EGLL DEPARTING B777 CROSSED HOLD LINE FOR RWY WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.
Synopsis
EGLL DEPARTING B777 CROSSED HOLD LINE FOR RWY WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.
Narrative
WE WERE HOLDING IN BLOCK OF RWY 27L. LNDGS WERE ON RWY 27R. TWR ADVISED US TO PLAN TO LINE UP AND WAIT BEHIND THE SECOND A-321 HOLDING S OF RWY 27L. WE THEN TAXIED TO HOLD BLOCK N OF RWY 27L AS DIRECTED. WE OBSERVED AN AIRBUS; B777 AND A SECOND AIRBUS TKOF. I SAID OK WE'RE NEXT; AND STARTED TO TAXI TO LINE UP AND WAIT. XING THE HOLD SHORT LINE; THE TWR SAID WE WERE NOT IN SEQUENCE. WE APOLOGIZED AND OFFERED TO CLR THE RWY AND RE-ENTER THE LINE. TWR SAID THAT WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY; EXPECT TKOF CLRNC SHORTLY. TKOF AND DEP WERE NORMAL. NO MENTION WAS EVER MADE BY TWR ABOUT OUR NUMBER (3; 6; 8) IN THE TKOF SEQUENCE. FOLLOW THE SECOND AIRBUS 321 WAS ALL WE WERE GIVEN. WE APPARENTLY MISTOOK AN AIRBUS 319 OR 320 FOR A 321 AND; THEREFORE; MISCOUNTED THE DEPARTING ACFT. I BELIEVE AIRBUS MODEL NUMBER IS A POOR WAY TO SEQUENCE DEPS IN THE FAILING LIGHT OF DUSK. EXCEPT FOR THEIR LENGTH; NARROW BODY AIRBUSES ARE IDENTICAL. A SIMPLE HOLD SHORT UNTIL YOU ARE NUMBER 2 OR 3; THEN AN ASSIGNMENT FOR SEQUENCE WOULD BE A MUCH SAFER OP.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.