Narrative:

Taxi from gate for takeoff to dal, had landed 20 mins earlier on runway 12R. On pushback, first officer mentioned he'd heard on frequency that a new ATIS was out. Ground gave clearance to push and expect runway 35. Started engines during push. Did after start checks. First officer got taxi clearance: 'taxi runway 35 via taxiway D, hold short runway 30R, verify you have new ATIS.' first officer said we'd get new ATIS and read back taxi instruction. I repeated and instructed him to get ATIS then verify our performance was ok for runway 35, which is short. He entered old numbers in computer and said 'runway 35 is ok.' I said, 'yeah, but we don't know if that's true with current numbers,' so he went off frequency for ATIS. While he was off, ground issued instructions for us to cross all runways, taxi via taxiway G and I read this back. When the first officer came back on frequency with new numbers and verified performance, I briefed him we were cleared to cross. I did not write the clearance down, and it is unusual for me to be alone on frequency on the ground. I brief that first officer's will not leave frequency to talk to company until all active runways are cleared after landing, but the need to get new ATIS on taxi out is rare, and I broke my own rule. I thought we were clear across runway 30R&left and runway 4, taxi runway 35. That is what I told the first officer. He very carefully waited to swap to tower until past all txwys before runway 35 departure end (including runway 4). When he switched, tower was transmitting that we were cleared for takeoff on runway 4, but 'oh, it looks like you passed runway 4, can you do a 180 degree turn?' we said no, and tower said 'can you accept runway 35?' I told tower what I thought our clearance was 'crossing all runways taxi runway 35' and tower said they showed we were cleared to runway 4, but it was ok, 'turn right heading 030 degrees, cleared for takeoff runway 35.' this is ironic. During the ground time, I had been down to tell the chief pilot of my concerns over ATC. The day prior, we were cleared for immediate takeoff before the preceding jet had even spooled because tower wanted to get us off before an intersecting runway landing. We declined (especially when we noted the landing aircraft at 100 ft after the departing aircraft rotated) and stated intentions to hold in position, but were asked to taxi clear and the next guy in line was issued takeoff clearance. When we got back to the #1 position, we were again cleared for takeoff as though we were in formation with the preceding aircraft. If any aborts had occurred and we'd accepted these clrncs, it would have been disastrous. Anyway, on our runway incursion, I'm not sure if we misheard, misremembered, ground misspoke, or tower got bad information. I will now be 1) writing down clrncs when alone on frequency, 2) stopping the jet if the first officer has to go off frequency on the ground, and 3) even more fanatical than I am now about clarification and verification. The first officer said later when he first got out of the military, he verified each runway crossing, but it made capts cross with him.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF MLG RECEIVES TAXI CLRNC AND WORD OF A NEW ATIS AT THE SAME TIME. FO LEAVES TO GET ATIS AND CAPT RECEIVES AMENDED TAXI CLRNC. CONFUSION RESULTS AND THEY TAXI BEYOND ASSIGNED RWY. UNABLE TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN, THEY ARE GIVEN TKOF CLRNC FOR RWY THEY EXPECTED.

Narrative: TAXI FROM GATE FOR TKOF TO DAL, HAD LANDED 20 MINS EARLIER ON RWY 12R. ON PUSHBACK, FO MENTIONED HE'D HEARD ON FREQ THAT A NEW ATIS WAS OUT. GND GAVE CLRNC TO PUSH AND EXPECT RWY 35. STARTED ENGS DURING PUSH. DID AFTER START CHKS. FO GOT TAXI CLRNC: 'TAXI RWY 35 VIA TXWY D, HOLD SHORT RWY 30R, VERIFY YOU HAVE NEW ATIS.' FO SAID WE'D GET NEW ATIS AND READ BACK TAXI INSTRUCTION. I REPEATED AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO GET ATIS THEN VERIFY OUR PERFORMANCE WAS OK FOR RWY 35, WHICH IS SHORT. HE ENTERED OLD NUMBERS IN COMPUTER AND SAID 'RWY 35 IS OK.' I SAID, 'YEAH, BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE WITH CURRENT NUMBERS,' SO HE WENT OFF FREQ FOR ATIS. WHILE HE WAS OFF, GND ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS FOR US TO CROSS ALL RWYS, TAXI VIA TXWY G AND I READ THIS BACK. WHEN THE FO CAME BACK ON FREQ WITH NEW NUMBERS AND VERIFIED PERFORMANCE, I BRIEFED HIM WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS. I DID NOT WRITE THE CLRNC DOWN, AND IT IS UNUSUAL FOR ME TO BE ALONE ON FREQ ON THE GND. I BRIEF THAT FO'S WILL NOT LEAVE FREQ TO TALK TO COMPANY UNTIL ALL ACTIVE RWYS ARE CLRED AFTER LNDG, BUT THE NEED TO GET NEW ATIS ON TAXI OUT IS RARE, AND I BROKE MY OWN RULE. I THOUGHT WE WERE CLR ACROSS RWY 30R&L AND RWY 4, TAXI RWY 35. THAT IS WHAT I TOLD THE FO. HE VERY CAREFULLY WAITED TO SWAP TO TWR UNTIL PAST ALL TXWYS BEFORE RWY 35 DEP END (INCLUDING RWY 4). WHEN HE SWITCHED, TWR WAS XMITTING THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 4, BUT 'OH, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU PASSED RWY 4, CAN YOU DO A 180 DEG TURN?' WE SAID NO, AND TWR SAID 'CAN YOU ACCEPT RWY 35?' I TOLD TWR WHAT I THOUGHT OUR CLRNC WAS 'XING ALL RWYS TAXI RWY 35' AND TWR SAID THEY SHOWED WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 4, BUT IT WAS OK, 'TURN R HDG 030 DEGS, CLRED FOR TKOF RWY 35.' THIS IS IRONIC. DURING THE GND TIME, I HAD BEEN DOWN TO TELL THE CHIEF PLT OF MY CONCERNS OVER ATC. THE DAY PRIOR, WE WERE CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF BEFORE THE PRECEDING JET HAD EVEN SPOOLED BECAUSE TWR WANTED TO GET US OFF BEFORE AN INTERSECTING RWY LNDG. WE DECLINED (ESPECIALLY WHEN WE NOTED THE LNDG ACFT AT 100 FT AFTER THE DEPARTING ACFT ROTATED) AND STATED INTENTIONS TO HOLD IN POS, BUT WERE ASKED TO TAXI CLR AND THE NEXT GUY IN LINE WAS ISSUED TKOF CLRNC. WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE #1 POS, WE WERE AGAIN CLRED FOR TKOF AS THOUGH WE WERE IN FORMATION WITH THE PRECEDING ACFT. IF ANY ABORTS HAD OCCURRED AND WE'D ACCEPTED THESE CLRNCS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. ANYWAY, ON OUR RWY INCURSION, I'M NOT SURE IF WE MISHEARD, MISREMEMBERED, GND MISSPOKE, OR TWR GOT BAD INFO. I WILL NOW BE 1) WRITING DOWN CLRNCS WHEN ALONE ON FREQ, 2) STOPPING THE JET IF THE FO HAS TO GO OFF FREQ ON THE GND, AND 3) EVEN MORE FANATICAL THAN I AM NOW ABOUT CLARIFICATION AND VERIFICATION. THE FO SAID LATER WHEN HE FIRST GOT OUT OF THE MIL, HE VERIFIED EACH RWY XING, BUT IT MADE CAPTS CROSS WITH HIM.

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.