Narrative:

Cleared in position and hold on runway 4L at ewr. Traffic, an large transport, was on a climb out. Runway was clear. We were cleared for takeoff. As a normal procedure the check airman flying, as a first officer, completed the before takeoff checklist and acknowledged the clearance. I proceeded to illuminate the landing, taxi and flood lights, set throttles up for engine spool up, checked the elevator power on annunciator light after applying forward pressure on elevator yoke. By now engines were spooled, so I proceeded to apply takeoff power. After setting takeoff power the pilot in the right seat confirmed takeoff power set. Looking down the runway an medium large transport Y was just about clear when we received the 'cancel takeoff clearance' from the tower. We proceeded with the rejected takeoff procedure from the flight manual. Supplemental information from acn 90181: tower directed abort due to runway incursion by another aircraft at departure end of active runway. We never saw the aircraft cross the runway because the incident occurred while we were taxiing on the runway for takeoff. Tower, after realizing the incident, directed the abort at approximately 80 KTS. At no time did the situation appear to be dangerous. FAA inspector was in the jumpseat. Supplemental information from acn 90192: we landed runway 4R at ewr. Tower controller told us to exit at the high speed. The first officer responded, 'we will do it.' tower controller then advised us to hold short of november taxiway and remain with him. The first officer again responded, 'we will do it.' these were normal ATC instructions at ewr in preparation of crossing the active departure runway 4L. ATC then said, 'cross runway 29, hold short of zulu and contact ground.' the first officer responded, 'we will do it.' I proceeded to cross the approach end of runway 22R. As the controller gave the last instructions, a departing large transport came overhead and created a lot of noise, so I did not fully hear the crossing clearance. I heard the clearance to cross and over to ground as the normal clearance, and asked the first officer, 'he did clear us to cross, correct?' he responded, 'we are cleared to cross.' taxiway north is short prior to the runway and we approached it heading northwest. I was unable to see the approach end of runway 4L until I was partially on the runway. Another aircraft was cleared for departure prior to our clearance to cross runway 29. He was in position and just started his takeoff roll when we crossed. I saw his lights come on when we were halfway across runway 4L. Tower aborted his takeoff. When we contacted ground, we were told to call tower when at the gate. Major factors contributing to the problem: the clearance received is far from the normal at ewr. Being based at ewr for 3 yrs, I have never crossed runway 29 to get to the main terminal. Checking with 5 other ny based pilots, no one else received a clearance such as that either. Considering the unusual nature of the clearance, the controller did not verify proper readback. Also, we did not receive a call from ATC once we made the left turn on taxiway north indicating the controller might not have been following our progress. Complete readback of crossing instructions was not given by the first officer. Also, he was not familiar with ewr. Additional notes: taxiway north crosses runway 4L at the end of the stopway. The controller's clearance to cross runway 29 appears to cross the departure end of runway 4L, possibly crossing into the obstruction clearance plane of the runway. Supplemental information from acn 90180: what I heard the tower give as a clearance was for medium large transport Y to cross runway 22R at microphone and contact ground on the other side. My reply to this was, 'roger, we will do it.' what the tower controller's supervisor told us later was that they cleared us to cross runway 29 and contact ground on the other side. I believe one reason I did not hear the clearance the tower says they gave us is that while the tower was issuing the clearance, I was slightly distracted by an large transport passing overhead that had just departed runway 4L. In addition to the fact that xings of runways 4L-22R were perfectly normal at ewr, the sound of the large transport departing off runway 4L indicated to me that we would probably be next in sequence on the ground for movement towards the ramp area across the departure runway. I believe this situation could have been avoided had the tower controller requested a readback of our taxi clearance. This should be a mandatory radio procedure at all airports where regular operations of the kind I have just described take place, ie, lndgs, departures on parallel runways with departures from the same or adjacent runways, with taxiing aircraft having to cross departure runways. This situation could also have been avoided if I had read back the crossing clearance I heard and waited for a reply from the tower as to its accuracy before proceeding.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG DIDN'T FOLLOW ATC TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND TAXIED ONTO ACTIVE RWY. MLG ON TKOF WAS TOLD TO ABORT BY LCL CTLR.

