A distracted Flight Crew taxied with clearance to Runway 27 via Taxiways C and A but did not turn left on Taxiway A and crossed Runway 9/27 on Taxiway Charlie.
Synopsis
A distracted Flight Crew taxied with clearance to Runway 27 via Taxiways C and A but did not turn left on Taxiway A and crossed Runway 9/27 on Taxiway Charlie.
Narrative
Passenger loaded; taxi instructions received to Runway 27. 'Taxi via C; A; cross 20; A to 27.' Taxi clearance read back; confirmed with ATC;and flying pilot while referring to airport diagram. We began the taxi past a parked aircraft which was parked next to Taxiway C; confirmed the left turn onto A. Within the next 2-3 seconds I looked for the wind sock to confirm takeoff direction (wind did not favor 27 at the time); then referred to TOLD card for wind speed to see if 27 was usable for our limitations. When I returned to forward vision we were crossing the active Runway 9-27. Upon reaching the other side we confirmed our error with Ground Control; received new taxi instructions and proceeded without incident or interruption. The close proximity of Taxiway A to Charlie and the runway; and improper signage (none that I saw); the left turn onto Alpha; and my distraction contributed to this non-event. When turns are imminent; both crew members should concentrate on the correct instructions; leave the scanning for the straightaways.
Second reporter narrative
We were taxing out from the ramp. It is a very short taxi and we had some confusion/distraction due to poor airport signage and from a very short discussion about how the Controller was sending us to a runway with a tailwind instead of the anticipated headwind runway. In hindsight; we could have benefited from more discussion/clarification of planned taxi. Also; [we should have] queried Controller about what taxiway we felt unsure of.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.