DISAGREEMENT BTWN FLC AND ATCT LCL CTLR AND GND CTLR OVER WHETHER THE ACFT HAD CLRED THE RWY.

Date: 1995-05 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

DISAGREEMENT BTWN FLC AND ATCT LCL CTLR AND GND CTLR OVER WHETHER THE ACFT HAD CLRED THE RWY.

Narrative

AFTER LNDG ON RWY 31R IN DES MOINES; IA; WE TURNED ONTO THE TXWY D5 WHICH CONNECTED TO THE PARALLEL TXWY D TO RWY 31R. I STOPPED SHORT OF THE PARALLEL TXWY D TO GET CLRNC TO TAXI FROM GND CTL. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO TAXI; WE WERE QUERIED AS TO WHY WE STOPPED SHORT OF THE PARALLEL TXWY; AND WHY WE DID NOT TURN THE CORNER AND CONTINUE ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY PRIOR TO CONTACTING GND. THERE WAS AN ACR ACFT IN POS AND HOLD FOR TKOF; AND THE CTLR FELT OUR TAIL WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY. ACCORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL PUBS ATC SECTION 4-69; THE WORDING UNDER THE NOTE ('THE TWR WILL ISSUE THE PLT WITH INSTRUCTIONS WHICH WILL NORMALLY PERMIT THE ACFT TO ENTER ANOTHER TXWY; RWY; OR RAMP AREA WHEN REQUIRED TO TAXI CLR OF THE RWY') SEEMS TO APPLY AS WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR. ALSO SECTION 'C' BELOW THAT SAYS TO STOP THE ACFT AFTER CLRING THE RWY IF INSTRUCTIONS HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVED FROM ATC. ALSO ENCLOSED IS A COPY OF THE COMPANY FLT OPS MANUAL RWY CLRING PROCS. IT STATES ('IF AFTER CLRING THE RWY AND NO TAXI INSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM ATC; STOP THE ACFT SHORT OF THE FIRST INTERSECTING TXWY; RWY; OR RAMP AREA. OBTAIN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO MOVING YOUR ACFT'). THE INTENT SEEMS TO BE TO CLR THE ACTIVE RWY AND ALLOW MOVEMENT ONTO TXWYS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT; BUT IN THE SAME SECTION WE ARE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT AFTER CLRING THE RWY. I BELIEVE THE KEY WOULD BE TO DEFINE 'CLRING THE RWY.' DOES THE ENTIRE ACFT NEED TO BE BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE IN ORDER TO BE CLR OF THE RWY? I CAN THINK OF SEVERAL ARPTS WHERE XING THE HOLD LINE WOULD CAUSE TFC CONFLICTS WITHOUT RECEIVING PRIOR CLRNC (LOUISVILLE; KY; FOR EXAMPLE). I FEEL THAT THIS IS AN AREA THAT COULD BE MORE CLRLY DEFINED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 306531: THE LCL CTLR INSTRUCTED THE CREW TO EXIT THE RWY AT THE NEXT R TURN AND CONTACT GND. NO INSTRUCTIONS WERE RECEIVED TO TAXI ONTO OR ALONG THE TXWY PARALLEL TO RWY. HE PULLED UP BUT NOT ONTO TXWY D. WE BOTH BELIEVED THE AIRPLANE TAIL WAS CLR OF THE RWY. THE GND CTLR ASKED US WHY WE HADN'T TURNED THE CORNER ONTO TXWY D AFTER CLRING THE RWY. WE REPLIED WE HAD NO CLRNC FROM LCL CTL TO DO SO. GND CTL SAID HE HAD EXPECTED US TO TURN THE CORNER ONTO THE PARALLEL.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.