A B737-500 IS GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 28L AT SFO WHILE A DC10 IS JUST NEAR ROTATION 1500 FT DOWN THAT SAME RWY. THE B737 PIC STOPS WITH ACFT'S NOSE 6 FT INTO THE RWY.

Narrative

ALL NIGHTER FLT; FO FLYING. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF SFO RWY 28L AT XY20 LCL. DURING THE ROTATION WE NOTICED ANOTHER AIRPLANE STARTING TO CROSS OUR RWY DOWNFIELD. AS WE CLBED OVER HIM; I CONSIDERED IT MARGINAL AND UNSAFE AND ASKED THE TWR WHY THE AIRPLANE WAS ON THE RWY. IT APPEARED THE OTHER ACFT NOTICED US AND STOPPED MIDWAY ACROSS THE RWY AS WE PASSED OVER HIM. THE TWR SAID HE SAW US ROTATING AND CLRED THE OTHER PLANE TO CROSS. MY CONCERN WAS IF WE HAD TO ABORT OR IF WE HAD AN ENG FAILURE THAT THE ACFT DOWNFIELD COULD HAVE BECOME A MAJOR CONFLICT. I RECOMMEND TWR CTLRS WAIT UNTIL LARGE TRANSPORT ACFT ARE SAFELY AIRBORNE AND AT LEAST 200-300 FT ON CLBOUT AND/OR PAST THE DOWNWIND INTXN BEFORE CLRING ANYONE ACROSS THAT RWY. CERTAINLY JUDGEMENT IS A FACTOR HERE AND SHOULD BE USED. IT WAS UNEVENTFUL THIS TIME BUT HAD WE ABORTED THE TKOF OR HAD AN ENG FAILURE AND NOT CLBED QUITE AS WELL IT MAY HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418482: ROTATION AND LIFTOFF WERE NORMAL; BUT WE FELT THE NEED TO INCREASE OUR DECK ANGLE TO ENSURE CLRNC. CAPT ASKED TWR WHY AN ACFT WAS ON OUR RWY. TWR RESPONDED SAYING; 'THE ACFT WAS GIVEN XING CLRNC AFTER OUR ROTATION.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419180: ON TKOF ROLL AROUND 100 KTS OR SO; WE ALL NOTICED AN ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 28R ATTEMPTING TO CROSS RWY 28L. AT THE V1/ROTATE CALL I WITNESSED THE FO PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVELY THAN NORMAL. I ASSUMED THE FO DID THIS TO AVOID A POTENTIAL MISHAP WITH THE OTHER ACFT. THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME WE ASSUMED THE OTHER ACFT SAW US TAKING OFF AND HE AGGRESSIVELY STOPPED HIS ACFT. FROM MY VIEW IN THE FE SEAT FACING FORWARD IN THE TKOF POS; IT APPEARED AS THOUGH THE NOSE OF THE OTHER ACFT INVADED THE RWY EDGE OF RWY 28L. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT IF WE HAD TO ABORT OR HAD LOST AN ENG AND KEPT THE ACFT ON THE RWY A LITTLE LONGER I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OUR WINGTIP WOULD HAVE CLRED THE OTHER ACFT. TWR'S REPLY WAS THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS TO CROSS AFTER WE WERE AIRBORNE. THERE WAS SOME MISCOM SOMEWHERE WITH TWR AND THE OTHER ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418418: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 28R AT SFO; WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28L. SHORTLY AFTER THIS CLRNC WE WERE TOLD TO CROSS RWY 28L AND CONTACT GND. WE ACKNOWLEDGED. AS WE TURNED ONTO TXWY D BTWN THE RWYS WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC AGAIN TO CROSS RWY 28L. AS WE APCHED THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 28L; I LOOKED R AND L TO CLR RWY 28L. AT THAT TIME I SAW A PLANE WITH LNDG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED; TAKING OFF. IT WAS A DC10 ROTATING FOR TKOF ABOUT 1500 FT UP RWY 28L FROM TXWY D. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED MAX BRAKING AND STOPPED OUR PLANE (TAXI SPD WAS ABOUT 5-8 KTS). I ESTIMATE THAT HALF OF OUR PLANE WAS OVER THE RWY 28L HOLD LINE AND APPROX 6 FT OF OUR ACFT NOSE WAS OVER THE EDGE OF RWY 28L. AS THE DC10 LIFTED OFF; WE THINK HE BANKED SLIGHTLY TO HIS L TO ESTABLISH MORE SEPARATION FROM OUR PLANE. WE THEN HEARD A COMMENT TO TWR 'THAT WAS A LITTLE TOO CLOSE.' I CALLED THE TWR AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE AND SPOKE TO THE TWR SUPVR. SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROB AND SAID SHE WOULD PULL THE AUDIO TAPES AND REVIEW THEM. THE POINT OF CLOSEST APCH BTWN OUR PLANES WAS 100-200 FT. CAUSE: TWR CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 28L BEFORE THE DC10 HAD GOTTEN SAFELY AIRBORNE. PREVENTION: BOTTOM LINE -- HAD I NOT SEEN THE DC10 ON TKOF ROLL AND MADE AN EMER STOP; A DISASTER COSTING SEVERAL HUNDRED LIVES COULD HAVE HAPPENED. WE WERE WITHIN 1 OR 2 SECONDS FROM A COLLISION. LESSONS LEARNED: ALWAYS; ALWAYS CLR. TAXI; TKOF AND LNDG CONTINUE TO BE THE MOST DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT. SLOW DOWN YOUR OP ON THE GND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 418480: I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER THE DC10 HAD LIFTED OFF WHEN WE WERE CLRED ACROSS RWY 28L.