Narrative:

During taxi out to runway 23L on taxiway a; tower instructed us to move to the inner taxiway J at J2. This was because we had been assigned a 10 min hold to depart and tower wanted to allow other aircraft to depart. I positioned the aircraft onto taxiway J holding short of J3. I instructed the copilot to leave both engines running; but to configure the bleed system to allow the APU to run the air conditioning packs for more effective cooling. Several aircraft departed from runway 23L and a regional jet was told to hold short taxiway A8 on taxiway a. Tower then issued the instruction; 'taxi around and in front of the rj.' I do not recall a 'hold short' instruction; nor do I recall a 'position and hold' instruction. The copilot responded and then I began to taxi to the northeast edge of taxiway A8 in order to insure wingtip clearance with the nose of the rj. After aircraft movement; I told the copilot to reconfigure the bleeds for takeoff and run the before takeoff checklist again to insure proper bleed confign for takeoff. He was running the checklist as I was taxiing the aircraft towards the runway. I perceived the tower instruction 'taxi around and in front of the rj' to mean clearance onto the runway. We taxied approximately 20 ft past the hold line when the copilot finished the checklist and queried me if we were cleared onto the runway. I stopped the aircraft and we called tower to inquire about our clearance. Tower then said to hold short of the runway. There was a twin engine propeller on approximately a 4 mi final to runway 23L that was sent around. The problem arose with my misinterp of the tower instruction; 'taxi around and in front of the rj.' tasking the copilot with a checklist during this took him out of the loop until it was too late. My concern with wingtip clearance on the rj shifted my focus off of a nonstandard clearance which I should have clarified. I was also on my third consecutive duty day coming up on 7 hours on duty.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD88 FLT CREW TAXIED ONTO RWY 23L AT RDU WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: DURING TAXI OUT TO RWY 23L ON TXWY A; TWR INSTRUCTED US TO MOVE TO THE INNER TXWY J AT J2. THIS WAS BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED A 10 MIN HOLD TO DEPART AND TWR WANTED TO ALLOW OTHER ACFT TO DEPART. I POSITIONED THE ACFT ONTO TXWY J HOLDING SHORT OF J3. I INSTRUCTED THE COPLT TO LEAVE BOTH ENGS RUNNING; BUT TO CONFIGURE THE BLEED SYS TO ALLOW THE APU TO RUN THE AIR CONDITIONING PACKS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE COOLING. SEVERAL ACFT DEPARTED FROM RWY 23L AND A REGIONAL JET WAS TOLD TO HOLD SHORT TXWY A8 ON TXWY A. TWR THEN ISSUED THE INSTRUCTION; 'TAXI AROUND AND IN FRONT OF THE RJ.' I DO NOT RECALL A 'HOLD SHORT' INSTRUCTION; NOR DO I RECALL A 'POS AND HOLD' INSTRUCTION. THE COPLT RESPONDED AND THEN I BEGAN TO TAXI TO THE NE EDGE OF TXWY A8 IN ORDER TO INSURE WINGTIP CLRNC WITH THE NOSE OF THE RJ. AFTER ACFT MOVEMENT; I TOLD THE COPLT TO RECONFIGURE THE BLEEDS FOR TKOF AND RUN THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AGAIN TO INSURE PROPER BLEED CONFIGN FOR TKOF. HE WAS RUNNING THE CHKLIST AS I WAS TAXIING THE ACFT TOWARDS THE RWY. I PERCEIVED THE TWR INSTRUCTION 'TAXI AROUND AND IN FRONT OF THE RJ' TO MEAN CLRNC ONTO THE RWY. WE TAXIED APPROX 20 FT PAST THE HOLD LINE WHEN THE COPLT FINISHED THE CHKLIST AND QUERIED ME IF WE WERE CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND WE CALLED TWR TO INQUIRE ABOUT OUR CLRNC. TWR THEN SAID TO HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY. THERE WAS A TWIN ENG PROP ON APPROX A 4 MI FINAL TO RWY 23L THAT WAS SENT AROUND. THE PROB AROSE WITH MY MISINTERP OF THE TWR INSTRUCTION; 'TAXI AROUND AND IN FRONT OF THE RJ.' TASKING THE COPLT WITH A CHKLIST DURING THIS TOOK HIM OUT OF THE LOOP UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. MY CONCERN WITH WINGTIP CLRNC ON THE RJ SHIFTED MY FOCUS OFF OF A NONSTANDARD CLRNC WHICH I SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED. I WAS ALSO ON MY THIRD CONSECUTIVE DUTY DAY COMING UP ON 7 HRS ON DUTY.

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.