Narrative:

After landing rollout to the end of runway 28L at pit, I exited at taxiway west. Tower instructed us to contact ground control which I had preset for my first officer since he made the landing. As I taxied up to hold short of runway 28C, I heard my first officer advise what I thought was ground that we were holding short of runway 28C. Ground then instructed us to cross and proceed to the ramp. As I started across runway 28C, I looked down the runway and spotted an aircraft on the surface with landing lights on. Seconds later, it became apparent this aircraft was actually in motion and was then, in fact, on takeoff roll. I proceeded across runway 28C at the same taxi speed since it was clear that I would be on the other side before the other aircraft could reach us. In fact, he was airborne about 3000-4000 ft from our position. I then told my first officer to contact ground to find out what had happened and why we had been cleared to cross runway 28C with an aircraft on takeoff roll. Ground denied giving us clearance. It became apparent at this time that my first officer had mistakenly dialed in ramp control on the active side of the #1 VHF, failed to throw the switch and had asked for and received clearance to the ramp from ramp control frequency instead of ground. My first officer's explanation for this error was his unfamiliarity with the 2 sided VHF having flown the DC9 up until just over 1 month ago. Supplemental information from acn 415004: I called ground, which stated that this contact was their first contact with us. Supplemental information from acn 415602: traffic passed above and slightly behind our aircraft. Parked at gate. Solutions: 1) tower should control all aircraft until clear of all active runways. 2) stop lights should be installed on all xings of active runways red for stop, green for cleared to cross. 3) ramp control should no longer be referred to as 'ramp tower.' 4) ramp control should see and identify all traffic prior to issuing a clearance for ramp movement or movement of an aircraft to a designated spot should be controled by the aircraft pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B767 HOLDING AT TXWY CLR OF RWY THOUGHT THEY WERE CLRED TO CROSS BY GND CTL. AS THE B767 CROSSED, IT SAW AN ACR DC9 ON TKOF ROLL AND THE ACFT PASSED BEHIND AND ABOVE THE B767. FO ON B767 WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH 2 SIDED VHF RADIO AND WAS TALKING TO RAMP CTL VERSUS GND CTL WHEN HIS ACFT WAS CLRED TO CROSS AND IN TO THE GATE.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG ROLLOUT TO THE END OF RWY 28L AT PIT, I EXITED AT TXWY W. TWR INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT GND CTL WHICH I HAD PRESET FOR MY FO SINCE HE MADE THE LNDG. AS I TAXIED UP TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28C, I HEARD MY FO ADVISE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS GND THAT WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 28C. GND THEN INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS AND PROCEED TO THE RAMP. AS I STARTED ACROSS RWY 28C, I LOOKED DOWN THE RWY AND SPOTTED AN ACFT ON THE SURFACE WITH LNDG LIGHTS ON. SECONDS LATER, IT BECAME APPARENT THIS ACFT WAS ACTUALLY IN MOTION AND WAS THEN, IN FACT, ON TKOF ROLL. I PROCEEDED ACROSS RWY 28C AT THE SAME TAXI SPD SINCE IT WAS CLR THAT I WOULD BE ON THE OTHER SIDE BEFORE THE OTHER ACFT COULD REACH US. IN FACT, HE WAS AIRBORNE ABOUT 3000-4000 FT FROM OUR POS. I THEN TOLD MY FO TO CONTACT GND TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WHY WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO CROSS RWY 28C WITH AN ACFT ON TKOF ROLL. GND DENIED GIVING US CLRNC. IT BECAME APPARENT AT THIS TIME THAT MY FO HAD MISTAKENLY DIALED IN RAMP CTL ON THE ACTIVE SIDE OF THE #1 VHF, FAILED TO THROW THE SWITCH AND HAD ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO THE RAMP FROM RAMP CTL FREQ INSTEAD OF GND. MY FO'S EXPLANATION FOR THIS ERROR WAS HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE 2 SIDED VHF HAVING FLOWN THE DC9 UP UNTIL JUST OVER 1 MONTH AGO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 415004: I CALLED GND, WHICH STATED THAT THIS CONTACT WAS THEIR FIRST CONTACT WITH US. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 415602: TFC PASSED ABOVE AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND OUR ACFT. PARKED AT GATE. SOLUTIONS: 1) TWR SHOULD CTL ALL ACFT UNTIL CLR OF ALL ACTIVE RWYS. 2) STOP LIGHTS SHOULD BE INSTALLED ON ALL XINGS OF ACTIVE RWYS RED FOR STOP, GREEN FOR CLRED TO CROSS. 3) RAMP CTL SHOULD NO LONGER BE REFERRED TO AS 'RAMP TWR.' 4) RAMP CTL SHOULD SEE AND IDENT ALL TFC PRIOR TO ISSUING A CLRNC FOR RAMP MOVEMENT OR MOVEMENT OF AN ACFT TO A DESIGNATED SPOT SHOULD BE CTLED BY THE ACFT PLT.

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.