Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Situational Awareness; Fatigue; Distraction; Time Pressure
Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Runway
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Airport
After landing on Runway 9 in MIA; we exited onto Taxiway T5. We were directed by Tower to turn left onto Taxiway T. For some reason the entire crew; while looking ahead of the airplane; saw taxiway signage indicating that Taxiway T was ahead of us and misinterpreted ATC's instructions to turn left. Instead I taxied ahead toward the short section of Taxiway T that lay on the other side of Runway 12; which was active. Assuming we had clearance to cross Runway 12 I scanned to the left and saw a regional jet on final. It seemed like it was too close and so I advanced power so as to cross the runway as rapidly as possible. Just as we began to clear the runway Tower sent the other aircraft around and then asked us why we had not turned left as instructed.I think it was just a lack of attention to detail; perhaps made worse by fatigue brought on by the odd operating hours of our duty period. Also; I had just taken control of the jet from the co-pilot who had done the landing and my total attention was not on ATC when the clearance was transmitted.
A last minute change from ATC opened up Runway 9 and cleared us for the visual to that runway. We didn't have much time to brief our new taxi route and then had a miscommunication with ATC on what we were cleared to do. In addition; we were just getting back from an overnight flight and our body was on the back side of the clock. The fact of being tired could have contributed to our lack of attention to detail.
A late runway change; fatigue and an inability to fully brief their runway exit plan resulted in an Air Carrier flight crew crossing Runway 12 on T5 at MIA; vice holding short as cleared.