Narrative:

Landed runway 24R. South on 49, hold short taxiway K inner. Ground control then said left (east) on the outer. Hold short of 45. We were facing east on taxiway J outer, short of 45. The first officer and I were discussing whether we had made a wrong turn and were actually on the taxiway K inner rather than taxiway J outer. We were unsure of our position. (We were in fact at correct position.) further confusing the issue was a couple of air carrier aircraft facing us head-on wbound on taxiway J outer in the vicinity of 36. Ground then instructed us to taxi to the gate on the outer. Since there were aircraft facing us, both the first officer and I thought we had mistakenly turned east on the inner rather than the outer. When ground control said cleared to the gate on the outer, we both conceded we had turned east on the inner, and ground control wanted us to turn right (south) on 45-J, transition to the outer, turn left on the outer and continue to the gate. I turned right on 45-J sbound. Just as I straightened out sbound, I saw the double solid/double dash yellow markings on 45-J and realized I was about to enter a runway (25R). At the same time I started applying brakes, a different controller shouted 'XXXX stop!' we had come to a stop with the nose past the double solid/double dash 'hold' line, sbound on 45-J, short of runway 7L/25R. I looked east toward the approach end of runway 25R. The runway was clear, no one taking off or landing. Ground control told us to contact tower. We called tower. They instructed us to proceed east on runway 25R and call ground control exiting the runway. Ground control gave us a telephone number to call. We discussed the situation several mins. The controller I talked with suggested being more careful -- I agreed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the B-737-300 for a major air carrier. He had not flown into lax in a long time and had never landed on the north side before. He was not familiar with the taxi rtes from the north side. Both crewmen had their airport diagrams out but to no avail. Seeing several aircraft nose-to-nose with him was most disconcerting. They were waiting for the reporter's aircraft. Ground control wanted the reporter to go right up to the waiting aircraft, then turn left. The reporter was very concerned about having no place to go, so he made the wrong turn. There was no WX problem or lighting problem. The call to the tower was very cordial and the reporter 'fessed up' to making a mistake.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MLG FLC ALMOST STRAYED ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative: LANDED RWY 24R. S ON 49, HOLD SHORT TXWY K INNER. GND CTL THEN SAID L (E) ON THE OUTER. HOLD SHORT OF 45. WE WERE FACING E ON TXWY J OUTER, SHORT OF 45. THE FO AND I WERE DISCUSSING WHETHER WE HAD MADE A WRONG TURN AND WERE ACTUALLY ON THE TXWY K INNER RATHER THAN TXWY J OUTER. WE WERE UNSURE OF OUR POS. (WE WERE IN FACT AT CORRECT POS.) FURTHER CONFUSING THE ISSUE WAS A COUPLE OF ACR ACFT FACING US HEAD-ON WBOUND ON TXWY J OUTER IN THE VICINITY OF 36. GND THEN INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO THE GATE ON THE OUTER. SINCE THERE WERE ACFT FACING US, BOTH THE FO AND I THOUGHT WE HAD MISTAKENLY TURNED E ON THE INNER RATHER THAN THE OUTER. WHEN GND CTL SAID CLRED TO THE GATE ON THE OUTER, WE BOTH CONCEDED WE HAD TURNED E ON THE INNER, AND GND CTL WANTED US TO TURN R (S) ON 45-J, TRANSITION TO THE OUTER, TURN L ON THE OUTER AND CONTINUE TO THE GATE. I TURNED R ON 45-J SBOUND. JUST AS I STRAIGHTENED OUT SBOUND, I SAW THE DOUBLE SOLID/DOUBLE DASH YELLOW MARKINGS ON 45-J AND REALIZED I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER A RWY (25R). AT THE SAME TIME I STARTED APPLYING BRAKES, A DIFFERENT CTLR SHOUTED 'XXXX STOP!' WE HAD COME TO A STOP WITH THE NOSE PAST THE DOUBLE SOLID/DOUBLE DASH 'HOLD' LINE, SBOUND ON 45-J, SHORT OF RWY 7L/25R. I LOOKED E TOWARD THE APCH END OF RWY 25R. THE RWY WAS CLR, NO ONE TAKING OFF OR LNDG. GND CTL TOLD US TO CONTACT TWR. WE CALLED TWR. THEY INSTRUCTED US TO PROCEED E ON RWY 25R AND CALL GND CTL EXITING THE RWY. GND CTL GAVE US A TELEPHONE NUMBER TO CALL. WE DISCUSSED THE SIT SEVERAL MINS. THE CTLR I TALKED WITH SUGGESTED BEING MORE CAREFUL -- I AGREED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B-737-300 FOR A MAJOR ACR. HE HAD NOT FLOWN INTO LAX IN A LONG TIME AND HAD NEVER LANDED ON THE N SIDE BEFORE. HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TAXI RTES FROM THE N SIDE. BOTH CREWMEN HAD THEIR ARPT DIAGRAMS OUT BUT TO NO AVAIL. SEEING SEVERAL ACFT NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH HIM WAS MOST DISCONCERTING. THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE RPTR'S ACFT. GND CTL WANTED THE RPTR TO GO RIGHT UP TO THE WAITING ACFT, THEN TURN L. THE RPTR WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING NO PLACE TO GO, SO HE MADE THE WRONG TURN. THERE WAS NO WX PROB OR LIGHTING PROB. THE CALL TO THE TWR WAS VERY CORDIAL AND THE RPTR 'FESSED UP' TO MAKING A 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.