EWR CTLR RECOGNIZES INCORRECT TAXI CLRNC WHEN CHALLENGED BY CARGO FLC.
Synopsis
EWR CTLR RECOGNIZES INCORRECT TAXI CLRNC WHEN CHALLENGED BY CARGO FLC.
Narrative
LANDED RWY 4R AT EWR. TAXIED OFF ONTO TXWY K TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 4L. CLRED ACROSS RWY 4L TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY S; CONTACT GND AT TXWY S; TOLD TO TAXI TO RAMP VIA TXWYS S AND B. CTLR CALLED US AT TXWY B AND TOLD US TO CONTINUE ON TXWY S TO TXWY A TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY V. UPON PASSING 'RE' CTLR QUERIED US IF WE PAST TXWY RE. WE STATED YES AND WERE CURRENTLY HOLDING SHORT OF TXWY RD. AT TXWY RD; I NOTICED A B767 TAXIING ON A NBOUND; WE WERE NOW HEADED NOSE-TO-NOSE. CTLR STATED WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD AT RE. AT RD WE WERE TOLD TO TURN ON TXWY E TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY B. WE HELD SHORT ALLOWING A JET TO PASS. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO TURN R ON TXWY B CONTINUE TO TXWY PB. THIS WAS AN INCORRECT CLRNC; COULD NOT GET TO TXWY PB WITHOUT TURNING ONTO TXWY V. CTLR CAME BACK REALIZING HIS MISTAKE AND CLRED US VIA TXWY B TO TXWY V TO TXWY PB. AT TXWY V I HELD SHORT AND ASKED FOR CLRNC TO ENTER RAMP VIA TXWY B TO TXWY RB. CTLR SAID APPROVED TO TAXI TO TXWY PB AS REQUESTED. REALIZING ANOTHER MISTAKE; WE RECONFIRMED OUR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. CTLR SAID 'CLRED TO TAXI TO TXWY RB.' AFTER BLOCK-IN; I CALLED THE EWR TWR AT XA00 AND SPOKE TO A TWR CTLR WHO ASSURED US THAT NO ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN. HE SAID IT WAS A FREE FOR ALL OUT THERE WITH MASS CONFUSION. HUMAN FACTORS CONSIDERATIONS: 1) ICY RWYS AND TXWYS CAUSING SLOW TAXI WITH TAXI LINES COVERED BY SNOW AND ICE. 2) VERY HIGH GND TAXI DENSITY. 3) A LOT OF INTL ARRS WITH BROKEN ENGLISH SPOKEN. 4) MULTIPLE CHANGES OF TAXI CLRNCS. 5) CTLR'S VOICE WAS TERSE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.