ACR MLG FLC OBSERVED ACFT Y HOLDING FACING THE RWY ON HIGH SPD TURNOFF AT DTW DURING NIGHT LNDG ROLL. THEY BELIEVED THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A COLLISION IF THEY HAD CHOSEN THAT RWY EXIT POINT SINCE TWR CTLR HAD NOT PROVIDED A CAUTIONARY ADVISORY.
Synopsis
ACR MLG FLC OBSERVED ACFT Y HOLDING FACING THE RWY ON HIGH SPD TURNOFF AT DTW DURING NIGHT LNDG ROLL. THEY BELIEVED THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A COLLISION IF THEY HAD CHOSEN THAT RWY EXIT POINT SINCE TWR CTLR HAD NOT PROVIDED A CAUTIONARY ADVISORY.
Narrative
LANDED RWY 03R AT APPROX XA55. BRIEFED A TXWY F EXIT. UPON ROLLOUT PASSING TXWY W3; I NOTICED WHAT I THINK WAS AN ACR Y DC9 ON TXWY W3 POINTED AT THE RWY RIGHT AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE. HE HAD HIS POS LIGHTS ON AND I THINK HIS WING/NACELLE FLOOD LIGHTS; ALTHOUGH BY THE TIME I PASSED TXWY W3 THEY WEREN'T VISIBLE. NO NOSE LIGHT ON. IF I WOULD HAVE EXITED AT TXWY W3 HE WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE AND AT APPROX 50-60 KTS EXIT SPD A COLLISION WOULD HAVE BEEN A CERTAINTY. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY WARNING FROM TWR WHATSOEVER THAT HE WAS THERE. WHEN I RAISED THE SIT WITH GND CTL I WAS TOLD 'YEAH; HE'S UNCOMFORTABLE BEING THERE TOO.' AN ACR LTT THAT LANDED BEFORE ME STATED; 'I ALMOST HIT HIM TOO.' THE ACR Y WAS CLRED TO TAXI ON RWY 3R AND EXIT AT W2 TO JOIN TXWY W. I SEE THIS AS A SIT WHERE BLIND LUCK AVOIDED A COLLISION. I DON'T KNOW HOW ACR Y TAXIED ONTO TXWY W3 GIVEN THE ESTABLISHED TAXI FLOW (TXWYS W-T-Y) AT DTW. TWR SHOULD HAVE WARNED SUBSEQUENT LNDG ACFT THAT AN ACFT WAS BLOCKING A PROBABLE RWY EXIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE DID RECEIVE RESULTS OF THE DTW TWR REVIEW OF THIS INCIDENT. APPARENTLY; THE ACFT Y HOLDING ON TXWY W3 FACING THE RWY 3R HAD MADE AN ERROR AND THE CREW WAS VERY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT BEING WHERE THEY WERE BECAUSE THEY WERE ON THE HIGH SPD TURNOFF. WHEN THE TWR LEARNED FROM GND CTL OF THE MISTAKE; THEY ATTEMPTED; ACCORDING TO THEIR RECORDING TAPE; TO NOTIFY THE RPTR TO NOT USE TXWY W3. HOWEVER; BY THAT TIME; WHICH WAS ONLY A SPLIT SECOND; THE RPTR WAS ROLLING ON BY THE TXWY INTXN. RPTR'S CONVERSATION WITH THE ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED AHEAD AND SAID THAT THEY HAD JUST MISSED ACFT Y; WAS ON GND CTL. THEREFORE; THEY DID NOT HEAR THE TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS ALLEVIATING THE PROB. SINCE HE IS BASED AT DTW; HE PREFERS TO USE TXWY F TO EXIT THE RWY SO THAT IT IS EASIER TO MAKE THE TURN L ONTO TXWY W. THE TWR DID NOT SUGGEST TO TURN OFF ON TXWY W3 NOR DO THEY SUGGEST ANY PARTICULAR TXWY TO USE TURNING OFF OF RWY 3R. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY COMMON TO USE TXWY W3 SINCE IT IS A DIFFICULT TURN TO MAKE TO THE L ONTO TXWY W GOING SW. THE RPTR STATED THAT HE BELIEVES THAT THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT THAT CAUGHT EVERYONE BY SURPRISE. HE WONDERS HOW THAT ACFT Y MADE THE MISTAKE LEAVING THE PARALLEL TXWY AND HDG TOWARD THE RWY. OF COURSE; IT WAS AT NIGHT!
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.