RWY INCURSION IN A CARGO DC8 DURING A NIGHT OP AT TYS; TN.

Narrative

WE WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 23R AT TYS. AFTER THE FO MADE THE LNDG; THE TWR/GND CTLR TOLD US TO TURN L AT THE END OF THE RWY; TAXI BACK ON TXWY B; AND HOLD SHORT OF THE APCH END OF RWY 23R AT B8. AN AIRBORNE DC9 WAS LNDG ON RWY 23R WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND BACK TAXI. AS WE TAXIED ON TXWY B AND COMPLETED THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST; THE DC9 LANDED AND BEGAN TAXIING AS INSTRUCTED. WE REACHED THE APCH END OF RWY 23R AND CROSSED THE RWY AT B8 WHILE SEEING THE DC9 TURN OFF THE RWY AT G7. THE CTLR INFORMED US WE WERE NOT CLRED TO CROSS RWY 23R AND TOLD US TO CONTINUE TO THE RAMP. WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHY WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT; WE EXPECTED TO GET THE CLRNC TO CROSS AND IN MY MIND I THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED. FATIGUE PLAYED A LARGE ROLE IN THIS INCIDENT. WE HAD XA30 PICK-UP TIME AT THE HOTEL. THEN THE FIRST LEG FROM KNOXVILLE TO LOUISVILLE FOLLOWED BY A 4 1/2+ HR WAIT WITHOUT PROPER REST FACILITIES (RECLINERS) IN SDF BEFORE THE RETURN TRIP TO TYS. EVEN THOSE WHO FLY THIS ALL THE TIME OR BELIEVE THEY ARE USED TO THIS 'BACK-SIDE-OF-THE-CLOCK' SCHEDULE; ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF FATIGUE. BEING CONDITIONED FOR CERTAIN EVENTS; OR CLRNCS IN THIS CASE; TO OCCUR WAS ALSO A FACTOR. I REMEMBER HEARING ABOUT THIS DURING CRM TRAINING; BUT CAN'T RECALL THE TERM FOR IT. THIS IS A CASE OF WHERE FATIGUE COMBINED WITH ACTING UPON AN EXPECTED RESPONSE FROM ATC COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DISASTER.