B757 LNDG LAX CROSSED RWY 25R ONTO TXWY C IN LIEU OF THE TXWY B CLRNC THE GND CTLR SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED.
Synopsis
B757 LNDG LAX CROSSED RWY 25R ONTO TXWY C IN LIEU OF THE TXWY B CLRNC THE GND CTLR SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED.
Narrative
DURING THE APCH BRIEFING; I SAID THAT IF WE LANDED ON RWY 25L AT LAX I EXPECTED TO EXIT ON TXWYS K OR M AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25R UNTIL WE WERE EXPLICITLY CLRED TO CROSS. I ALSO INDICATED THAT ONCE CLRED TO CROSS; I WOULD EXPECT TO TAXI ACROSS TXWY B AND TURN L ONTO TXWY C UNLESS DIRECTED OTHERWISE; THEN VIA THE N RTE; R TURN ON TXWY Q; HOLD SHORT OF TXWY D; THEN AS ASSIGNED TO THE GATE. WE LANDED ON RWY 25L; CLRED THE RWY ONTO TXWY K; AND WERE DIRECTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25R; AND STAY WITH THE TWR. TWR THEN CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 25R; CROSS (OR PASS; I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH WORD WAS USED) BEHIND AN AIRBUS EBOUND ON TXWY B; AND CONTACT GND CTL. AT THAT TIME; THE AIRBUS WAS BTWN TXWYS M AND K; AND WAS THE LAST OF SEVERAL EBOUND ACFT ON TXWY B. I SET MY TAXI SPD SO THAT I WOULD PASS SAFELY BEHIND THE AIRBUS AFTER HE CROSSED IN FRONT OF US (THIS WAS SOMEWHAT SLOWER THAN I NORMALLY WOULD HAVE CROSSED THE RWY). SINCE TWR TOLD ME TO GO BEHIND THE AIRBUS AND TXWY B HAD JUST BEEN USED FOR EBOUND ACFT; I ASSUMED THAT TWR WANTED ME TO JOIN TXWY C; EVEN THOUGH HE HADN'T SPECIFIED THAT. AS WE CROSSED THE RWY; FREQ CONGESTION DID NOT ALLOW US TO QUESTION TWR AS TO WHICH TXWY HE WANTED US ON. I TOLD THE FO I WOULD TAKE C8 TO TXWY C; TURN L ON TXWY C; AND HOLD THERE UNTIL GND CTL GAVE US FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. THE GND CTL FREQ WAS CONGESTED; AND BY THE TIME GND CTL CALLED US BACK; WE WERE TURNING FROM C8 ONTO TXWY C. GND CTL ISSUED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI VIA: TXWYS B; C10; C; N RTE. THE FO READ BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS VERBATIM. THE INSTRUCTIONS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME; SINCE I WAS ALREADY ON TXWY C AND I'VE NEVER BEEN INSTRUCTED TO TAXI WBOUND ON TXWY B IN OVER 30 YRS OF EXPERIENCE AT LAX. I SLOWED FURTHER; RECHKED THE TAXI DIAGRAM; AND CONFIRMED THAT WE HAD ALREADY JOINED TXWY C EARLIER THAN GND CTL HAD INSTRUCTED US. AS THE FREQ WAS TOO CONGESTED TO QUESTION GND CTL AT THAT POINT AND WE WERE ALREADY ON TXWY C WITH NO TFC CONFLICT APPARENT; I DECIDED TO CONTINUE SLOWLY AHEAD ON TXWY C. I FELT THAT IT WOULD CAUSE MORE OF A PROB IF I STOPPED AND WAITED FOR CLARIFICATION THAN IF I CONTINUED THE SHORT DISTANCE TO C10. GND CTL DID NOT CALL US BACK; AND I DID NOT BRING UP THE ISSUE BECAUSE I FELT THAT IT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED NEGATIVELY TO THE FREQ CONGESTION. ALTHOUGH I CAUSED NO CONFLICT THAT I AM AWARE OF AND GND CTL'S INSTRUCTIONS WERE RECEIVED TOO LATE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COMPLY; I REALIZE THAT WE DID NOT COMPLY WITH THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. REVIEWING FOM PAGE OPS-51; (AFTER LNDG TAXI PROC) I BELIEVE THAT I COMPLIED WITH THE INTENT OF THAT SECTION; AS I HAD TO TURN WBOUND ONTO EITHER TXWY B OR TXWY C FOR THE ACFT'S TAIL TO BE CLR OF RWY 25L; AND HAD I CHOSEN TXWY B; IT WAS LIKELY THAT I COULD CAUSE A CONFLICT. BOTTOM LINE: MY EXPECTATIONS; BRIEFING; EXPERIENCE; AND THE TWR'S PHRASEOLOGY LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT I SHOULD CONTINUE TO TXWY C. GND CTL WANTED ME ON TXWY B; AND COMS (BOTH US AND ATC) WERE NOT TIMELY ENOUGH TO CLARIFY GND'S INTENT BEFORE I WAS COMMITTED TO TURNING ONTO TXWY C. IF I HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN; I WOULD READ BACK THE TWR'S RWY XING INSTRUCTIONS AND IMMEDIATELY ASK IF HE WANTED US TO JOIN TXWY B OR TXWY C. WHILE THIS WOULD HAVE ADDED TO THE FREQ CONGESTION; IT WOULD HAVE CLARIFIED THE SIT FOR ALL CONCERNED. THIS WOULD ALSO HAVE COMPLIED WITH FAR 91.123 (COMPLIANCE WITH ATC CLRNCS AND INSTRUCTIONS. A -- WHEN A PLT IS UNCERTAIN OF AN ATC CLRNC; THAT PLT SHALL IMMEDIATELY REQUEST CLARIFICATION FROM ATC); AND AIM 5-5-2.A.3.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.