HS125 CAPT DECLINED THE CLRNC INTO POSITION AND HOLD BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE SPACING WITH A LNDG ACR WAS TOO CLOSE. THE ACR WAS SENT AROUND.
Synopsis
HS125 CAPT DECLINED THE CLRNC INTO POSITION AND HOLD BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE SPACING WITH A LNDG ACR WAS TOO CLOSE. THE ACR WAS SENT AROUND.
Narrative
THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AS ACFT WERE DEP LAS USING RWY 7L AND 7R AND ARRIVING VIA RWY 1R. AN ACFT CLRED INTO POSITION TO HOLD (HS125) (RWY 7L) HALTED A TAXI OP; AND AN ACFT ON FINAL FOR AN INTERSECTING RWY (B737) (RWY 1R) EXECUTED A GAR. A 737 ON APCH TO RWY 1R AT LAS EXECUTED A GAR WHEN A CONFLICT DEVELOPED WITH OUR ACFT (HS125) AFTER BEING CLRED INTO POSITION TO HOLD ON AN INTERSECTING RWY; RWY 7L. TO COMPLETE THIS TAXI; OUR ACFT WAS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A 120 DEG L TURN AND TAXI SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET TO CROSS THE APCH END OF INTERSECTING RWY 1L AND RWY 1R TO REACH THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD OF RWY 7L. MY ACFT; A HAWKER (HS125-600) TAXIED VIA TXWY H TO THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 1L AND RWY 7L. SEVERAL ACFT LANDED IN CLOSE SUCCESSION ON RWY 1R DURING THE PERIOD WE WERE HOLDING. MY ACFT WAS CLRED INTO POSITION TO HOLD RWY 7L; WITH ADDITIONAL INFO THAT AN ACFT WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 1R. OUR ACFT BEGAN TAXI AT NORMAL SPEED; PROCEEDING AROUND A TURN TO ALIGN WITH RWY 7L AND TAXI TO THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD LINE. DURING TAXI THE ACFT ON FINAL FOR RWY 1R BEGAN TO APPEAR TO BE TOO CLOSE AND THE FO QUERIED TWR; 'DO YOU WANT US TO CROSS RWY 1R?' TWR REPLIED; 'YES YOU BETTER HURRY THE ACFT IS ON SHORT FINAL.' DURING THE EXCHANGE; I DECIDED THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE A SAFE CROSSING AND STOPPED THE HS125. THE FO TOLD THE TWR THE CAPT IS HOLDING SHORT. THE HS125 STOPPED APPROX 50-100 FT FROM RWY 7R; BUT WAS INSIDE THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 7R. THE 737 MAKING AN APCH TO RWY 1R EXECUTED A GAR. THE TWR THEN CLRED THE HS125 FOR TKOF. WE DID NOT HEAR THE TWR ISSUE A GAR INSTRUCTION TO THE 737. WE DID NOT HEAR THE 737 RPT HE WAS GAR. ANALYSIS AND COMMENT: THIS INTERSECTION OF 4 RWYS APPEARS TO BE A HIGH CONFLICT AREA WITH TAKEOFFS AND LNDGS OCCURRING SIMULTANEOUSLY ON INTERSECTING RWYS. THE TWR CTLR CLRED OUR ACFT INTO POS TO HOLD; DID NOT INDICATE THE RANGE OF THE 737. THIS ADDITIONAL INFO MIGHT HAVE HELPED US DETERMINE HOW MUCH TIME WE HAD TO TAXI INTO POSITION. THE CTLR DID NOT INDICATE WE SHOULD TAXI WITHOUT DELAY; WHICH ALSO WOULD HAVE GIVEN US AN INDICATION THAT THE TIME WAS CONSTRAINED. WE TAXIED AT A NORMAL TAXI PACE DURING WHICH TIME IT BECAME INCREASINGLY APPARENT THE 737 WAS TOO CLOSE AND CLOSING TOO FAST TO ALLOW A SAFE CROSSING OF THE INTERSECTING RWY 1R. LACKING INFO ABOUT THE RANGE OF THE 737; IT INITIALLY APPEARED VISUALLY THERE WOULD BE NO PROB WITH THE INSTRUCTION ISSUED BY THE CTLR. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN TO ALIGN WITH RWY 7L THE FO VISUALLY RE-EVALUATED CLOSURE AND ON THAT BASIS; HE QUESTIONED THE CTLR. IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN APPARENT FROM THE CTLRS POINT OF VIEW; THAT A SAFE CROSSING WAS NOT LONGER POSSIBLE WHEN HE INSTRUCTED US TO HURRY; HOWEVER; IT WAS INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT WE COULD NOT CONTINUE AT A NORMAL PACE. ACCELERATING THE TAXI TO MAKE THE CROSSING WAS CONSIDERED UNSAFE. I FELT THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO STOP. IT SEEMS IN RETROSPECT; THAT THE CTLR MAY HAVE ALLOWED INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR OUR ACFT TO COMPLETE A TAXI FROM THE HOLD POSITION FOR RWY 1L AND RWY 7L; INTO POSITION TO HOLD FOR RWY 7L; WHICH HAS A DISPLACED THRESHOLD THAT IS BEYOND THE INTERSECTION OF RWY 1R AND RWY 7L. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY BOTH PROVIDING OUR ACFT INFO REGARDING THE RANGE OF THE ACFT ON FINAL; AND BY INCREASING THE MINIMUM SEPARATION. THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE DISTANCE AN ACFT MUST TAXI TO CLR RWY 1R REQUIRED A SOMEWHAT EXTENDED TIME. IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT DURING THIS PERIOD THE DEP CREW IS COMPLETING PRE-DEP FINAL CHKS; AND THE CAPT HAS LIMITED VISIBILITY OF THE FINAL APCH. I FEEL ADDITIONAL SEPARATION WAS REQUIRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT RPTS THE TXWY AREA IN THE VICINITY OF RWY 7L; TXWY H AND W IS VERY CONFUSING. ITS HARD TO TELL WHERE YOU ARE. ITS JUST A MORASS OF PAVEMENT. ACFT WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 7L ON TXWY D; AND WERE GOING INTO POSITION FROM THERE. PLT RPTS HE THOUGHT HE HAD TO TAXI TO THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD TO BEGIN TKOF. HE NOTED A HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 7L; 1L. HE ALSO SAW THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 1R ON RWY 7L. HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE POSITION CLRNC WOULD HAVE ALLOWED HIM TO HOLD AT THE END OF RWY 7L; ON RWY 1L. THE TWR CTLR DID NOTHING TO CLARIFY THE CONFUSION. PLT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE CONFUSION AT THIS PART OF THE ARPT CLRED UP BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OCCURS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.