1995-04 · NASA ASRS report 301205
LANGUAGE BARRIER ACR X POSSIBLE RWY INCURSION CAUSED AIRBUS GAR.
ACR X AT CHARLES DE GAULLE ARPT DEPARTING FOR OUR DEST IN THE UNITED STATES. AS WE APCHED THE RWY I NOTICED AN ACFT IN FRONT OF US HAD JUST DEPARTED; AND IT SEEMED NO ONE WAS ON FINAL AND SO I CALLED TWR AND SAID 'ACR X IS APCHING THE RWY; READY FOR TKOF.' THE TWR CTLR STATED 'LINE UP RWY 9.' I RESPONDED; 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 9;' UPON WHICH WE TAXIED ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY AND HELD IN POS. WE WAITED FOR 1 OR 2 MINS AND IT WAS VERY QUIET. THE NEXT THING WE HEARD A MALE CTLR SAY TO US 'YOU'VE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY?' WE RESPONDED; 'AFFIRMATIVE; WE WERE CLRED TO AND RESPONDED APPROPRIATELY -- YOU CAN CHK THE TAPES!' SIMULTANEOUSLY; AN AIRBUS ACFT (ON A GAR) PASSED SEVERAL THOUSAND FT ABOVE US; HAVING GONE AROUND FROM AT LEAST 1- 2 MI AWAY. WE WERE THEN 'CLRED FOR TKOF' AND WERE TOLD 'NOT TO WORRY; NO PROB' (WHEN WE AGAIN CONFIRMED WE HAD BEEN CLRED ONTO RWY). COMMENT: I HAVE BEEN FLYING INTL SINCE 1980 AND THERE NEEDS TO BE STANDARDIZATION OF PHRASEOLOGY USED FOR 'HOLD SHORT' AND 'ON TO HOLD.' IN EUROPE; IT IS 'HOLD SHORT' AND 'TAXI ONTO AND LINE UP.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 301203: ACR X CLRED TO RWY 9. AFTER A SHORT STOP ON THE TXWY AT THE END OF THE RWY; A FEMALE CTLR CLRED US 'INTO POS RWY 9; HOLD.' THE 'ENGLISH' SPOKEN BY THE CTLR WAS HEAVILY ACCENTED AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. THE FO RESPONDED; 'CLRED INTO POS RWY 9; HOLD.' THERE WAS NO RESPONSE AND NO OTHER CONVERSATION ON THE FREQ AS WE TAXIED INTO POS AND STOPPED. AFTER SOME TIME A MALE VOICE CAME ON THE FREQ AND SAID 'YOU'RE ON THE RWY.' I SAID 'YES; THE FEMALE CTLR CLRED US INTO POS.' ABOUT THAT TIME AN AIRBUS PASSED OVER US AT 500-1000 FT. THE MALE CTLR TOLD US TO STAY IN POS AND A SHORT TIME LATER WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF BY THE MALE CTLR; WHO SAID THEY WOULD CHK THE TAPES TO SEE WHAT WAS SAID. THE COM BTWN THE FRENCH CTLRS AND ENGLISH SPEAKING PLTS HAS BEEN POOR FOR SOME TIME; AND IS GETTING WORSE. THE PROB IS TWOFOLD. THE HVY ACCENT; PARTICULARLY AMONG THE NEW CTLRS MAKES UNDERSTANDING THEM VERY DIFFICULT. IF YOU ASK THEM TO REPEAT THE MESSAGE THERE IS A LONG PAUSE AND OCCASIONALLY A TERSE RESPONSE. SECONDLY; CTLRS SPEAK 'ENGLISH' TO ENGLISH SPEAKING PLTS AND FRENCH TO THE LCL PLTS. THIS MAKES A 'SIT ORIENTATION' IMPOSSIBLE; WHEN 1/2 OF THE COM IS BLOCKED OUT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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