AN AIR CARRIER PILOT DESCRIBES A CONGESTED ATL RAMP BLOCKING HIS AIRCRAFT FROM COMPLETELY CLEARING THE RUNWAY AND SO LEAVING A PART OF HIS TAIL ON THE RUNWAY DURING CAT II OPERATIONS.

Narrative

I WAS THE CAPT OF ACR X. WE FLEW A CAT II APCH TO RWY 10 IN ATLANTA (RVR 1400 FT). WE TAXIED TO THE RAMP; CROSSED RWY 9R; HELD SHORT OF RWY 9L AT TXWY S BEHIND ACR Y. ATL TWR CLRED ACR Y AND ACR X TO CROSS RWY 9L AT TXWY S; JOIN TXWY M AND CONTACT GND ON 121.75. THE TWR WAS CALLING RVR FOR RWY 9L. WHEN WE WERE ABOUT 1/2 WAY ACROSS RWY 9L; I NOTICED AN ACR X ON TXWY M WITH HIS TAXI LIGHT ON BUT HE APPEARED TO BE STOPPED. THE ACR Y MADE A WIDE TURN ONTO TXWY M AND STOPPED BEHIND ACR X WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE 100 FT BTWN ACFT. THIS BLOCKED THE EXIT FROM TXWY S ONTO TXWY M AND WE HAD TO STOP ON TXWY S. I ESTIMATE THE COCKPIT OF OUR ACFT WAS 25 FT PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAR OUR TAIL WAS CLR OF THE RWY. I INSTRUCTED MY COPLT TO GO OVER TO GND AND TELL ACFT TO MOVE UP. WHEN WE SWITCHED OVER TO GND; THE CTLR TOLD US TO TAXI TO RAMP 1; AND THEN THE FREQ GOT CONGESTED. WE COULD NOT GET A RADIO CALL IN. I LOOKED DOWN RWY AND SAW AN ACFT TAKING OFF ON RWY 9L. HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF ROTATING WHEN HE WENT PAST US. I THEN GOT ON THE RADIO AND TOLD ATL GND TO STOP TKOFS DUE TO THE FACT WE WERE NOT PAST THE CLEAR LINE. THE 2 ACFT IN FRONT OF US THEN STARTED MOVING AND WE WERE ABLE TO CLEAR.