Narrative:

From my perspective (first officer) this event is quite simple and happened so fast as to be almost unbelievable. I had been the PF. We briefed and performed as briefed a flaps 28 degree visual approach backed up with the ILS to runway 9R at atl using medium autobrakes and turning off at high speed taxiway N10. Upon turning off the high speed at about 40 KTS ground speed; the captain said 'I have the aircraft' and came on the steering. Just as we were xferring control; tower called and said 'air carrier X hold short of runway 9L at dixie and monitor tower on 123.85.' the captain was still in the process of taking the aircraft and was also the one who answered tower's call. I was still following through with the steering and a little braking as I was not sure he had completely taken control of the aircraft as he was still performing PNF duties; ie; answering the radio. Once the captain answered the radio call; he said something to the effect of 'ok; hold short of runway 9L at dixie; tower 123.85 and after landing checklist' which was exactly the clearance we had been given and the clearance he had read back. I felt him come on the brakes and at this point I was now sure he was in fact the PF/taxiing and I began to perform PNF duties as directed. All I had time to do was put the flap handle up which is the very first step in the MD88 after landing checklist flow and reach over to dial in 123.85 into communication #1. I cannot remember if the captain had gotten the first 3 digits dialed in or if I in fact dialed in the entire frequency of 123.85 but that's as far as I got. At this point I went from heads down dialing in the frequency to heads up to see where we were and I saw aircraft headlights rotating approximately 1/2 mi off our left wing! In the time it took me to put the flap handle up simply dial in the next frequency as directed by ATC and the captain; we were traveling at a fairly rapid rate and were already halfway across an active runway at the busiest airport in the world. I think I muttered something to the effect of 'we're on the runway!' to which the captain replied 'I can't believe I just did that.' once across runway 9L; I said 'I guess we better just go to ground frequency' which we did. By the time we got there; ground called with air carrier X to which the captain said to me 'I've got this one' and answered ground with 'ground; I'm sorry; air carrier X that was us.' after that; ground gave us the tower supervisor's number to call and the captain called upon reaching the gate. The only good thing about this incident is that nobody was hurt or worse yet killed. If I had to guess; the aircraft I saw rotating on runway 9L had been solidly airborne between M6 and M10. The part I don't know however is if they had to take an early rotation to do so. Distance-wise it was no closer than when you are landing in atlanta inside of a 1/2 mi final at a few hundred feet and tower clears 1 aircraft to expedite a takeoff on your runway and allows 2 aircraft to cross in front of you (my last rotation). I have over 7000 mishap free flying hours over 20 yrs. I pride myself on being a pretty solid pilot and have never had any training difficulties; in fact my IOE instructor gave me kudos for always having the taxi chart out and providing a solid backup. I can't believe this happened to me or any crew I was on. Supplemental information from acn 716320: I see my breakdown in communication as a primary factor for this event. I allowed myself to misinterpret a clearance to cross to another airplane. I never verbalized my intent of taxiing to the other crew member. I allowed myself to feel rushed by tower and didn't provide enough time to the first officer to be adequately in loop as to what I was going to do.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD88 FLT CREW HAS A RWY INCURSION AT ATL.

