RWY INCURSION BY A B737-300 WHEN CREW IS CONCERNED WITH A NEAR MAX WT TKOF PROC AND THE RWY LENGTH AVAILABLE FOR TKOF AT ELP.

Date: 2004-07 · Aircraft: B737-300 · Phase: taxi

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

Synopsis

RWY INCURSION BY A B737-300 WHEN CREW IS CONCERNED WITH A NEAR MAX WT TKOF PROC AND THE RWY LENGTH AVAILABLE FOR TKOF AT ELP.

Narrative

ACFT WAS LOADED TO JUST 100 LBS (119443) UNDER ATOG (119.5). DISCUSSED TKOF AND CHOSE BLEEDS OFF ON OPC. STOPPING MARGIN WAS 1198 FT. THOUGHT WE WOULD USE INTXN G TO INCREASE TKOF ROLL DISTANCE. AFTER PUSHBACK; WE TURNED R TOWARDS INTXN F; BUT IT IS A ONE DIRECTION TXWY (SBOUND ONLY); SO WE CONTINUED TURNING TO THE R AND ENTERED THE NEXT INTXN JUST PRIOR TO THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 8R. THE ENTIRE TIME; WE WERE ON GND CTL FREQ. AT THIS POINT WE REALIZED WE HAD ENTERED THE EXTENDED AREA OF RWY 8R WITHOUT CLRNC. WE CAME TO A STOP AND ASKED GND WHAT TO DO. THEY SAID TO CONTACT TWR. WE CONTACTED TWR AND ASKED IF WE COULD BACK TAXI TO INTXN G. WE GOT PERMISSION TO BACK TAXI TO INTXN G AND THEN WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. UNTIL THIS POINT; NEITHER GND OR TWR SAID ANYTHING ABOUT OUR INCURSION. AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF AND BEFORE SWITCHING TO DEP; I ASKED TWR IF WE SHOULD CALL SOMEONE WHEN WE LAND. THE CTLR SAID; 'NO; BUT DON'T DO THAT AGAIN.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WITH A THANK YOU AND CHANGED FREQ. I BELIEVE THE FACTORS WERE THE FOLLOWING: CLOSE TO ATOG AND A BLEEDS OFF TKOF THAT LEFT US WITH ONLY 1198 FT AND A DESIRE TO USE MORE RWY. THE CLOSE PROX OF THE GATE TO THE RWY WHICH HAS SOME VERY CONFUSING INTXNS AND ONE-WAY TFC RULES. THE R TURN THE CAPT MADE WHICH MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO CLR HIMSELF IN THE TURN. I DON'T FLY INTO ELP VERY OFTEN BUT I'VE LEARNED MY LESSON THAT THE TXWYS THERE ARE CONFUSING. ALTHOUGH WE REALLY DIDN'T RUSH SINCE WE WERE ON TIME; THE TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES SLOWED OUR THINKING AND THREW US OFF; CAUSING US TO STRAY ONTO THE RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 624912: SINCE I HAD ALREADY STARTED THE R TURN OUT OF PARKING (RWY 8 IS BEHIND ME); WE HAD TO CONTINUE THAT R TURN THE LONG WAY AROUND AND I AM LOOKING FOR THE SIGNS FOR TXWY G. ALL MY ATTN IS FOCUSED OUT THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT. I FINALLY SAW THE BLACK TXWY SIGN FOR TXWY G AND STARTED TAXIING TOWARDS IT. VERY SHORTLY THEREAFTER; I GLANCED TO THE R AND WAS IMMEDIATELY SICKENED TO SEE THE RWY MARKINGS FOR RWY 8. WITH MY ATTN FOCUSED OUTWARD INSTEAD OF DOWN; I NEVER SAW A HOLD SHORT LINE. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH THE FO. SILENCE FROM THE GND CTLR. ELP IS A CONFUSING SETUP. THE GND CTLR SHOULD HAVE SAID 'TAXI TO RWY 8; CONTACT TWR' BECAUSE YOU ARE ALREADY RIGHT THERE; THERE IS NO TXWY G FROM THAT LOCATION.

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