AFTER LNDG RWY 27L AT ATL; AN MD80 CREW BECAME CONFUSED WITH TAXI INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED BY THE LCL CTLR.

Date: 2004-10 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

AFTER LNDG RWY 27L AT ATL; AN MD80 CREW BECAME CONFUSED WITH TAXI INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED BY THE LCL CTLR.

Narrative

WE LANDED ON RWY 27L AND EXITED N2. TWR SAID; 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27R AT THE W END.' BOTH THE FO AND I THOUGHT THE CLRNC WAS UNCLR IF HE MEANT THE W END OF RWY 27R PHYSICALLY AS IN TAXI W ON TXWY N AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27R AT TXWYS L/P OR HOLD SHORT AT THE W SIDE (HALF) OF TXWY T. (THERE WAS AN RJ HOLDING SHORT ON THE E HALF OF TXWY T FACING W.) I COULD SEE THE SCENARIO IN THIS CASE FOR BOTH OF US TO HOLD SHORT AND CROSS ONE AT A TIME. THAT DID SEEM NON STANDARD AND COULD CAUSE A PROB BEHIND ME WITH ANOTHER EXITING ACFT; SO I WANTED TO CLARIFY BUT THE TWR WAS A LITTLE BUSY. SO I SLOWED MY TAXI AND STARTED A SLIGHT ANGLE TO TXWY T. TWR SAW WHERE I WAS HDG AND WITH A LITTLE IMPATIENCE TOLD US TO GO DOWN TO THE END OF THE RWY. NOW I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT. I CALLED AND POLITELY TALKED TO TWR SUPVR AND SHE SAID THEY USE THAT PHRASE HUNDREDS OF TIMES A DAY AND ACR X IS THE ONLY ONES THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. ACR Y AND ACR Z KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. SHE BELIEVES THE CLRNC IS VALID AND LEGAL. SHE ALSO TOLD ME OF; 'THE LOOP' WHICH WE CAN BE TOLD TO TAXI VIA THE LOOP COMING N OUT OF TERMINAL 1 AND 2 WHERE TXWYS E AND F ARE. I DIDN'T GET HER DIRECTIONS CLRLY ON THAT ONE; BUT IF THEY EVER TELL ME TO TAXI VIA THE LOOP I WILL HAVE TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION. WHEN I TOLD HER THAT HAD THE CTLR SAID CONTINUE W ON TXWY N AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27R AT TXWY L I DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD HIM; SHE SAID THAT TAKES TOO MANY WORDS. I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE RULES OF PHRASEOLOGY AND SHE EVEN LOOKED IN HER REF AND IT STATES ON HOLDING SHORTS TO SAY AT A LOCATION; POINT; OR INTXN. TO ME AT THAT MOMENT; 'AT THE W END' DID NOT FIT VERY WELL WITH THE PHRASEOLOGY REQUIREMENT. ALSO; 'THE LOOP' MEANS NOTHING WITHOUT A WRITTEN OR VERBAL EXPLANATION. IN ANY CASE; WE WERE HAVING TO EITHER FILL IN A BLANK OF INFO; GUESS; OR ASK FOR A LITTLE MORE INFO. THE SUPVR SAID SEVERAL ACR X PLTS HAVE CALLED HER ABOUT THIS ITEM. THERE APPEARS TO BE A SMALL TREND HERE AND SHE SAID SHE IS WILLING TO TALK TO OUR ATC PERSON. I NEVER FELT SHE UNDERSTOOD WHERE I WAS COMING FROM WITH THIS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.