RWY INCURSION RELATED TO A SYS ERROR WHEN AN A310 CARGO FLT CREW STOPS OVER THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 27 AT TXWY B AFTER BEING CLRED TO CROSS; AND THEN SEEING TFC ON SHORT FINAL AT MEM; TN.

Narrative

AFTER INITIAL CONTACT ON 121.9; WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO SWITCH TO ANOTHER FREQ; 121.0; WHO GAVE US TAXI CLRNC FROM SPOT X TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27; TXWY V; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27 ON TXWY N. A THIRD OF THE WAY DOWN TXWY V; WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27 ON TXWY B; AND THAT THE FIELD WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING TO N ORIENTED OPS (FROM S OPS). I STOPPED ON TXWY V JUST SHORT OF TXWY B (THIS ALLEVIATES JETBLAST POSSIBILITIES ON REINITIATING TAXI DUE TO CLOSE PROX OF THE RAMP). AFTER GND GAVE OTHER TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO OTHER ACFT; WE WERE GIVEN; AND READ BACK VERBATIM; FULL RTE TAXI CLRNC 'TXWY B; TO TXWY S; TO RWY 36R;' TO TAXI. COGNIZANT OF THE LIMITATIONS OF TXWY B AND RWY 27 INTXN; I PWRED UP FOR TAXI WHILE STILL ALIGNED WITH TXWY V; TAXIED EVER SO SLIGHTLY BEYOND TXWY B; AND PERFORMED A MINOR OVER-CTR TURN FROM TXWY V WBOUND TO TXWY B SWBOUND. THIS TECHNIQUE PERMITS AN ENHANCED VIEW OF THE RWY 27 FROM APCH CORRIDOR DUE TO A SLIGHTLY MORE PERPENDICULAR ALIGNMENT OF THE ACFT WITH RWY 27. I IMMEDIATELY SAW A DC10 ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 27 AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. THE 'MORE PERPENDICULAR' ALIGNMENT WAS A NOTEWORTHY FACTOR IN A CLR VIEW OF THE CONFLICT ACFT'S POS; ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN 300-500 FT AGL AT FIRST SIGHTING. THE DC10 WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE HAD OUR ACFT BEEN EXACTLY ALIGNED WITH TXWY B'S CTRLINE. (THIS IS TXWY B; N OF RWY 27.) WE DID SLIGHTLY ENCROACH ON TXWY B TO RWY 27 HOLD SHORT LINE. THERE WAS NO CONTACT BTWN THE ACFT; AND THE DC10 DID NOT APPEAR TO TAKE ANY EVASIVE ACTION. WE WERE AGAIN CLRED 'TXWY B; TXWY S TO RWY 36R' AND DEPARTED ON RWY 36R WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ITEMS OF NOTE 1) THERE WERE NO FMS CHANGES OR OTHER COCKPIT DISTRS OCCURRING PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. 2) I STRONGLY SUSPECT THERE WAS/WERE CONSIDERABLE DISTRS IN THE CTLING AGENCY ASSOCIATED WITH TURNING THE FIELD AROUND FROM SOUTHERLY OPS TO NORTHERLY OPS. 3) 'HABIT PATTERNS FOR SURVIVAL' SAVED THE DAY. THAT IS: A) NO DISTRS PRIOR TO XING THE ACTIVE RWYS. B) GOOD ACFT ALIGNMENT (TO FACILITATE:) C) PROPERLY CLRING BOTH L AND R BEFORE XING ACTIVE RWYS AND TXWYS. THIS WAS QUITE A JOLT; AND REINFORCES WHY WE DO THINGS THE WAY WE DO; EVEN FOR AN EXPERIENCED AND PROFICIENT CAPT. A PIECE OF WISDOM CAME TO MIND AS I REVIEWED THESE ISSUES. THE WISDOM ORIGINATED FROM MY FATHER; (A 40 YR AIRLINE VETERAN) AS THIS: IT'S THE HOLIDAYS; AND PEOPLE DON'T CONCENTRATE LIKE THEY DO AT OTHER TIMES. (THE COCKPIT TAPE RECORDER WAS RETAINED.)