Large transport taxied from a holding point to the gate without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	345000
Time
Date	199608
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : las
State Reference	NV
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : holding ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 6600 flight time type : 2000
ASRS Report	345000
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Captain parked the aircraft short of taxiway west on orders from ground, as we were waiting for our gate to clear. Captain assumed that ground had cleared us to taxi to our gate when able. Quite a few aircraft pushed and the frequency became jammed. I was unable to transmit as we began our taxi, and finally ground became aware of our movement and questioned us. We continued as we were practically at gate. One of the main contributing factors to this snafu was that one person in the tower was handling 2 ground frequencys clearance and a new ATIS message. Workload was quite high with a sudden 'push' around XA00. Most major airlines are now experimenting with late night flts out of las to their hubs as an efficiency. I think it's time for the FAA to assign another person to help out at what is now becoming a peak departure hour. In addition we should have, of course, held our position until we were sure that we had clearance. Late nights, flying against the diurnal cycle and flaring tempers make this reporter want to plead with everyone to slow down, be courteous and watch out!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT TAXIED FROM A HOLDING POINT TO THE GATE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: CAPT PARKED THE ACFT SHORT OF TXWY W ON ORDERS FROM GND, AS WE WERE WAITING FOR OUR GATE TO CLR. CAPT ASSUMED THAT GND HAD CLRED US TO TAXI TO OUR GATE WHEN ABLE. QUITE A FEW ACFT PUSHED AND THE FREQ BECAME JAMMED. I WAS UNABLE TO XMIT AS WE BEGAN OUR TAXI, AND FINALLY GND BECAME AWARE OF OUR MOVEMENT AND QUESTIONED US. WE CONTINUED AS WE WERE PRACTICALLY AT GATE. ONE OF THE MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS SNAFU WAS THAT ONE PERSON IN THE TWR WAS HANDLING 2 GND FREQS CLRNC AND A NEW ATIS MESSAGE. WORKLOAD WAS QUITE HIGH WITH A SUDDEN 'PUSH' AROUND XA00. MOST MAJOR AIRLINES ARE NOW EXPERIMENTING WITH LATE NIGHT FLTS OUT OF LAS TO THEIR HUBS AS AN EFFICIENCY. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE FAA TO ASSIGN ANOTHER PERSON TO HELP OUT AT WHAT IS NOW BECOMING A PEAK DEP HR. IN ADDITION WE SHOULD HAVE, OF COURSE, HELD OUR POS UNTIL WE WERE SURE THAT WE HAD CLRNC. LATE NIGHTS, FLYING AGAINST THE DIURNAL CYCLE AND FLARING TEMPERS MAKE THIS RPTR WANT TO PLEAD WITH EVERYONE TO SLOW DOWN, BE COURTEOUS AND WATCH OUT!

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.