ALL OF US (INCLUDING OUR JUMPSEATER) AGREED THAT IF ATC WERE TO CHANGE THEIR PHRASEOLOGY TO 'TAXI TO RWY 35L AT GATE VIA BRAVO;' THIS PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GIVEN US A HEADS-UP AND ALLOWED US TO TRAP THE ERROR. I HOPE THIS CAN BE DISCUSSED WITH ATC. ALSO; WHAT ABOUT TEMPORARILY PAINTING SOMETHING ON TXWY B; OR PUTTING UP TEMPORARY WIG-WAG LIGHTS; ETC -- SOMETHING TO GET ONE'S ATTN? I KNOW THAT ULTIMATELY IT IS THE CREW'S RESPONSIBILITY; BUT THERE SURE COULD HAVE BEEN SOME BETTER ERROR TRAPS BUILT IN; STARTING WITH IMPROVED VAN SVC THAT DOESN'T 'CHEW UP' OUR ALLOTTED PREFLT TIME; A CONSTRUCTION PAGE; MAKING SURE WE EITHER BRIEF THE TAXI RTE WHILE IN THE BLOCKS OR STOP AT THE RAMP SPOT; SET THE PARKING BRAKE; AND BRIEF IT BEFORE CALLING FOR TAXI; AND ATC PHRASEOLOGY WHICH COULD SPECIFY THE INTXN UNAMBIGUOUSLY.

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.