An air carrier crew crossed the PIT Runway 28C hold short line at the HOLDING POSITION SIGN on Taxiway E.
Synopsis
An air carrier crew crossed the PIT Runway 28C hold short line at the HOLDING POSITION SIGN on Taxiway E.
Narrative
We were on Taxiway E east bound for Runway 28C. The Taxi Checklist was conducted; the tower frequency was tuned and the Takeoff Check called for. As these items were being completed we passed what I thought to be an ILS hold line; the First Officer looked up just as we passed the line and questioned what type of hold line it was. We determined that it was in fact an APPROACH HOLD; not an ILS hold (there is no ILS to this Runway). We were at this time still on the taxiway; but in no-mans land none the less. The Tower cleared us for takeoff; we continued to taxi down to the runway end; into position and then took off. This was the First Officer's first trip to PIT (and we dead-headed in) and my third in four years so we both thoroughly reviewed all pertinent information and discussed all aspects of the departure. We then encountered an unusual configuration at a busy time with the APPROACH HOLD line located a few hundred yards up the taxiway from the runway end. When I looked up and saw the line the runway end was still quite distant; in the busyness of the moment I made a bad assumption. The reason for the hold line being located were it is is unclear; but it seems very 'out of place.' Conditions were excellent and the only causal factor was Captain error. However; a simple note in the airport information pages would provide ample warning of the unusual configuration.
Second reporter narrative
Taxiing to Runway 28C at PIT we were eastbound on Taxiway E. After crossing Runway 32 we were accomplishing the Takeoff checklist items. After I looked up I noticed we were crossing a hold line. I spoke up; and since we were uncertain we stopped. (We were well clear of the 28C Runway and threshold area). We told Tower that we were ready for takeoff and we were immediately cleared into Position and Hold on Runway 28C. We had been unsure if it had been an ILS hold line; but as we taxied toward and onto the runway we noted no subsequent hold line. No known conflicts were noted. We were accomplishing or had just accomplished a checklist and both thought we had a significant distance remaining to taxi. This was my first time out of PIT. While we had spent time reviewing the taxi chart; it does not note the positions of hold lines. This one seemed abnormally far from the runway. While we were both trying to be careful; we were still distracted; possibly by the timing of a checklist. It seemed like we were accomplishing the checklist at a prudent time; but it may have been the distraction which caused us to look away when we were not expecting a hold line. Greater care must be exercised!
More incidents for this aircraft family →
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.