1994-04 · NASA ASRS report 269136
RWY ENTRY BY UNITED STATES ACR IN FOREIGN AIRSPACE IN A NIGHT OP WITH LNDG TFC ON FINAL. EVASIVE ACTION GAR. OPERROR.
WHILE TAXIING TO THE 'HOLDING POINT' FOR RWY 10; TALKING TO GND CTL ON 121.8; I ASKED GND CTL IF THEY WOULD LIKE FOR US TO CONTACT TWR. THEIR REPLY WAS TO CONTACT TWR ON 120.65. TWR WAS CONTACTED AS FOLLOWS: 'GOOD EVENING TWR; XX AT 'HOLDING POINT' FOR RWY 10.' TWR RESPONDED: 'ROGER LINE-UP AND WAIT RWY 10.' I REPLIED: 'LINE-UP AND WAIT RWY 10;' THE CAPT ASKED IF IT WAS CLR R; AND MYSELF AND THE SO SAW NO TFC ON FINAL. THE CAPT TAXIED THE 500 FT FROM THE 'HOLDING POINT' RWY 10; INTO POS WITH NO TFC IN SIGHT. AN ACFT CALLED GOING MISSED APCH AT LEAST 15 SECONDS AFTER WE WERE IN POS RWY 10. THE TWR THEN ASKED IF WE REALIZED WE WERE TO LINE-UP AFTER THE LNDG ACFT (TYPE AND COMPANY UNKNOWN) AND THE CAPT RESPONDED 'NEGATIVE.' A FEW SECONDS LATER WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. MY PERCEPTION IS THAT NO MATTER HOW DILIGENT; AWARE; AND SAFETY-CONSCIOUS A CREW IS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY; THE LANGUAGE BARRIER CAN CAUSE PROBS WITH SAFE COMS. ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS HEARD THE SAME RADIO XMISSION FROM TWR; AND I REPEATED IT TO TWR AFTERWARDS. TWR DID NOT CORRECT MY RESPONSE; FINAL WAS CLR; WE TAXIED ACCORDINGLY. IT WAS NOT A BUSY TIME OF NIGHT AT CHARLES DE GAULLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 269179: POSSIBLE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER; MORE DISTINCT ENGLISH SPOKEN BY THE FRENCH CTLR. MAKE SURE THE CTLR UNDERSTANDS THE CLRNC READ BACK TO HIM FROM THE ACFT. THE CTLR SHOULD BE WATCHING THE ACFT AND IF IT APPEARS THAT THE ACFT IS NOT FOLLOWING HIS INTENDED INSTRUCTIONS; THEN HE SHOULD STOP THE ACFT AND EITHER RE-ISSUE OR EXPLAIN THE INTENDED INSTRUCTIONS; NOT EVER ISSUE A CLRNC FOR AN ACFT TO 'LINE UP AND WAIT' BEHIND A LNDG ACFT THAT CANNOT BE SEEN BY THE ACFT ON THE GND.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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