2011-10 · NASA ASRS report 976151
Air Carrier landing Runway 27 at BOS voiced concern regarding ATC's 'de facto' use of LAHSO procedures without referring to them as LAHSO. The reporter noted the absence of formal LAHSO training as a concern.
This report is to bring attention to the use of the De Facto LAHSO at Boston. In this event; Boston Tower cleared us to land on Runway 27 and told us that another aircraft would be landing on an intersecting Runway 22L. The phraseology seemed non-standard and was perhaps chosen to avoid mention of LAHSO. I chose to land only if the other aircraft had been given and acknowledged a turn off and taxi instruction prior to our touchdown. This happened approximately one to two seconds before our landing. This is to say we could not possibly have waited any longer before commencing a go-around. I believe this is a case of Boston Tower attempting to continue to move airplanes using what is essentially LAHSO without calling it that. I think this is well intentioned but inappropriate. I have not been trained in LAHSO and don't know the procedures in the event of; for example; a simultaneous go-around. Of course; the conservative choice would have been for me to go around; but I chose to operate on the principle that an aircraft on the runway that has accepted taxi instructions is not a landing aircraft; but a taxiing one. I didn't make this up myself; I had it spelled out on the radio to me by ATC; and I see it in use at several airports; including LGA during day-to-day operations. Don't misunderstand; I have no idea if this is true in a legal sense. I just know it seems to be SOP and so I used it as a way to manage the situation without simply giving up and going around.
On approach to land on Runway 27 at Boston; a small aircraft was given clearance to land on an intersecting Runway 22L. The terminology used by ATC seemed similar to the approval for Land and Hold Short Operations; though not using that specific phraseology (aircraft was cleared to taxi ahead and exit at a particular taxiway during its landing roll). We were prepared for a go-around if LAHSO would have seemed to become the result. The pilot monitoring had a better view of the landing aircraft and the terminology better than I had and talked about a plan for it during the approach. Our determination was that the other aircraft was landing just prior to us and was given a taxi clearance prior to our landing; therefore; it was acceptable in our procedures. I'm not sure if LAHSO is the exact intent of the ATC Controller but it seemed similar. More education on the procedure and terminology of the ATC Controller's intent and on LAHSO in general would be of benefit to me.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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