AN ACR FLC CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY WHEN THEY MISUNDERSTOOD THE GND CTLR WHO USED NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY IN TELLING THEM TO HOLD SHORT. THERE WAS ALSO AN ILL TIMED CONVERSATION IN THE COCKPIT ABOUT THE RWY XING THAT INTERFERED WITH THE CTLR'S XMISSION. NO CONFLICT OCCURRED. DC10-30.

Narrative

TAXI CLRNC WAS TO TAXI TO RWY 16R AND TO 'STOP' PRIOR TO RWY 25. 100 YARDS SHORT OF RWY 25; I HEARD A XMISSION FROM GND THAT SOUNDED LIKE '(CALL SIGN) CROSS RWY 25.' AT THE SAME EXACT MOMENT; THE CAPT SAID 'CHK WITH GND TO SEE IF WE CAN CROSS RWY 25;' OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. I THEN SAID 'THAT WAS OUR CLRNC TO CROSS;' AND I SIMULTANEOUSLY READ BACK TO GND; 'ROGER (CALL SIGN) XING RWY 25.' THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM GND. I CHKED THE RWY AND SAW NO TFC; EXCEPT FOR A B757 THAT HAD JUST TAKEN OFF FROM RWY 25 AND WAS CLBING STRAIGHT AHEAD OF US XING R TO L PASSING THROUGH ABOUT 400 FT. WE CROSSED. AFTER WE CROSSED GND TOLD US 'I TOLD YOU TO STOP BEFORE RWY 25.' I SAID; 'ROGER; I THOUGHT YOU TOLD US TO CROSS AND I READ IT BACK.' HE REPEATED HIS XMISSION; AND I REPEATED MINE. WE APOLOGIZED TO GND. THIS INCIDENT SHOWS THE ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT USE OF STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY IN ALL SITS. THERE ARE REASONS FOR IT. FOR EXAMPLE; HAD THE CTLR USED THE PHRASEOLOGY; 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25;' I THINK THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALMOST ZERO CHANCE I WOULD HAVE MISTAKEN 'STOP' FOR 'CROSS.' IN RETROSPECT; IT IS APPARENT THAT THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN THE 2 WORDS ARE IDENTICAL. ADDITIONALLY; IF GND HAD UTTERED THE WORD 'STOP' AT THE EXACT MOMENT THE CAPT HAD SAID 'CROSS' (IN HIS QUERY TO ME) -- A POSSIBILITY -- THIS INCREASES THE CHANCE OF A MISHEAR. I THINK THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. AS FOR STANDARDIZATION; ICAO RECOMMENDS THE USE OF 'HOLD SHORT' TERMINOLOGY; AND COMMERCIAL CHARTS REFLECT NO ITALIAN EXCEPTION TO THIS. THEREFORE; THE CTLR CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT IN A MAJOR WAY; FIRST BY HIS PHRASEOLOGY; AND SECOND BY MISSING MY READBACK. FOR MY PART; I NOW RECOGNIZE THERE CAN BE NO EXCEPTION TO THE '2 PLTS ON A CLRNC RULE' WHILE ON THE GND. THERE IS NO REASON TO FAIL TO OBSERVE THIS RULE; EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS SAFE; IE; A READBACK AND A CLR RWY. I SHOULD HAVE RECONFIRMED THE INSTRUCTION FROM GND WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE CAPT HAD NOT HEARD IT ALSO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS DC10 FO SAID THAT HE THINKS THAT THE CAPT'S INQUIRY ABOUT XING AND THE CTLR'S WORD 'STOP' ARRIVED AT THE SAME TIME AND ALL HE HEARD WAS THE XING REF. HE FEELS THAT IF THE CTLR HAD SAID THE PHRASE 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25' HE WOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED PROPERLY WITH THE FLC AND THEY WOULD HAVE STOPPED IN TIME. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE OFTEN HEARS IMPROPER PHRASEOLOGY DURING HIS FOREIGN OPS. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD LIKE FOR ICAO TO STRONGLY EMPHASIZE THE USE OF CORRECT WORDS AND PHRASEOLOGY.