Narrative:

First officer flying phx-ewr dispatch attached request for autoland status check per company cps spcs, crew attempting to comply. Unknown to captain, first officer had never been PF during an autoland, but had observed at least one. Ewr tower was no busier than usual, and approach and T/D were uneventful. Crew noted 1 large transport, waiting for takeoff, and were aware of a widebody transport 3-4 mi behind us on approach. On approximately 2 mi final, tower advised crew to spend minimum time on runway to allow large transport to depart before widebody transport lands. Large transport was only aircraft waiting for that runway (what was the rush?). First officer asked captain for, and got, autobrakes level 3, to help decelerate and clear runway as tower requested. Upon our T/D, tower cleared large transport into position and 'be ready for immediate.' tower then gave us along string of instructions like, 'exit taxiway lima, left on...cross 4L...hold short of...stay with me.' crew was extremely busy, phase first officer flight as critical as it gets. Captain acknowledged with, 'well do all that.' we exited as soon as possible on taxiway lima, and as we did, tower cleared the large transport for immediate takeoff. The first officer seemed to have difficulty ruddering the aircraft onto the high speed. Turns out that since he hadn't autolanded before, he had not disconnected the autoplt and thus was in fact overpwring its electronic desire to maintain runway centerline (rollout mode). Captain was unaware of his problem until we were off the runway, thinking first officer was simply accommodating the crosswind and the tower request to expedite. First officer thought captain was riding the controls--he wasn't. We had a xfer of control problem at the worst possible time. We decelerated to 5 KTS (G/south readout on EFIS) to disconnect autobrakes and autoplt. Tower regarded us as too close to runway and asked us to call them on phone. Recommendations: ATC not place us in such a tight situation in the first place. There simply was no reason to roll that large transport in between closely spaced arrs. ATC never issue complex instructions to a crew during landing rollout. First officer get regular practice in autolands and autoflt systems. Autoland systems be disconnected upon T/D in VMC. Supplemental information from acn 152354: I should practice autoland landing more than just when required.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACT LGT WAS SLOW TO CLEAR THE RWY CAUSING TWR CONCERN ABOUT ACFT ON TKOF ROLL.

Narrative: F/O FLYING PHX-EWR DISPATCH ATTACHED REQUEST FOR AUTOLAND STATUS CHK PER COMPANY CPS SPCS, CREW ATTEMPTING TO COMPLY. UNKNOWN TO CAPT, F/O HAD NEVER BEEN PF DURING AN AUTOLAND, BUT HAD OBSERVED AT LEAST ONE. EWR TWR WAS NO BUSIER THAN USUAL, AND APCH AND T/D WERE UNEVENTFUL. CREW NOTED 1 LGT, WAITING FOR TKOF, AND WERE AWARE OF A WDB 3-4 MI BEHIND US ON APCH. ON APPROX 2 MI FINAL, TWR ADVISED CREW TO SPEND MINIMUM TIME ON RWY TO ALLOW LGT TO DEPART BEFORE WDB LANDS. LGT WAS ONLY ACFT WAITING FOR THAT RWY (WHAT WAS THE RUSH?). F/O ASKED CAPT FOR, AND GOT, AUTOBRAKES LEVEL 3, TO HELP DECELERATE AND CLR RWY AS TWR REQUESTED. UPON OUR T/D, TWR CLRED LGT INTO POS AND 'BE READY FOR IMMEDIATE.' TWR THEN GAVE US ALONG STRING OF INSTRUCTIONS LIKE, 'EXIT TXWY LIMA, LEFT ON...CROSS 4L...HOLD SHORT OF...STAY WITH ME.' CREW WAS EXTREMELY BUSY, PHASE FO FLT AS CRITICAL AS IT GETS. CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED WITH, 'WELL DO ALL THAT.' WE EXITED ASAP ON TXWY LIMA, AND AS WE DID, TWR CLRED THE LGT FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF. THE F/O SEEMED TO HAVE DIFFICULTY RUDDERING THE ACFT ONTO THE HIGH SPD. TURNS OUT THAT SINCE HE HADN'T AUTOLANDED BEFORE, HE HAD NOT DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND THUS WAS IN FACT OVERPWRING ITS ELECTRONIC DESIRE TO MAINTAIN RWY CENTERLINE (ROLLOUT MODE). CAPT WAS UNAWARE OF HIS PROB UNTIL WE WERE OFF THE RWY, THINKING F/O WAS SIMPLY ACCOMMODATING THE XWIND AND THE TWR REQUEST TO EXPEDITE. F/O THOUGHT CAPT WAS RIDING THE CTLS--HE WASN'T. WE HAD A XFER OF CTL PROB AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME. WE DECELERATED TO 5 KTS (G/S READOUT ON EFIS) TO DISCONNECT AUTOBRAKES AND AUTOPLT. TWR REGARDED US AS TOO CLOSE TO RWY AND ASKED US TO CALL THEM ON PHONE. RECOMMENDATIONS: ATC NOT PLACE US IN SUCH A TIGHT SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE SIMPLY WAS NO REASON TO ROLL THAT LGT IN BTWN CLOSELY SPACED ARRS. ATC NEVER ISSUE COMPLEX INSTRUCTIONS TO A CREW DURING LNDG ROLLOUT. F/O GET REGULAR PRACTICE IN AUTOLANDS AND AUTOFLT SYSTEMS. AUTOLAND SYSTEMS BE DISCONNECTED UPON T/D IN VMC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 152354: I SHOULD PRACTICE AUTOLAND LNDG MORE THAN JUST WHEN REQUIRED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.