Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 24; Flight Crew Total 3475; Flight Crew Type 340
Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors; Procedure
Chain of events. ZZZ Ground cleared me to taxi from FBO. 'Taxi to Runway XX via Taxiway 1; Taxiway 2; Taxiway 3; cross Runway XY.' On Taxiway 3; approaching Runway YX/XY; I was looking down at my checklist; when I looked up; I was startled to see a regional jet on relatively short (1 mile?) final for Runway YX. After I crossed XY/XY; the regional jet landed without incident.Human Performance Considerations. First; when taxiing; one needs to be focused outside the airplane. When approaching a runway; slow to look for landing/departing traffic. If I had seen the regional jet earlier; I may have either increased taxi speed; determined no speed change was required or called Ground and advised that I would wait for landing traffic.With the pandemic; until recently; commercial air travel has been significantly reduced. Tower personnel may have been reduced as well. I believe one Controller was handling Ground and Tower. With activity picking up; ATC needs to be staffed appropriately as well.
GA pilot reported a conflict after being told to cross a runway; and while crossing observed an aircraft on short final. Pilot cited distraction and ATC staffing as contributing factors.