Narrative: CLRED IN POS AND HOLD ON RWY 4L AT EWR. TFC, AN LGT, WAS ON A CLBOUT. RWY WAS CLR. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. AS A NORMAL PROC THE CHK AIRMAN FLYING, AS A F/O, COMPLETED THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC. I PROCEEDED TO ILLUMINATE THE LNDG, TAXI AND FLOOD LIGHTS, SET THROTTLES UP FOR ENG SPOOL UP, CHKED THE ELEVATOR PWR ON ANNUNCIATOR LIGHT AFTER APPLYING FORWARD PRESSURE ON ELEVATOR YOKE. BY NOW ENGS WERE SPOOLED, SO I PROCEEDED TO APPLY TKOF PWR. AFTER SETTING TKOF PWR THE PLT IN THE RIGHT SEAT CONFIRMED TKOF PWR SET. LOOKING DOWN THE RWY AN MLG Y WAS JUST ABOUT CLR WHEN WE RECEIVED THE 'CANCEL TKOF CLRNC' FROM THE TWR. WE PROCEEDED WITH THE REJECTED TKOF PROC FROM THE FLT MANUAL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 90181: TWR DIRECTED ABORT DUE TO RWY INCURSION BY ANOTHER ACFT AT DEP END OF ACTIVE RWY. WE NEVER SAW THE ACFT CROSS THE RWY BECAUSE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE WE WERE TAXIING ON THE RWY FOR TKOF. TWR, AFTER REALIZING THE INCIDENT, DIRECTED THE ABORT AT APPROX 80 KTS. AT NO TIME DID THE SITUATION APPEAR TO BE DANGEROUS. FAA INSPECTOR WAS IN THE JUMPSEAT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 90192: WE LANDED RWY 4R AT EWR. TWR CTLR TOLD US TO EXIT AT THE HIGH SPD. THE F/O RESPONDED, 'WE WILL DO IT.' TWR CTLR THEN ADVISED US TO HOLD SHORT OF NOVEMBER TXWY AND REMAIN WITH HIM. THE F/O AGAIN RESPONDED, 'WE WILL DO IT.' THESE WERE NORMAL ATC INSTRUCTIONS AT EWR IN PREPARATION OF XING THE ACTIVE DEP RWY 4L. ATC THEN SAID, 'CROSS RWY 29, HOLD SHORT OF ZULU AND CONTACT GND.' THE F/O RESPONDED, 'WE WILL DO IT.' I PROCEEDED TO CROSS THE APCH END OF RWY 22R. AS THE CTLR GAVE THE LAST INSTRUCTIONS, A DEPARTING LGT CAME OVERHEAD AND CREATED A LOT OF NOISE, SO I DID NOT FULLY HEAR THE XING CLRNC. I HEARD THE CLRNC TO CROSS AND OVER TO GND AS THE NORMAL CLRNC, AND ASKED THE F/O, 'HE DID CLR US TO CROSS, CORRECT?' HE RESPONDED, 'WE ARE CLRED TO CROSS.' TXWY N IS SHORT PRIOR TO THE RWY AND WE APCHED IT HEADING NW. I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE APCH END OF RWY 4L UNTIL I WAS PARTIALLY ON THE RWY. ANOTHER ACFT WAS CLRED FOR DEP PRIOR TO OUR CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 29. HE WAS IN POS AND JUST STARTED HIS TKOF ROLL WHEN WE CROSSED. I SAW HIS LIGHTS COME ON WHEN WE WERE HALFWAY ACROSS RWY 4L. TWR ABORTED HIS TKOF. WHEN WE CONTACTED GND, WE WERE TOLD TO CALL TWR WHEN AT THE GATE. MAJOR FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROB: THE CLRNC RECEIVED IS FAR FROM THE NORMAL AT EWR. BEING BASED AT EWR FOR 3 YRS, I HAVE NEVER CROSSED RWY 29 TO GET TO THE MAIN TERMINAL. CHKING WITH 5 OTHER NY BASED PLTS, NO ONE ELSE RECEIVED A CLRNC SUCH AS THAT EITHER. CONSIDERING THE UNUSUAL NATURE OF THE CLRNC, THE CTLR DID NOT VERIFY PROPER READBACK. ALSO, WE DID NOT RECEIVE A CALL FROM ATC ONCE WE MADE THE LEFT TURN ON TXWY N INDICATING THE CTLR MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING OUR PROGRESS. COMPLETE READBACK OF XING INSTRUCTIONS WAS NOT GIVEN BY THE F/O. ALSO, HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH EWR. ADDITIONAL NOTES: TXWY N CROSSES RWY 4L AT THE END OF THE STOPWAY. THE CTLR'S CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 29 APPEARS TO CROSS THE DEP END OF RWY 4L, POSSIBLY XING INTO THE OBSTRUCTION CLRNC PLANE OF THE RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 90180: WHAT I HEARD THE TWR GIVE AS A CLRNC WAS FOR MLG Y TO CROSS RWY 22R AT MIKE AND CONTACT GND ON THE OTHER SIDE. MY REPLY TO THIS WAS, 'ROGER, WE WILL DO IT.' WHAT THE TWR CTLR'S SUPVR TOLD US LATER WAS THAT THEY CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 29 AND CONTACT GND ON THE OTHER SIDE. I BELIEVE ONE REASON I DID NOT HEAR THE CLRNC THE TWR SAYS THEY GAVE US IS THAT WHILE THE TWR WAS ISSUING THE CLRNC, I WAS SLIGHTLY DISTRACTED BY AN LGT PASSING OVERHEAD THAT HAD JUST DEPARTED RWY 4L. IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT XINGS OF RWYS 4L-22R WERE PERFECTLY NORMAL AT EWR, THE SOUND OF THE LGT DEPARTING OFF RWY 4L INDICATED TO ME THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY BE NEXT IN SEQUENCE ON THE GND FOR MOVEMENT TOWARDS THE RAMP AREA ACROSS THE DEP RWY. I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE TWR CTLR REQUESTED A READBACK OF OUR TAXI CLRNC. THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY RADIO PROC AT ALL ARPTS WHERE REGULAR OPS OF THE KIND I HAVE JUST DESCRIBED TAKE PLACE, IE, LNDGS, DEPS ON PARALLEL RWYS WITH DEPS FROM THE SAME OR ADJACENT RWYS, WITH TAXIING ACFT HAVING TO CROSS DEP RWYS. THIS SITUATION COULD ALSO HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD READ BACK THE XING CLRNC I HEARD AND WAITED FOR A REPLY FROM THE TWR AS TO ITS ACCURACY BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.