PIPER PA28 ARROW PLT TAXIED TOWARD THE WRONG RWY AND CROSSED THE ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Date: 2002-09 · Aircraft: PA-28R Cherokee Arrow All Series · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-runway|ground-incursion-taxiway

Synopsis

PIPER PA28 ARROW PLT TAXIED TOWARD THE WRONG RWY AND CROSSED THE ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative

I CALLED CRYSTAL GND CTL TO GET A CLRNC TO TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY. I WAS ASSIGNED RWY 24R. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON; I ASSUMED I WAS GOING TO RWY 32R. (RWYS 32L&R ARE THE MOST WIDELY USED RWYS). I THEN PROCEEDED ON TXWY E AS IF I WAS GOING TO RWY 32R. I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS XING THE ACTIVE RWY (RWY 24R). MY BIGGEST LAPSE WAS NOT TO CONFIRM MY LOCATION ON THE ARPT IN RELATION TO THE RWY I WAS ASSIGNED ON AN ARPT DIAGRAM (AN ARPT DIAGRAM FOR CRYSTAL WAS AMONGST A FEW CHARTS THAT I HAD AT MY DISPOSAL ON MY LAP BOARD). I ALSO MAKE A HABIT OF CHKING BOTH ENDS OF ALL RWYS I CROSS; ACTIVE OR NOT. THIS TIME; I DIDN'T AND I DON'T KNOW WHY! I THINK COMPLACENCY WAS A BIG FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT. THIS WAS A FAMILIAR ARPT. I HAVE BEEN FLYING THERE FOR 10-11 MONTHS. I DEFINITELY LEARNED THAT GND OPS ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. PEOPLE TEND TO THINK THAT FLT OPS ARE INHERENTLY RISKIER. GND OPS DEMAND AT LEAST AS MUCH ATTN AS FLT OPS; IF NOT MORE. THERE ISN'T MUCH ROOM FOR ERROR ON THE GND. RTE [RPTR GRAPHIC] I WAS TAKING UNTIL REMINDED BY TWR OF MY ASSIGNED RWY.

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