OPERROR.

Narrative

WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM DFW TO MCI. I WAS THE COPLT. WE HAD BEEN CLRED BY DFW TWR TO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 17R. AS WE CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND AS THE CAPT BEGAN HIS R 90 DEG TURN TO ALIGN WITH THE RWY; THE TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN THE CAPT PASSED CTL OF THE ACFT TO ME AS THE ACFT WAS NEARLY ALIGNED WITH THE RWY. I ADVANCED THE THROTTLES TO 1.4 EPR AND RELEASED THE BRAKES FULLY. I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE AT THAT TIME TO MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT ON THE RWY CTRLINE. I LOOKED BACK IN TO CHK THE EPR AT 1.4 AND CALLED FOR AUTOTHROTTLES; WHICH THE CAPT SELECTED. WHEN I LOOKED UP; I NOTICED A SAAB XING THE RWY FROM R TO L JUST AHEAD OF US AT TXWY 'YANKEE.' I ESTIMATE OUR AIRSPD AT THAT MOMENT TO BE 50-60 KIAS. I STARTED TO PULL THE THROTTLES BACK AND THE CAPT; WHO HAD ALSO SEEN THE SAAB; QUICKLY SLAMMED THE THROTTLES BACK; SELECTED REVERSE THRUST; AND APPLIED HVY BRAKING. WE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE CTRLINE OF RWY 17R AS THE SAAB CONTINUED PAST OUR FRONT R TO L APPROX 100-200 FT AHEAD. I TOLD THE TWR WE ABORTED AND THE CAPT ASKED WHY THE TWR CROSSED THE SAAB IN FRONT OF US. THE TWR SEEMED UNAWARE OF THE CONFLICT AND TOLD US WE WERE CLRED TO RESUME OUR TKOF FROM THAT POS. THE CAPT DECLINED AND I ASKED FOR CLRNC TO TAXI CLR OF THE RWY AT TXWY 'YANKEE.' THIS SERIOUS TKOF CONFLICT CAME ONLY A WK AFTER A SIMILAR FATAL INCIDENT IN ST LOUIS. ALL OUR LIGHTS WERE ON FULL BRIGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR TKOF PROC. WE DON'T KNOW WHY THE TWR CLRED (OR EVEN IF THEY CLRED) THE SAAB TO CROSS IN FRONT OF AN ACFT CLRED FOR TKOF. WE ALSO DON'T KNOW WHY THE SAAB CONTINUED ACROSS WHILE STARING AT AN ACFT WITH ALL OF ITS LIGHTS ON BRIGHT ON ITS TKOF ROLL.