Narrative:

We were instructed to land on runway 16L at reno so that an airline jet could take off on runway 16R. On landing rollout we were instructed by tower to hold short of runway 16R. As we cleared runway 16 on high speed taxiway north, a master caution light came on for the forward entry door. This took my eyes off the taxiway for a couple of seconds to identify the master caution. I followed the green taxi lights on taxiway north and saw a faint hold short line in the dark as tower repeated the instructions to hold short of runway 16R. I stopped the aircraft and noticed the hold short line over my left shoulder, and the white runway edge line ahead of the aircraft. I got on the radio and told tower that we 'passed' the hold short line, but were still clear of the runway. Upon additional looking out of the window in the dark, it appeared that the nose of our aircraft was beyond the hold short line, but none of the landing gear (nose gear included) was beyond the hold short line. The green taxi lights were very bright in the dark. The aircraft taxi light did not illuminate the pavement very well, and the pavement markings were difficult to see with the bright green taxi lights. It is my opinion that hold short lines need to be more visible at night, and that green taxi lights in the pavement should also have yellow lights in the pavement to mark the location of runway hold short lines. The air carrier jet safely continued its takeoff on runway 16R.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW HAD RWY INCURSION AFTER LNDG ON RWY 16L AT RNO.

Narrative: WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO LAND ON RWY 16L AT RENO SO THAT AN AIRLINE JET COULD TAKE OFF ON RWY 16R. ON LNDG ROLLOUT WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY TWR TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 16R. AS WE CLRED RWY 16 ON HIGH SPD TXWY N, A MASTER CAUTION LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FORWARD ENTRY DOOR. THIS TOOK MY EYES OFF THE TXWY FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS TO IDENT THE MASTER CAUTION. I FOLLOWED THE GREEN TAXI LIGHTS ON TXWY N AND SAW A FAINT HOLD SHORT LINE IN THE DARK AS TWR REPEATED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 16R. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND NOTICED THE HOLD SHORT LINE OVER MY L SHOULDER, AND THE WHITE RWY EDGE LINE AHEAD OF THE ACFT. I GOT ON THE RADIO AND TOLD TWR THAT WE 'PASSED' THE HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT WERE STILL CLR OF THE RWY. UPON ADDITIONAL LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW IN THE DARK, IT APPEARED THAT THE NOSE OF OUR ACFT WAS BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT NONE OF THE LNDG GEAR (NOSE GEAR INCLUDED) WAS BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THE GREEN TAXI LIGHTS WERE VERY BRIGHT IN THE DARK. THE ACFT TAXI LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE THE PAVEMENT VERY WELL, AND THE PAVEMENT MARKINGS WERE DIFFICULT TO SEE WITH THE BRIGHT GREEN TAXI LIGHTS. IT IS MY OPINION THAT HOLD SHORT LINES NEED TO BE MORE VISIBLE AT NIGHT, AND THAT GREEN TAXI LIGHTS IN THE PAVEMENT SHOULD ALSO HAVE YELLOW LIGHTS IN THE PAVEMENT TO MARK THE LOCATION OF RWY HOLD SHORT LINES. THE ACR JET SAFELY CONTINUED ITS TKOF ON RWY 16R.

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.