AN MD80 AT DFW WAS CLRED TO CROSS THE RWY; BUT JUST AFTER XING THE HOLD LINE WAS INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT FOR LNDG TFC.
Synopsis
AN MD80 AT DFW WAS CLRED TO CROSS THE RWY; BUT JUST AFTER XING THE HOLD LINE WAS INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT FOR LNDG TFC.
Narrative
AFTER LNDG DFW ON RWY 13R; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAKE TXWY C NBOUND AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18R AT INTXN WL. AFTER GIVING WAY TO AN AIRBUS (ON TXWY C); WE TURNED R AND HELD WELL SHORT AS INSTRUCTED. AN RJ WAS LNDG ON RWY 18R AND EXITED HIGH SPEED E4. HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS; BUT USED AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF TIME TO READ BACK HIS ENTIRE CLRNC; THUS BLOCKING THE FREQ AND PROHIBITING THE CTLR FROM ISSUING OUR ANTICIPATED XING CLRNC. WE HAD AN MD80 ON (ESTIMATING) A 3 MI FINAL (WHICH IS PLENTY OF SEPARATION TO ISSUE US A XING CLRNC) AND; WHEN THE RJ FINALLY STOPPED TALKING; WE WERE ISSUED A CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 18R AND STARTED THE ACFT TOWARDS THE RWY. WE WERE THE ONLY ACFT HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 18R. (THERE WAS A B777 TAXIING ACROSS RWY 18R UP FIELD OF US ON TXWY WK; BUT I BELIEVE THAT HE WAS ON GND FREQ; AS I DON'T RECALL EVER HEARING HIM. NEVERTHELESS; IT WAS THE PERFECT XING SCENARIO HAVING A HVY JET BTWN ME AND THE LNDG ACFT.) WE BOTH WERE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF OUR CLRNC; BUT SINCE THE VERY FIRST PART OF OUR XING CLRNC WAS SLIGHTLY GARBLED; I SIMPLY ASKED THE FO TO CLARIFY THE CLRNC. AT THIS POINT; I SUPPOSE THAT THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT WE WEREN'T YET MOVING; AND CANCELED OUR XING CLRNC. HOWEVER; WE WERE ALREADY ACROSS THE HOLD LINES. WE INFORMED THE CTLR THAT WE WERE ACROSS THE LINES AND NOW UNABLE TO HOLD SHORT; WHEREUPON HE AGAIN SAID 'HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY.' WE WERE WELL SHORT OF THE RWY EDGE; BUT DEFINITELY ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINE WHEN I STOPPED THE ACFT. THE CTLR THEN ASKED THE MD80 ON FINAL IF HE COULD ACCEPT A LNDG CLRNC; EVEN THOUGH AN ACFT DOWNFIELD WAS ACROSS THE HOLD LINE. SINCE WE WERE WELL SHORT OF THE RWY; HE ACCEPTED THE LNDG CLRNC AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. WE THEN CROSSED BOTH RWYS AND HEADED FOR THE GATE. WHILE TAXIING IN; I ASKED THE TWR CTLR IF WE 'HAD A DEAL' GOING; AND HE SAID 'NO' BECAUSE THE LNDG ACFT HAD US IN SIGHT AND THAT THERE WAS 'NO PROB.' WHEN I RETURNED TO THE GATE ON THE OUTBOUND LEG; I WAS INSTRUCTED BY RAMP TO CALL TWR SUPVR TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT. HE WANTED TO KNOW IF MY NOSE WAS 'PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE.' I ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. HE INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE DOING A SELF-DISCLOSURE AND THAT THIS IS LIKELY GOING TO BE CONSIDERED A 'RWY INCURSION.' I THOUGHT THAT HE WAS IMPLYING IT WAS OUR FAULT; BUT HE SAID 'YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG HERE' AND THAT 'THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE SENT THE MD80 AROUND.' I CALLED AGAIN 24 HRS LATER; AFTER THEY REVIEWED THE TAPE; AND CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE INDEED CLRED TO CROSS THE RWY (ACCORDING TO THE SUPVR WHO SAID THAT HE HEARD THE TAPE). THIS IS A TOUGH ONE. I WAS CERTAIN OF THE CLRNC TO CROSS; BUT BECAUSE WE'RE SO PARANOID THESE DAYS; I LIKELY CAUSED THE WHOLE SITUATION BY SIMPLY CLARIFYING OUR CLRNC. I FEEL TERRIBLE FOR THE CTLR. IF I HAD SAID NOTHING; THIS WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN ROUTINE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 704639: THEY REPLIED NO PROB; LANDED AND MADE THE HIGH SPEED SHORT OF WHERE WE WERE HOLDING SHORT. AFTER THAT WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS BOTH RWYS. ABOUT 20 MINS BEFORE DEP TO MMMX; THE CAPT WAS REQUESTED TO CALL THE TWR. THEY INFORMED US THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO A SELF DISCLOSURE ON A RWY INCURSION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.