Air ambulance CE500 flight crew taxies onto inactive runway in error, mistaking the taxiway.

Attributes
ACN	339536
Time
Date	199606
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : hou
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 5300 flight time type : 55
ASRS Report	339536
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	incursion : runway non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We were cleared to taxi from FBO to runway 17 and hold short of taxiway F. The captain was taxiing. We were both unfamiliar with the airport. Runway 21 was the active landing runway. Runway 17 was not in use at the time. Captain accidently taxied onto runway 17 at taxiway G2. He thought taxiway F was on the other side. I was reading the checklist. I had told him to taxi on down past taxiway G2 to taxiway F, but he misunderstood my instructions. Neither ground nor tower said anything about this excursion. We taxied onto runway 17 and quickly turned around when we caught our mistake. We continued to taxiway F, then back-taxied due to construction on the taxiway.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR AMBULANCE CE500 FLC TAXIES ONTO INACTIVE RWY IN ERROR, MISTAKING THE TXWY.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI FROM FBO TO RWY 17 AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY F. THE CAPT WAS TAXIING. WE WERE BOTH UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. RWY 21 WAS THE ACTIVE LNDG RWY. RWY 17 WAS NOT IN USE AT THE TIME. CAPT ACCIDENTLY TAXIED ONTO RWY 17 AT TXWY G2. HE THOUGHT TXWY F WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE. I WAS READING THE CHKLIST. I HAD TOLD HIM TO TAXI ON DOWN PAST TXWY G2 TO TXWY F, BUT HE MISUNDERSTOOD MY INSTRUCTIONS. NEITHER GND NOR TWR SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THIS EXCURSION. WE TAXIED ONTO RWY 17 AND QUICKLY TURNED AROUND WHEN WE CAUGHT OUR MISTAKE. WE CONTINUED TO TXWY F, THEN BACK-TAXIED DUE TO CONSTRUCTION ON THE TXWY.

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.