AFTER LNDG RWY 12R SJC; AN ACR B727 TAXIES ACROSS RWY 12L ON TXWY C. TWR ADVISES TO HOLD SHORT BUT CAPT ELECTS TO CONTINUE AS ACFT HAS ALREADY ENTERED THE RWY. LNDG TFC ON ROLLOUT 1000 FT AWAY; A BEECH TYPE ACFT.

Narrative

OUR ACFT LANDED ON RWY 12R AT SJC. AT APPROX 80 KTS AND APCHING TXWY F THE TWR CTLR GAVE AN INSTRUCTION TO TAKE TXWY C. THE CAPT READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS HE HEARD AS THE ACFT CONTINUED DECELERATING. THE CAPT AND FO QUESTIONED THE USE OF TXWY C AS THE ACFT APCHED AS THEY BOTH WERE SLIGHTLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE NARROWER TXWY. I (SO) STATED THAT WE COULD IN FACT USE TXWY C; BEING MORE FAMILIAR WITH ITS USE. THE CAPT CONTINUED HIS TAXI AND TURNED OFF OF THE RWY ONTO TXWY C. THE CAPT AND FO WERE DISCUSSING THE WT BEARING CAPACITY OF THE TXWY AS THE SO WAS CONTACTING LCL OPS ON THE RADIO FOR A PARKING SPOT. TXWY C IS VERY SHORT AND AS THE CAPT WAS ROLLING ACROSS THE DEP END OF RWY 12L THE TWR CTLR SAID; 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L.' IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE TO HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY AND RATHER THAN STOP ON THE RWY THE CAPT CONTINUED TO ROLL ACROSS AND CLR THE RWY. AT THE MOMENT WHEN THE CTLR SAID 'HOLD SHORT' THE THREE OF US LOOKED TO THE L; LOOKING DOWN THE RWY AND SAW A SMALL ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 12L AND WAS ROLLING OUT; AT APPROX 1000 FT DOWN THE RWY. ALL 3 PLTS TRIED TO RECALL THE EXACT CLRNC GIVEN BY THE TWR AS WE WERE LNDG AND INSTRUCTED TO USE TXWY C INSTEAD OF TXWY F. NO ONE COULD RECALL A HOLD SHORT CLRNC AND IN FACT FELT THAT THE TWR HAD CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 12L. I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT THE CREW COULD NOT RECALL EXACTLY WHAT THE CTLR HAD SAID EARLIER; ABOUT TAXIING ON TXWY C; WAS THAT AT THE MOMENT HE GAVE IT TO US WE WERE VERY FOCUSED ON THE CTLING OF THE ACFT AT APPROX 80 KTS; AND ITS DECELERATION AS WELL AS SCANNING FOR ANY ABNORMALITIES DURING THE REVERSAL OP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 393430: AFTER MY COPLT LANDED AN ACFT ON RWY 12R AT SJC AND WE HAD SLOWED TO ABOUT 80 KTS. I WAS MAKING STANDARD AIRSPD CALLOUT AND GETTING READY TO TAKE CTL OF THE ACFT. THE SJC TWR CTLR ASKED US TO 'EXIT ON TXWY C' ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE END OF RWY 12R. MY RADIO RESPONSE WAS 'L ON TXWY C WITH YOU TO THE RAMP' OR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS ASKED. I NOTICED THAT THE TXWY APPEARED NARROW AND ASKED THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS IF THIS WAS A LEGAL TXWY. THAT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT IT MAY HAVE A WT RESTR FOR TAXI. I WAS NOW TAXIING SLOWER THAN NORMAL AND THEN I GLANCED AT THE TAXI CHART; AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME I LOOKED BACK TO THE RWY THAT WE JUST LANDED AND SAW A B737 JET ABOUT TO LAND. I THOUGHT THEN THAT I NEEDED TO GET THE BACK OF OUR ACFT CLR OF THE RWY. THROUGH THIS TIME SPAN THERE WAS NO RADIO COM WITH THE TWR; UNTIL TO MY SURPRISE I LOOKED L AND SAW A SMALL SINGLE ENG ACFT ON THE SHORTER RWY 12L. WE CONTINUED ACROSS; CONTACTED GND AND TAXIED TO OUR GATE. I CALLED THE TWR CTLR AND ASKED WHAT HAPPENED. HE SAID WE HAD BEEN TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 12L. I DID NOT HEAR THAT OR REPEAT A HOLD SHORT READBACK. THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION WITH THE TAXI AND GETTING THE CALL FROM THE TWR DURING OUR ROLLOUT. IT WAS A LONG 4 DAYS OF FLYING; JUST ENDING.