Narrative:

There was not much traffic on the ground frequency, and I asked to taxi for departure. My position was on the northern FBO ramp. The controller advised me to taxi to runway 35 via taxiway onto runway 17, back taxi to runway 35, hold short of runway 26, contact the tower for further taxi on runway 17. I had been to yum about a month before and so I glanced at the airport diagram on my commercial chart to identify the taxiway that would start me on my way. I also at this time looked for a parallel taxiway to runway 35, to which there is none. As I came up to runway 17, and made the left turn to begin my back taxi, I observed one of the military aircraft rolling out on a runway (it was runway 3). I made a mental note that the runway I was to hold short of, and I continued my taxi. I then switched to the tower frequency. About the same time I switched, I looked out my left window and saw a bonanza right over my head with the landing gear in the well. My first thought was 'that's strange, they let aircraft depart over you while you are taxiing.' my next thought was the realization of what I had done. The local controller then called and inquired in a demanding way, 'weren't you told to hold short of runway 26?' I admitted to him that I was told that, but that the aircraft downfield had confused me and that I thought that was the runway I was to hold short of (runway 26 in my mind, runway 3 in actuality). Of course, my mind was now a blur. I could not believe what I had just done. The departing bonanza did not report anything to the tower, so I assume he was rotating about 1500 ft away and did not see me. He crossed over me at about 50-75 ft and his departure profile seemed normal and when the tower released him, there was no disturbance in his voice or questions asking what had just happened. I think he was totally oblivious to the incident. I was asked to go to a discrete frequency where all my pilot data was collected. I then collected myself and resumed the flight. Flying single pilot all the time, I have tried to develop good habits. I receive yrly professional training. One of my habits is to complete my checklist prior to movement so that I may focus all my attention to the aircraft when it is moving. The airplane was departing from my blind spot and I was totally surprised at a threat from that area. I seemed to key on the military aircraft rolling down runway 3, because in my mind, I fixated on that aircraft and was sure that was where any conflicts would come from. Another contributing factor was the back taxi on the departing runway. It is very rare at a controled airport to back taxi the full length of the departing runway. Add to this the fact that the ground markings are completely different once you are on a runway. I had already crossed a runway hold bar, and since I did not see another one between me and what I thought was the restr runway, I saw nothing that made me question my location on the airport. I think it is a matter of conditioning, whenever you cross a runway you see the yellow dashed and solid hold lines and you know you are crossing a runway. This was not the case for me, I saw no yellow lines that make you subconsciously look twice. I also was thrown aback by the aircraft departing on runway 26. It may have been a crosswind which allowed that departure, or it may have been a friendly controller granting a pilot request. I was not given the option to taxi to runway 26, which would have been equidistant from my position, therefore, I completely blocked the runway 26 location from my mind. (I assumed since military traffic was departing on the military runway, civilian traffic would be using the same runway I was told to taxi to, runway 35.) how to avoid in the future: better markings on crossing runways to help identify where you are in case there is some confusion. Special considerations by the tower personnel when you are conducting non-industry standard type operations (back taxiing full length). Controllers assigning aircraft the same departure runways to minimize runway incursions. If there had been a lahso mentioned on the ATIS, maybe I would then have looked at the airport chart a little closer to identify the lahso (although I see this as a minimal impact).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE30 PLT, FLYING SINGLE PLT, MISUNDERSTOOD TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND CROSSED RWY 26 AT YUM IN FRONT OF A DEPARTING BONANZA.

