MD11 CREW WAS GIVEN HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE HANDLING BY BOTH THE ATCT LCL CTLR AND GND CTLR AT ORD.
Synopsis
MD11 CREW WAS GIVEN HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE HANDLING BY BOTH THE ATCT LCL CTLR AND GND CTLR AT ORD.
Narrative
LNDG ROLLOUT RWY 22R AT ORD. WE HAD BRIEFED WE WOULD ROLLOUT TO THE END. DECELERATING THROUGH 80 KTS; TWR CALLED WITH EXITING INFO; BUT WAS BLOCKED BY ANOTHER XMISSION. I RESPONDED WITH 'BLOCKED;' BUT HE PROCEEDED TO TALK TO ANOTHER ACFT. WE WERE STILL DECELERATING TO TAXI SPD (HARD 90 DEG TURNS ON AN MD11 ARE LIMITED TO 10 KTS MAX -- A STRUCTURAL LIMITATION) WHEN TWR TOLD US TO EXIT THE RWY IMMEDIATELY. WE EXITED R ON TXWY H. HE CHASTISED US FOR NOT EXITING ON TXWY R LIKE HE TOLD US. WE REPEATED THAT HIS XMISSION WAS BLOCKED. GND GAVE US CONFLICTING TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. WE COULDN'T GET THERE FROM WHERE WE WERE. WE LATER REALIZED GND THOUGHT WE WERE ON AN ADJACENT TXWY. WE GOT 3 SEPARATE TAXI SEQUENCES IN LESS THAN 1 MIN. AFTER FINALLY GETTING UNDERWAY WITH A TXWY SEQUENCE THAT MADE SENSE; WE WERE GIVEN 'ALPHA BRIDGE.' THERE IS NO SUCH THING ON THE GOV ARPT DIAGRAM; AND ONLY A NOTE ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE TAXI DIAGRAM REFERRING TO TFC OVER THE BRIDGE ON TXWY A. WHEN QUERIED ABOUT THIS; HIS RESPONSE WAS 'MY CHARTS HAVE THE ALPHA BRIDGE DEPICTED. AT NO TIME WAS TFC COMPROMISED OR A RWY INCURSION. BUT THE CONFUSION; THE ALT AND THE LCL PROCS HAVE GOT TO EASE UP AT ORD. IT IS JUST NOT SAFE. NOTE: WE COULDN'T HAVE EXITED AT TXWY R EVEN IF WE HAD GOTTEN HIS XMISSION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.