Narrative:

I was captain on flight from denver to los angeles on a B737- 300. We landed lax on runway 25L. My first officer was flying pilot. I assumed command (control) of the aircraft after landing on rollout. We were a little too fast to turn off on taxiway M as I continued down to taxiway north and turned right on a taxiway I had never previously used before. As we were approaching taxiway north tower confirmed our using taxiway north and advised us of a B747 using the P taxiway opposite direction. As we taxied off runway 25L on taxiway north, I switched the radio to ground control (which I already preset) and told my first officer 'we were on ground.' he was busy doing his after landing sops and was situationally unaware of what was happening outside the aircraft. I looked to my left at the cargo B747 on taxiway P. That was when I lost situational awareness because I wasn't looking forward where my aircraft was taxiing. Just a few seconds later both of us (my first officer and I) regained situational awareness and realized we were approaching the edge of runway 25R. I stopped the aircraft and our nose gear was on the white runway edge line with the nose of our aircraft protruding over. We looked down the runway and saw an aircraft quite a ways down as my first officer told ground control we were on runway 25R. Fortunately tower was watching us approach runway 25R and told the aircraft on runway 25R to cancel takeoff clearance. Ground control then told us to proceed across. I elected to stay where I was on the runway edge and not proceed across when we first realized we were on the departure runway because I knew there would be clearance for another aircraft who might be taking off like the one we saw well down the runway headed towards us. The three factors which caused me to lose my situational awareness are 1) turning off on a 90 degree taxiway which I don't recall ever using. 2) B747 distraction on parallel taxiway. 3) tower did not instruct us to hold short of runway 25R and stay with her as I am used to hearing. I could have thought I landed on runway 25R and switched to ground as I cleared the runway. What would have helped prevent this incursion would have been tower instructions to hold short of runway 25R with the required acknowledgement on our part.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY INCURSION BY ARRIVING ACR B737 WHEN FLC CROSSED THE RWY 25R HOLD LINE.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT ON FLT FROM DENVER TO LOS ANGELES ON A B737- 300. WE LANDED LAX ON RWY 25L. MY FO WAS FLYING PLT. I ASSUMED COMMAND (CTL) OF THE ACFT AFTER LNDG ON ROLLOUT. WE WERE A LITTLE TOO FAST TO TURN OFF ON TXWY M AS I CONTINUED DOWN TO TXWY N AND TURNED R ON A TXWY I HAD NEVER PREVIOUSLY USED BEFORE. AS WE WERE APPROACHING TXWY N TOWER CONFIRMED OUR USING TXWY N AND ADVISED US OF A B747 USING THE P TXWY OPPOSITE DIRECTION. AS WE TAXIED OFF RWY 25L ON TXWY N, I SWITCHED THE RADIO TO GND CTL (WHICH I ALREADY PRESET) AND TOLD MY FO 'WE WERE ON GND.' HE WAS BUSY DOING HIS AFTER LNDG SOPS AND WAS SITUATIONALLY UNAWARE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING OUTSIDE THE ACFT. I LOOKED TO MY L AT THE CARGO B747 ON TXWY P. THAT WAS WHEN I LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BECAUSE I WASN'T LOOKING FORWARD WHERE MY ACFT WAS TAXIING. JUST A FEW SECONDS LATER BOTH OF US (MY FO AND I) REGAINED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND REALIZED WE WERE APPROACHING THE EDGE OF RWY 25R. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND OUR NOSE GEAR WAS ON THE WHITE RWY EDGE LINE WITH THE NOSE OF OUR ACFT PROTRUDING OVER. WE LOOKED DOWN THE RWY AND SAW AN ACFT QUITE A WAYS DOWN AS MY FO TOLD GND CTL WE WERE ON RWY 25R. FORTUNATELY TWR WAS WATCHING US APPROACH RWY 25R AND TOLD THE ACFT ON RWY 25R TO CANCEL TKOF CLRNC. GND CTL THEN TOLD US TO PROCEED ACROSS. I ELECTED TO STAY WHERE I WAS ON THE RWY EDGE AND NOT PROCEED ACROSS WHEN WE FIRST REALIZED WE WERE ON THE DEP RWY BECAUSE I KNEW THERE WOULD BE CLRNC FOR ANOTHER ACFT WHO MIGHT BE TAKING OFF LIKE THE ONE WE SAW WELL DOWN THE RWY HEADED TOWARDS US. THE THREE FACTORS WHICH CAUSED ME TO LOSE MY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ARE 1) TURNING OFF ON A 90 DEGREE TXWY WHICH I DON'T RECALL EVER USING. 2) B747 DISTRACTION ON PARALLEL TXWY. 3) TWR DID NOT INSTRUCT US TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25R AND STAY WITH HER AS I AM USED TO HEARING. I COULD HAVE THOUGHT I LANDED ON RWY 25R AND SWITCHED TO GND AS I CLRED THE RWY. WHAT WOULD HAVE HELPED PREVENT THIS INCURSION WOULD HAVE BEEN TWR INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25R WITH THE REQUIRED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ON OUR PART.

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.