Narrative:

We landed on runway 14L and were told to hold short of runway 9L. While we were holding short of runway 9L, the captain told me to go ahead and call the company to check on what gate we were parking at and to see if it was open. The captain received clearance to cross runway 9L and to take the alpha bridge to parking. That's what the captain told me when I returned from company frequency. I assumed he received the taxi clearance from ground. As we approached the top of the alleyway of the terminal we were parking at, I reached down to tune in the ramp frequency and noticed the radio was still tuned to tower frequency. I asked the captain about contacting ground control and he told me he couldn't remember if he was told to contact ground or not and assumed tower had cleared him to the gate. Due to our schedule I was unable to call the ground controller and clarify the situation. I do have 3 suggestions to help prevent future ground and taxi conflict: 1) improve company procedures to emphasize not leaving the current ATC frequency until all runways are cleared and taxi instructions have been received and understood by both pilots. 2) improve coordination between tower and ground controllers to help avoid tower controllers issuing ground taxi instructions and not telling the aircraft to switch frequencys to ground. 3) standardize tower controllers' procedures to avoid transmitting non safety related requests to an aircraft that is just about to touch down or that is still rolling out. Too many tower controllers issue initial taxi instructions while the aircraft is still decelerating from landing. This is still a very high workload, safety critical environment. To receive xmissions from the tower is very distracting, and distrs reduce safety.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT FLC FAILS TO CONTACT GND CTL AFTER XING RWYS FOR TAXI.

Narrative: WE LANDED ON RWY 14L AND WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9L. WHILE WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 9L, THE CAPT TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD AND CALL THE COMPANY TO CHK ON WHAT GATE WE WERE PARKING AT AND TO SEE IF IT WAS OPEN. THE CAPT RECEIVED CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 9L AND TO TAKE THE ALPHA BRIDGE TO PARKING. THAT'S WHAT THE CAPT TOLD ME WHEN I RETURNED FROM COMPANY FREQ. I ASSUMED HE RECEIVED THE TAXI CLRNC FROM GND. AS WE APCHED THE TOP OF THE ALLEYWAY OF THE TERMINAL WE WERE PARKING AT, I REACHED DOWN TO TUNE IN THE RAMP FREQ AND NOTICED THE RADIO WAS STILL TUNED TO TWR FREQ. I ASKED THE CAPT ABOUT CONTACTING GND CTL AND HE TOLD ME HE COULDN'T REMEMBER IF HE WAS TOLD TO CONTACT GND OR NOT AND ASSUMED TWR HAD CLRED HIM TO THE GATE. DUE TO OUR SCHEDULE I WAS UNABLE TO CALL THE GND CTLR AND CLARIFY THE SIT. I DO HAVE 3 SUGGESTIONS TO HELP PREVENT FUTURE GND AND TAXI CONFLICT: 1) IMPROVE COMPANY PROCS TO EMPHASIZE NOT LEAVING THE CURRENT ATC FREQ UNTIL ALL RWYS ARE CLRED AND TAXI INSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND UNDERSTOOD BY BOTH PLTS. 2) IMPROVE COORD BTWN TWR AND GND CTLRS TO HELP AVOID TWR CTLRS ISSUING GND TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND NOT TELLING THE ACFT TO SWITCH FREQS TO GND. 3) STANDARDIZE TWR CTLRS' PROCS TO AVOID XMITTING NON SAFETY RELATED REQUESTS TO AN ACFT THAT IS JUST ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN OR THAT IS STILL ROLLING OUT. TOO MANY TWR CTLRS ISSUE INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WHILE THE ACFT IS STILL DECELERATING FROM LNDG. THIS IS STILL A VERY HIGH WORKLOAD, SAFETY CRITICAL ENVIRONMENT. TO RECEIVE XMISSIONS FROM THE TWR IS VERY DISTRACTING, AND DISTRS REDUCE SAFETY.

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.