A320 DEP FROM RWY 31C AT MDW IS INSTRUCTED BY TWR CTLR TO STOP; STOP; ABORTS TKOF; AND THEN OBSERVED A B737 DEP FROM RWY 22L XING INTXN OF RWYS 31C AND 22L.

Narrative

AFTER A NORMAL TAXI OUT FROM OUR GATE AT MDW; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 31C. THE CAPT TAXIED THE ACFT INTO POS AND WHEN THE ACFT WAS STOPPED; XFERRED CTL TO ME. AS I WAS RESPONDING WITH THE SOP; 'MY ACFT; BRAKES OFF' CALL; THE CAPT RESPONDED TO A CLRNC FROM THE TWR; 'ACR X CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE DEP FROM RWY 31C; TURN L TO 220 DEGS.' THE CAPT READ 'THAT' CLRNC BACK VERBATIM. I RELEASED PRESSURE ON THE PEDALS AND APPLIED TOGA PWR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE 80 KT CALL; TWR SHARPLY STATED; 'ACR X STOP; ACR X STOP.' THE CAPT EXECUTED THE MANEUVER; COMMANDED ME TO KEEP THEM SEATED IN THE CABIN. THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP BEFORE THE INTXN OF RWY 31C/22L. SECONDS LATER; A B737 WENT THROUGH THE INTXN AT TKOF PWR. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED TO TAXI CLR FROM ATC. OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS A GRAVE ERROR. PERHAPS WE; ACR X AND THE B737; MAY HAVE ANSWERED AT THE SAME TIME NOT ALLOWING TWR TO CORRECT THE SIT OR EVEN TO HEAR ANYONE ANSWERING THE TKOF CLRNC (WE MAY HAVE BLOCKED EACH OTHER OUT). THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER ACFT IN VIEW ON SHORT FINAL TO RWY 22L (IN VIEW AS WE CAME TO A STOP). TWR MAY HAVE BEEN LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE SEPARATION ON RWY 22L; SEES THE RWY 22L DEP TFC ROLLING; ANTICIPATION LOOKS GOOD; THEN CHKS DOWNFIELD AT THE RWY 22L DEP END TO CHK THE RWY WILL BE CLR FOR THE ARR AND HE SEES OUR JET ROLLING ON RWY 31C! THIS RPT WRITER IS EXTREMELY THANKFUL THAT ATC GAVE US THAT COMMAND TO STOP. I'M NOT SURE WHY THIS HAPPENED. I AM RESTED JUST COMING OFF 2 DAYS OFF AT HOME. IT WAS ONLY THE SECOND LEG OF THE DAY; AND I AM NOT SURE WHY WE MAY HAVE TAKEN SOMEONE ELSE'S CLRNC. I DO KNOW THAT I AM FLYING AND ON DUTY MORE NOW THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN IN MY LIFE. WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF FLYING 90-95 PER MONTH -- WHO KNOWS? TIME WILL TELL. WHAT WAS ONCE FATIGUE MAY SOMEDAY BECOME THE NORM. BEING ON THE ROAD 300-350 HRS PER MONTH OR MORE MAY BE UNSATISFACTORY IN THE LONG TERM. I AM JUST RACKED THAT THE EVENT OCCURRED. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THE UNEVENTFUL OUTCOME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 666723: ARRIVING ACFT WERE DOING ILS TO RWY 31C; CIRCLE-TO-LAND RWY 22L. WE WERE IN POS AND HOLD FOR A VERY SHORT TIME ON RWY 31C AND WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO TURN TO A 220 DEG HDG AND CLRED FOR AN IMMEDIATE TKOF. THERE WAS AN ACFT 1 MI OUT LNDG RWY 22L. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE XMISSION VERBATIM. I XFERRED CTL OF ACFT TO MY FO. THROTTLES WERE ADVANCED TO THE TOGA POS. I MADE THE 80KT CALL AND A COMMAND FROM TWR CAME OVER RADIO 2 'ACR X STOP...ACR X STOP.' I INITIATED AN ABORT JUST OVER 80 KTS USING REVERSE THRUST AND MANUAL BRAKING. I THEN SAW A B737 OUT MY R WINDOW TAKING OFF ON RWY 22L. WE PASSED BEHIND HIM AT THE INTXN. AS WE SLOWED; I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO TELL CREW AND PAX TO REMAIN SEATED. ATC TOLD US TO MAKE NEXT R AND HOLD. AFTER APPROX 2 MINS; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI BACK TO RWY 31C. WE DID. DUE TO HOT BRAKES; WE HAD A 30 MIN DELAY. AFTER BRAKES WERE COOL ENOUGH; WE DEPARTED ON RWY 31C. NO COMMENTS RELATING TO THE ABORT EVER CAME FROM ATC AT ANY TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 666728: AS WE WERE DIRECTED TO TAKE RWY 22L FOR POS AND HOLD; TWR ADVISED US THAT WE WERE TO EXPECT A TKOF CLRNC VERY SHORTLY AND WAS ASSIGNED A HDG OF 220 DEGS. AN ACFT WAS CIRCLING BASE TO FINAL FOR RWY 22L. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 22L. A BLOCKED XMISSION PREVENTED US FROM IMMEDIATELY ACKNOWLEDGING THE CLRNC (SOUNDED LIKE 2 PLTS XMITTING SIMULTANEOUSLY). THE FO ACKNOWLEDGED THE TKOF CLRNC AS WE CONTINUED THE TKOF. LONG AFTER V1 AND JUST BEFORE VR; TWR XMITTED; 'ACR X ABORT; ACR X ABORT.' I LOOKED TO MY L AND SAW AN ACFT WITH SMOKING TIRES SLOWING AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TRACKING AFT IN MY SIDE WINDOW. WE CONTINUED THE TKOF SINCE WE WOULD NOW CLR THE INTXN OF RWY 22L/31C BEFORE IT SLID THROUGH. I CALLED THE MDW TWR SUPVR AFTER ARRIVING AT OUR DEST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. HE SAID THE TWR CTLR NEVER CAUGHT THE OTHER CARRIER'S XMISSION ACKNOWLEDGING CLRNC FOR TKOF. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 666727: WHEN TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF; THEY TOLD US (ACR Y) NOT TO STOP AND TO CONTINUE OUR ROLL FOR TKOF. BEFORE I COULD ANSWER; ANOTHER ACFT CAME ON THE RADIOS AND ACKNOWLEDGED A CLRNC. WE ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CLRNC IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEIR XMISSION AS WE WERE CLRED FOR AN IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF. AS I CALLED V1; I HEARD TWR ON THE RADIO ONCE AGAIN YELLING; 'ACR X STOP; ACR X STOP.' THE SEPARATION ON THE INTERSECTING RWYS WAS APPROX 1000-1500 FT.