Narrative: FROM MY PERSPECTIVE (FO) THIS EVENT IS QUITE SIMPLE AND HAPPENED SO FAST AS TO BE ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE. I HAD BEEN THE PF. WE BRIEFED AND PERFORMED AS BRIEFED A FLAPS 28 DEG VISUAL APCH BACKED UP WITH THE ILS TO RWY 9R AT ATL USING MEDIUM AUTOBRAKES AND TURNING OFF AT HIGH SPD TXWY N10. UPON TURNING OFF THE HIGH SPD AT ABOUT 40 KTS GND SPD; THE CAPT SAID 'I HAVE THE ACFT' AND CAME ON THE STEERING. JUST AS WE WERE XFERRING CTL; TWR CALLED AND SAID 'ACR X HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9L AT DIXIE AND MONITOR TWR ON 123.85.' THE CAPT WAS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE ACFT AND WAS ALSO THE ONE WHO ANSWERED TWR'S CALL. I WAS STILL FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THE STEERING AND A LITTLE BRAKING AS I WAS NOT SURE HE HAD COMPLETELY TAKEN CTL OF THE ACFT AS HE WAS STILL PERFORMING PNF DUTIES; IE; ANSWERING THE RADIO. ONCE THE CAPT ANSWERED THE RADIO CALL; HE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'OK; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9L AT DIXIE; TWR 123.85 AND AFTER LNDG CHKLIST' WHICH WAS EXACTLY THE CLRNC WE HAD BEEN GIVEN AND THE CLRNC HE HAD READ BACK. I FELT HIM COME ON THE BRAKES AND AT THIS POINT I WAS NOW SURE HE WAS IN FACT THE PF/TAXIING AND I BEGAN TO PERFORM PNF DUTIES AS DIRECTED. ALL I HAD TIME TO DO WAS PUT THE FLAP HANDLE UP WHICH IS THE VERY FIRST STEP IN THE MD88 AFTER LNDG CHKLIST FLOW AND REACH OVER TO DIAL IN 123.85 INTO COM #1. I CANNOT REMEMBER IF THE CAPT HAD GOTTEN THE FIRST 3 DIGITS DIALED IN OR IF I IN FACT DIALED IN THE ENTIRE FREQ OF 123.85 BUT THAT'S AS FAR AS I GOT. AT THIS POINT I WENT FROM HEADS DOWN DIALING IN THE FREQ TO HEADS UP TO SEE WHERE WE WERE AND I SAW ACFT HEADLIGHTS ROTATING APPROX 1/2 MI OFF OUR L WING! IN THE TIME IT TOOK ME TO PUT THE FLAP HANDLE UP SIMPLY DIAL IN THE NEXT FREQ AS DIRECTED BY ATC AND THE CAPT; WE WERE TRAVELING AT A FAIRLY RAPID RATE AND WERE ALREADY HALFWAY ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY AT THE BUSIEST ARPT IN THE WORLD. I THINK I MUTTERED SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'WE'RE ON THE RWY!' TO WHICH THE CAPT REPLIED 'I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT.' ONCE ACROSS RWY 9L; I SAID 'I GUESS WE BETTER JUST GO TO GND FREQ' WHICH WE DID. BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE; GND CALLED WITH ACR X TO WHICH THE CAPT SAID TO ME 'I'VE GOT THIS ONE' AND ANSWERED GND WITH 'GND; I'M SORRY; ACR X THAT WAS US.' AFTER THAT; GND GAVE US THE TWR SUPVR'S NUMBER TO CALL AND THE CAPT CALLED UPON REACHING THE GATE. THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT IS THAT NOBODY WAS HURT OR WORSE YET KILLED. IF I HAD TO GUESS; THE ACFT I SAW ROTATING ON RWY 9L HAD BEEN SOLIDLY AIRBORNE BTWN M6 AND M10. THE PART I DON'T KNOW HOWEVER IS IF THEY HAD TO TAKE AN EARLY ROTATION TO DO SO. DISTANCE-WISE IT WAS NO CLOSER THAN WHEN YOU ARE LNDG IN ATLANTA INSIDE OF A 1/2 MI FINAL AT A FEW HUNDRED FEET AND TWR CLRS 1 ACFT TO EXPEDITE A TKOF ON YOUR RWY AND ALLOWS 2 ACFT TO CROSS IN FRONT OF YOU (MY LAST ROTATION). I HAVE OVER 7000 MISHAP FREE FLYING HRS OVER 20 YRS. I PRIDE MYSELF ON BEING A PRETTY SOLID PLT AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY TRAINING DIFFICULTIES; IN FACT MY IOE INSTRUCTOR GAVE ME KUDOS FOR ALWAYS HAVING THE TAXI CHART OUT AND PROVIDING A SOLID BACKUP. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED TO ME OR ANY CREW I WAS ON. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 716320: I SEE MY BREAKDOWN IN COM AS A PRIMARY FACTOR FOR THIS EVENT. I ALLOWED MYSELF TO MISINTERPRET A CLRNC TO CROSS TO ANOTHER AIRPLANE. I NEVER VERBALIZED MY INTENT OF TAXIING TO THE OTHER CREW MEMBER. I ALLOWED MYSELF TO FEEL RUSHED BY TWR AND DIDN'T PROVIDE ENOUGH TIME TO THE FO TO BE ADEQUATELY IN LOOP AS TO WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

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.