A B747 ACR FREIGHTER FLC CROSSED THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 10L WITHOUT AUTH WHEN THEY BECAME CONFUSED BY THE TXWY LIGHTS AND OTHER FACTORS. THE ALERT GND CTLR HAD THEM STOP SHORT OF THE RWY SURFACE FOR AN ACFT LNDG THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

Date: 1997-03 · Aircraft: B747-100

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A B747 ACR FREIGHTER FLC CROSSED THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 10L WITHOUT AUTH WHEN THEY BECAME CONFUSED BY THE TXWY LIGHTS AND OTHER FACTORS. THE ALERT GND CTLR HAD THEM STOP SHORT OF THE RWY SURFACE FOR AN ACFT LNDG THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

Narrative

GND CTLR CLRED US TO TAXI TO RWY 10L VIA TXWYS B AND S. AS WE NEARED THE RWYS HE TOLD US TO TAXI W OF RWY 10R AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10L; BUT HIS TERMINOLOGY CONFUSED US MOMENTARILY; BECAUSE HE REFERRED TO RWY 10R AS 'RWY 28L' AND WE BOTH GLANCED AT OUR ARPT LAYOUT (COMMERCIAL CHART) TO VERIFY THE PATH WE WERE TO TAKE. THE TXWYS IN THAT AREA ARE ILLUMINATED WITH GREEN LIGHTS; BUT THEY BRANCH OUT IN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS; THUS ADDING TO THE CONFUSION. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE RWY SPACE OF RWY 10L; THE CTLR RADIOED FOR US TO HOLD OUR POS (WHICH WAS PAST THE HOLDING POINT) AND AN ARRIVING ACFT WAS ON LNDG ROLL ON RWY 28R (SAME RWY; OPPOSITE DIRECTION). NO RED HOLD LIGHTS VISIBLE FROM COCKPIT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: CREW UNFAMILIARITY WITH SFO TXWYS. WET SURFACE MAKING PAINTED MARKINGS INVISIBLE. GREEN TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS LEADING US TO WRONG AREA WITH NO RED HOLD LIGHTS TO CATCH US. CREW FATIGUE DUE TO THE LATENESS OF THE HR AND OUR BEING ON DUTY ALREADY CLOSE TO 9 HRS. CTLR SHOULD HAVE NOT REWORDED HIS INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS; AS IT ONLY CONFUSED THE ISSUE. SAN FRANCISCO ARPT LNDG AND TAKING OFF ACFT ON THE SAME RWY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.