Air carrier follows aircraft onto runway without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	225575
Time
Date	199211
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : okc
State Reference	OK
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	ground : holding ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 5000
ASRS Report	225575
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	incursion : runway non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Oops! We really stepped on it! The captain (and I) taxied onto an active runway without permission. We were waiting on a taxiway behind airliner north, holding short of the active runway. Airliner C landed on the runway and was cleared to do a '180 and back-taxi to the gate.' the airliner in front of us was then cleared to follow airliner C down the runway and to the gate. My captain was anticipating the same clearance and just followed airliner north onto the runway. He assumed we had also been cleared. Unfortunately, I thought he was just moving up to the spot vacated by the airliner in front of us. We started moving forward slowly and I started looking in my publications for a frequency. When I looked up again, we were on the active runway. Boy, were we embarrassed when tower pointed out our mistake.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FOLLOWS ACFT ONTO RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: OOPS! WE REALLY STEPPED ON IT! THE CAPT (AND I) TAXIED ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT PERMISSION. WE WERE WAITING ON A TAXIWAY BEHIND AIRLINER N, HOLDING SHORT OF THE ACTIVE RWY. AIRLINER C LANDED ON THE RWY AND WAS CLRED TO DO A '180 AND BACK-TAXI TO THE GATE.' THE AIRLINER IN FRONT OF US WAS THEN CLRED TO FOLLOW AIRLINER C DOWN THE RWY AND TO THE GATE. MY CAPT WAS ANTICIPATING THE SAME CLRNC AND JUST FOLLOWED AIRLINER N ONTO THE RWY. HE ASSUMED WE HAD ALSO BEEN CLRED. UNFORTUNATELY, I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST MOVING UP TO THE SPOT VACATED BY THE AIRLINER IN FRONT OF US. WE STARTED MOVING FORWARD SLOWLY AND I STARTED LOOKING IN MY PUBLICATIONS FOR A FREQ. WHEN I LOOKED UP AGAIN, WE WERE ON THE ACTIVE RWY. BOY, WERE WE EMBARRASSED WHEN TWR POINTED OUT OUR MISTAKE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.