Air carrier flight crew reported a critical ground conflict with a small aircraft that overflew them as they were cleared to line up and wait on a runway. Tower controller stated the small aircraft was performing a missed approach.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported a critical ground conflict with a small aircraft that overflew them as they were cleared to line up and wait on a runway. Tower controller stated the small aircraft was performing a missed approach.
Narrative
The active runway was XX. We taxied to Runway XX uneventfully and were number one at the hold short line. The winds were light and variable; and the weather was VFR. As we waited; we observed two or three aircraft in the vicinity. Tower was speaking to them in the local language and no other aircraft landed while we waited for about five minutes. Tower finally cleared us to line up and wait and as we crossed the hold short line we noticed a Cessna at about 700 ft. AGL on final to Runway XX. At first; I thought that the Cessna would break off for a circle to Runway XY; but the I realized they were continuing towards us on Runway XX. I stopped with our aircraft perpendicular to the runway so that the Cessna would have the best chance of seeing us. I queried Tower about the Cessna; and he said they were doing a simulated instrument approach to a missed approach. The Cessna continued to descend and passed directly over us and continued on runway heading until midfield before breaking off to the south. We departed soon after.
Second reporter narrative
We were holding short of Runway XX for a few minutes and got clearance to line up. We cleared final; and as we crossed the threshold; we both noticed a Cessna on final. Ground had directed (other carrier) aircraft to hold short of XY; so we thought the Cessna was going to break off and get in the pattern for XY. When the Cessna kept descending toward us; the Captain asked ATC what was going on and he replied that the aircraft was on a practice instrument approach to a practice miss. The aircraft did not break off. It ended up descending and then doing the missed approach over our aircraft. The Captain kept the aircraft perpendicular to the runway to increase visibility because we had no idea if the Cessna saw us or what their intentions were; as they descended on final. The Tower and the aircraft shared a laugh about this over the radio before we were directed to depart. The major threat here was that the clearance to the Cessna to shoot an approach to a miss was all done in the local language and we were unaware that was the Tower's plan. The Tower could have kept us holding short as we had been. Had we known this was happening; we would have continued to hold short. Once the Tower cleared us onto the runway; the Cessna should have been given instructions to not overfly us at such a low altitude.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.