Narrative: THERE WAS NOT MUCH TFC ON THE GND FREQ, AND I ASKED TO TAXI FOR DEP. MY POS WAS ON THE NORTHERN FBO RAMP. THE CTLR ADVISED ME TO TAXI TO RWY 35 VIA TXWY ONTO RWY 17, BACK TAXI TO RWY 35, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 26, CONTACT THE TWR FOR FURTHER TAXI ON RWY 17. I HAD BEEN TO YUM ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE AND SO I GLANCED AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON MY COMMERCIAL CHART TO IDENT THE TXWY THAT WOULD START ME ON MY WAY. I ALSO AT THIS TIME LOOKED FOR A PARALLEL TXWY TO RWY 35, TO WHICH THERE IS NONE. AS I CAME UP TO RWY 17, AND MADE THE L TURN TO BEGIN MY BACK TAXI, I OBSERVED ONE OF THE MIL ACFT ROLLING OUT ON A RWY (IT WAS RWY 3). I MADE A MENTAL NOTE THAT THE RWY I WAS TO HOLD SHORT OF, AND I CONTINUED MY TAXI. I THEN SWITCHED TO THE TWR FREQ. ABOUT THE SAME TIME I SWITCHED, I LOOKED OUT MY L WINDOW AND SAW A BONANZA RIGHT OVER MY HEAD WITH THE LNDG GEAR IN THE WELL. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS 'THAT'S STRANGE, THEY LET ACFT DEPART OVER YOU WHILE YOU ARE TAXIING.' MY NEXT THOUGHT WAS THE REALIZATION OF WHAT I HAD DONE. THE LCL CTLR THEN CALLED AND INQUIRED IN A DEMANDING WAY, 'WEREN'T YOU TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 26?' I ADMITTED TO HIM THAT I WAS TOLD THAT, BUT THAT THE ACFT DOWNFIELD HAD CONFUSED ME AND THAT I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE RWY I WAS TO HOLD SHORT OF (RWY 26 IN MY MIND, RWY 3 IN ACTUALITY). OF COURSE, MY MIND WAS NOW A BLUR. I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAD JUST DONE. THE DEPARTING BONANZA DID NOT RPT ANYTHING TO THE TWR, SO I ASSUME HE WAS ROTATING ABOUT 1500 FT AWAY AND DID NOT SEE ME. HE CROSSED OVER ME AT ABOUT 50-75 FT AND HIS DEP PROFILE SEEMED NORMAL AND WHEN THE TWR RELEASED HIM, THERE WAS NO DISTURBANCE IN HIS VOICE OR QUESTIONS ASKING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I THINK HE WAS TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS TO THE INCIDENT. I WAS ASKED TO GO TO A DISCRETE FREQ WHERE ALL MY PLT DATA WAS COLLECTED. I THEN COLLECTED MYSELF AND RESUMED THE FLT. FLYING SINGLE PLT ALL THE TIME, I HAVE TRIED TO DEVELOP GOOD HABITS. I RECEIVE YRLY PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. ONE OF MY HABITS IS TO COMPLETE MY CHKLIST PRIOR TO MOVEMENT SO THAT I MAY FOCUS ALL MY ATTN TO THE ACFT WHEN IT IS MOVING. THE AIRPLANE WAS DEPARTING FROM MY BLIND SPOT AND I WAS TOTALLY SURPRISED AT A THREAT FROM THAT AREA. I SEEMED TO KEY ON THE MIL ACFT ROLLING DOWN RWY 3, BECAUSE IN MY MIND, I FIXATED ON THAT ACFT AND WAS SURE THAT WAS WHERE ANY CONFLICTS WOULD COME FROM. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE BACK TAXI ON THE DEPARTING RWY. IT IS VERY RARE AT A CTLED ARPT TO BACK TAXI THE FULL LENGTH OF THE DEPARTING RWY. ADD TO THIS THE FACT THAT THE GND MARKINGS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ONCE YOU ARE ON A RWY. I HAD ALREADY CROSSED A RWY HOLD BAR, AND SINCE I DID NOT SEE ANOTHER ONE BTWN ME AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE RESTR RWY, I SAW NOTHING THAT MADE ME QUESTION MY LOCATION ON THE ARPT. I THINK IT IS A MATTER OF CONDITIONING, WHENEVER YOU CROSS A RWY YOU SEE THE YELLOW DASHED AND SOLID HOLD LINES AND YOU KNOW YOU ARE XING A RWY. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE FOR ME, I SAW NO YELLOW LINES THAT MAKE YOU SUBCONSCIOUSLY LOOK TWICE. I ALSO WAS THROWN ABACK BY THE ACFT DEPARTING ON RWY 26. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A XWIND WHICH ALLOWED THAT DEP, OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN A FRIENDLY CTLR GRANTING A PLT REQUEST. I WAS NOT GIVEN THE OPTION TO TAXI TO RWY 26, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN EQUIDISTANT FROM MY POS, THEREFORE, I COMPLETELY BLOCKED THE RWY 26 LOCATION FROM MY MIND. (I ASSUMED SINCE MIL TFC WAS DEPARTING ON THE MIL RWY, CIVILIAN TFC WOULD BE USING THE SAME RWY I WAS TOLD TO TAXI TO, RWY 35.) HOW TO AVOID IN THE FUTURE: BETTER MARKINGS ON XING RWYS TO HELP IDENT WHERE YOU ARE IN CASE THERE IS SOME CONFUSION. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS BY THE TWR PERSONNEL WHEN YOU ARE CONDUCTING NON-INDUSTRY STANDARD TYPE OPS (BACK TAXIING FULL LENGTH). CTLRS ASSIGNING ACFT THE SAME DEP RWYS TO MINIMIZE RWY INCURSIONS. IF THERE HAD BEEN A LAHSO MENTIONED ON THE ATIS, MAYBE I WOULD THEN HAVE LOOKED AT THE ARPT CHART A LITTLE CLOSER TO IDENT THE LAHSO (ALTHOUGH I SEE THIS AS A MINIMAL IMPACT).

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.