PLT OF C182 CROSSED RWY 8 AT TUL WITHOUT CLRNC THINKING HE HAD BEEN CLRED TO RWY 18R.
Synopsis
PLT OF C182 CROSSED RWY 8 AT TUL WITHOUT CLRNC THINKING HE HAD BEEN CLRED TO RWY 18R.
Narrative
BEFORE CALLING CLRNC DELIVERY; I LISTENED TO THE ATIS. I LEARNED THAT RWY 18L/36R WAS CLOSED. RWYS 18R AND 8 WERE IN USE. I INFORMED THE GND CTLR THAT I WAS READY TO TAXI FROM HANGAR X RAMP. SHE INSTRUCTED ME TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY L (TO ALLOW A REGIONAL JET THAT HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 18R TO CLR THE RWY AT INTXN L4). AFTER THE RJ HAD PASSED; THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO 'CAUTION WAKE TURB (SIC); FOLLOW THE RJ NBOUND ON TXWY L TO (I THOUGHT SHE SAID) RWY 18R.' I READ BACK SOMETHING LIKE (I'M REASONABLY SURE); 'I'LL BE CAREFUL OF THE TURB AND FOLLOW BEHIND THE RJ N ON TXWY L TO RWY 18R.' I PROCEEDED N ALONG TXWY L; CROSSED RWY 8; AND WHEN I WAS ABEAM OF INTXN L2 THE CTLR CALLED TO INQUIRE IF I WAS AWARE OF HAVING CROSSED RWY 8. I BROUGHT THE AIRPLANE TO A COMPLETE STOP AND I INFORMED HER THAT; YES; INDEED; I CROSSED RWY 8 AND THAT I WAS ON MY WAY TO RWY 18R. SHE INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD CLRED ME TO RWY 8; NOT RWY 18R. I ASSURED HER THAT I REALLY THOUGHT I HAD BEEN CLRED TO RWY 18R; AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING. I ALSO SAID THAT I WAS PRETTY SURE; THOUGH; THAT I HAD READ BACK A CLRNC TO RWY 18R. SHE REAFFIRMED THAT SHE HAD CLRED ME ONLY TO RWY 8. AFTER A LONG AWKWARD SILENCE I ASKED FOR A CLRNC THE REST OF THE WAY TO RWY 18R. SHE THEN CLRED ME TO TAXI TO RWY 18R. AFTER A NORMAL RUN-UP I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A TKOF CLRNC. WHAT DO I THINK HAPPENED? WITHOUT HAVING HEARD ATC'S AUDIO TAPE; I CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY WHICH CLRNC I WAS GIVEN. THE CTLR IN THIS INCIDENT IS KNOWN TO ME TO BE VERY COMPETENT. SHE IS ALSO USUALLY VERY ACCOMMODATING. I SUSPECT THAT; SINCE AN FAA INVESTIGATION SEEMS TO BE IN PROGRESS; SHE HAD CLRED ME TO RWY 8 AFTER ALL. I MAY HAVE PRE-PROGRAMMED MYSELF TO HEAR ONLY A CLRNC FOR RWY 18R. WHY? EVEN THOUGH THE ATIS ADVERTISED THAT RWYS 8 AND 18R WERE BOTH ACTIVE; THE WHOLE TIME I WAS ON THE RAMP DOING THE PREFLT; WARMING UP; AND GETTING CLRNCS; THE ONLY ACTIVITY I SAW WAS HAPPENING ON RWY 18R (4 OR 5 ARRS AND DEPS). ALSO; MY DEP HEADING WAS TO THE NW; SO USING RWY 18R WOULD SEEM TO OFFER THE CHANCE TO GET AN ON-COURSE SOONER. SINCE THE ACFT I WAS WAITING FOR TO CLR AHEAD OF ME HAD USED RWY 18R IT SEEMS THAT POSSIBLY I MAY HAVE SUBCONSCIOUSLY ASSUMED THAT I WAS GOING TO BE SENT TO RWY 18R. IN ADDITION; AND THIS MAY BE A STRETCH; I HAD A SMALL INTERNAL DIALOG GOING ON IN MY BRAIN ABOUT THE CAUTION: WAKE TURB ADMONITION SHE ISSUED. I'M REASONABLY SURE THAT WHAT SHE MEANT TO SAY WAS CAUTION: JET BLAST FROM THE TAXIING RJ. I FOUND MYSELF STIFLING THE IMPULSE TO MAKE AN IMPERTINENT REMARK ABOUT A TAXIING AIRLINER NOT BEING ABLE TO CREATE ANY SIGNIFICANT WAKE TURB WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO HER CLRNC MORE CLOSELY. IN ADDITION; BEING FULLY AWARE THAT THE INTERSECTING RWY (RWY 8) WAS ACTIVE (IT USUALLY ISN'T) I SHOULD HAVE BEEN LISTENING VERY CLOSELY TO THE CLRNC. EVEN THOUGH I MADE SURE THAT THERE WASN'T ANYONE ON FINAL BEFORE I CROSSED I MIGHT HAVE DONE WELL TO HAVE ASKED HER FOR A CLARIFICATION OF THE RWY 18R CLRNC THAT I THOUGHT I HAD. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I REALLY THOUGHT THAT I WAS CLRED TO RWY 18R AND WAS PROCEEDING ACCORDINGLY WHEN THE CTLR POINTED OUT THE TRANSGRESSION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.