Air carrier crosses runway 31 hold short line at mdt.

Attributes
ACN	797241
Time
Date	200807
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mdt.airport
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 35 flight time total : 7200 flight time type : 82
ASRS Report	797241
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Events
Anomaly	incursion : runway non adherence : far non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Airport Chart Or Publication FAA Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	FAA
Situations
Chart	airport : mdt.airport

Narrative:

Early morning departure from mdt. Given taxi instructions to follow rj passing behind us to runway 31. When clear of the terminal area; called for the before takeoff checklist. Noticed the rj ahead had stopped on the taxiway and was querying ground about the location of the hold short line for runway 31. My first officer came to the point in checklist where he needed to be 'off' #1 communication; so I was monitoring that radio with the ground frequency while he made his announcement. The rj was told to continue and ground asked if we wanted intersection 'fox' for departure. I had already decided that we would take the full length of the runway for departure. Before I could answer; the first officer stated he was back on communication #1 and I let him know that ground had asked about an intersection fox departure and that I wanted to use the full length of runway 31. He passed this along to ground and she stated that we could have full length. We were taxiing continuously. When I was asked about the intersection fox departure; I looked around the area to see where fox was. The next thing we heard from ground control was to stop where we were and that we had passed the line. We immediately stopped and held our position. I am pretty sure that the entire aircraft was across the line. With the confign at this airport the line is quite a long distance from the actual runway. It was surprising to hear that we passed a stop line so far from the runway. Nothing more was said by either the ground controller or us. I think that what contributed to this was a confluence of events. Distrs came from the rj and his confusion; the first officer being uninvolved with taxiing at that time due to his completing a checklist item and my being somewhat overloaded right at the point when we neared the line. Later; I took some time to review the airport chart again and noticed that the area where this took place is considered a 'hot spot' and is circled in red on the chart. I think that 2 crews being unsure of the location of that particular hold line bears this out. Maybe better signs would keep other crews from making the same mistake in the future.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR CROSSES RWY 31 HOLD SHORT LINE AT MDT.

Narrative: EARLY MORNING DEP FROM MDT. GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW RJ PASSING BEHIND US TO RWY 31. WHEN CLR OF THE TERMINAL AREA; CALLED FOR THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. NOTICED THE RJ AHEAD HAD STOPPED ON THE TXWY AND WAS QUERYING GND ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 31. MY FO CAME TO THE POINT IN CHKLIST WHERE HE NEEDED TO BE 'OFF' #1 COM; SO I WAS MONITORING THAT RADIO WITH THE GND FREQ WHILE HE MADE HIS ANNOUNCEMENT. THE RJ WAS TOLD TO CONTINUE AND GND ASKED IF WE WANTED INTXN 'FOX' FOR DEP. I HAD ALREADY DECIDED THAT WE WOULD TAKE THE FULL LENGTH OF THE RWY FOR DEP. BEFORE I COULD ANSWER; THE FO STATED HE WAS BACK ON COM #1 AND I LET HIM KNOW THAT GND HAD ASKED ABOUT AN INTXN FOX DEP AND THAT I WANTED TO USE THE FULL LENGTH OF RWY 31. HE PASSED THIS ALONG TO GND AND SHE STATED THAT WE COULD HAVE FULL LENGTH. WE WERE TAXIING CONTINUOUSLY. WHEN I WAS ASKED ABOUT THE INTXN FOX DEP; I LOOKED AROUND THE AREA TO SEE WHERE FOX WAS. THE NEXT THING WE HEARD FROM GND CTL WAS TO STOP WHERE WE WERE AND THAT WE HAD PASSED THE LINE. WE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND HELD OUR POS. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THE ENTIRE ACFT WAS ACROSS THE LINE. WITH THE CONFIGN AT THIS ARPT THE LINE IS QUITE A LONG DISTANCE FROM THE ACTUAL RWY. IT WAS SURPRISING TO HEAR THAT WE PASSED A STOP LINE SO FAR FROM THE RWY. NOTHING MORE WAS SAID BY EITHER THE GND CTLR OR US. I THINK THAT WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WAS A CONFLUENCE OF EVENTS. DISTRS CAME FROM THE RJ AND HIS CONFUSION; THE FO BEING UNINVOLVED WITH TAXIING AT THAT TIME DUE TO HIS COMPLETING A CHKLIST ITEM AND MY BEING SOMEWHAT OVERLOADED RIGHT AT THE POINT WHEN WE NEARED THE LINE. LATER; I TOOK SOME TIME TO REVIEW THE ARPT CHART AGAIN AND NOTICED THAT THE AREA WHERE THIS TOOK PLACE IS CONSIDERED A 'HOT SPOT' AND IS CIRCLED IN RED ON THE CHART. I THINK THAT 2 CREWS BEING UNSURE OF THE LOCATION OF THAT PARTICULAR HOLD LINE BEARS THIS OUT. MAYBE BETTER SIGNS WOULD KEEP OTHER CREWS FROM MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE IN THE FUTURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.