AN SF340 FLC TAXIES PAST THE TXWY B HOLD POINT WHEN INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW AN AIRBUS THAT HAD BEEN CLRED PAST THE HOLD POINT NEAR RWY 4L AT BOS; MA.
Synopsis
AN SF340 FLC TAXIES PAST THE TXWY B HOLD POINT WHEN INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW AN AIRBUS THAT HAD BEEN CLRED PAST THE HOLD POINT NEAR RWY 4L AT BOS; MA.
Narrative
LEAVING THE RAMP AT BOSTON; WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI VIA TXWY A; TO THE TXWY B HOLD POINT; AND EXPECT RWY 4R FOR DEP. APCHING THE HOLD POINT; WE WERE TOLD OUR SEQUENCE WAS BEHIND AN ACR Y AIRBUS; APCHING R TO L ON TXWY K; TO FOLLOW THE AIRBUS AND 'MONITOR' TWR 128.8. AFTER ISSUING THIS CLRNC; GND DID NOT ISSUE AN ADDITIONAL CLRNC TO HOLD AT THE TXWY B HOLD POINT; AND MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT I WAS NOW CLRED TO FOLLOW THE AIRBUS ALL THE WAY TO RWY 4R. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT GND HAD CALLED WITH THE CHANGE IN OUR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS; THE FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO ADVISE THAT THE CABIN WAS READY FOR TKOF. AS I CONTINUED TO TAXI BEHIND THE AIRBUS PAST THE TXWY B HOLD POINT I REALIZED THERE WAS AN ACFT ON FINAL FOR RWY 4L. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT AND ASKED THE FO TO VERIFY OUR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WITH TWR. SIMULTANEOUSLY GND CALLED TO ADVISE US THAT WE COULD NOT STOP WHERE WE WERE AND INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS RWY 4L AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 4R. (AT THIS POINT I REALIZED WE WERE STILL ON 121.9 INSTEAD OF 128.8.) THE ACFT ON FINAL TO RWY 4L WAS TOLD TO GO AROUND. I ADVISED GND THAT MY LAST INSTRUCTIONS HAD BEEN TO FOLLOW THE AIRBUS IN SEQUENCE; TO WHICH GND REPLIED THAT I WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE AIRBUS 'TO THE BRAVO HOLD POINT' (WHICH WAS NOT THE SAME CLRNC THAT HE HAD ISSUED). IN ALMOST 3 YRS OF FLYING TO BOSTON; I HAVE NEVER TAXIED VIA THAT RTE; AND MY LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH TXWY B HOLD POINT PROCS; TOGETHER WITH THE GND CTLR'S CONFUSING TAXI CLRNC; WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT. OTHER FACTORS WERE THE FO'S CONFUSION REGARDING THE FREQ CHANGE; THE TIMING OF THE FLT ATTENDANT'S CALL FROM THE BACK (WHICH DISTR ME FROM MONITORING WHAT THE FO WAS DOING WITH THE RADIOS); AND MY FATIGUE RESULTING FROM 2 NIGHTS OF LOUSY; FREQUENTLY INTERRUPTED SLEEP AT 2 OF THE WORST HOTELS I HAVE EVER STAYED IN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 508571: I ADVISED THE CAPT THAT WE WERE APCHING THE TXWY B HOLD POINT AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED BY SAYING HE WAS FOLLOWING THE AIRBUS. AS THE CAPT TAXIED OVER THE TXWY B HOLD POINT; I VERIFIED WITH GND CTL THAT WE WERE CLRED ACROSS. IN A MOMENT OF CONFUSION THE CAPT STOPPED OUR ACFT ON RWY 4L AND AN ACFT ON FINAL WAS TOLD TO GO AROUND. I WAS DISTR BY A CHANGE IN DEP PROCS AND WAS LOOKING OVER THE SID WHEN I COULD HAVE BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON THE CAPT. GND CTL ISSUED VAGUE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WHEN HE TOLD US TO FOLLOW THE AIRBUS; WITHOUT GIVING A CLRNC LIMIT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.