Narrative:

My flight was holding short of runway 7 (mbj) at departure end of runway awaiting takeoff clearance. Crew understood and read back from tower, 'cessna xx on (garbled) mi final, line up and wait.' this readback was not challenged by tower. Crew checked final and saw a single engine propeller plane several mi out and it appeared there was enough time for at least a short 'line up and wait' provided a timely takeoff clearance was forthcoming. Flight then taxied onto runway. Several seconds later the tower asked 'are you on the runway' or 'why are you on the runway.' sensing a problem, I turned the aircraft 90 degrees right and taxied off the runway as tower issued a go around clearance to the cessna which we saw executing a missed approach from about 1/2 - 1 mi out. The following day, I returned to mbj and visited the caa who played the tapes of the incident. The clearance we actually received was 'air carrier X, behind cessna xx on xx mi final, line up behind.' I believe the causes of this incident were: 1) issuance of a clearance and a procedure we were unfamiliar with, ie, clearing an aircraft to line up and wait behind an aircraft which is several mi out on final approach. This procedure was also foreign to the international flight department. What we perceived and perhaps expected was the term 'line up' was associated with 'wait' as opposed to 'behind.' 2) female jamaican controller had a sort of high pitched voice and tended to 'run' words together in a sentence and combined with her accent, made her difficult to understand -- something the first officer and I commented on prior to the incident and which the tower supervisor acknowledged during our discussion. He had in fact mentioned this to her during their interview prior to our discussion. It should be noted that on the tape, in our clearance, the first 'behind' was barely audible, although the second 'behind' was audible. 3) the controller did not catch or correct our 'line up and wait' readback.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 FLC AWAITING TKOF CLRNC RECEIVED A GARBLED XMISSION TO TAXI INTO POS AND WAIT BEHIND THE LNDG CESSNA. THE FLC MISINTERPED THE CLRNC AS TAXI INTO POS AND WAIT AHEAD OF THE LNDG ACFT. THE CTLR OBSERVED THE B737 IN POS AND ISSUED A GAR TO THE LNDG ACFT. THE RPTR TAXIED OFF THE RWY.

Narrative: MY FLT WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 7 (MBJ) AT DEP END OF RWY AWAITING TKOF CLRNC. CREW UNDERSTOOD AND READ BACK FROM TWR, 'CESSNA XX ON (GARBLED) MI FINAL, LINE UP AND WAIT.' THIS READBACK WAS NOT CHALLENGED BY TWR. CREW CHKED FINAL AND SAW A SINGLE ENG PROP PLANE SEVERAL MI OUT AND IT APPEARED THERE WAS ENOUGH TIME FOR AT LEAST A SHORT 'LINE UP AND WAIT' PROVIDED A TIMELY TKOF CLRNC WAS FORTHCOMING. FLT THEN TAXIED ONTO RWY. SEVERAL SECONDS LATER THE TWR ASKED 'ARE YOU ON THE RWY' OR 'WHY ARE YOU ON THE RWY.' SENSING A PROB, I TURNED THE ACFT 90 DEGS R AND TAXIED OFF THE RWY AS TWR ISSUED A GAR CLRNC TO THE CESSNA WHICH WE SAW EXECUTING A MISSED APCH FROM ABOUT 1/2 - 1 MI OUT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I RETURNED TO MBJ AND VISITED THE CAA WHO PLAYED THE TAPES OF THE INCIDENT. THE CLRNC WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED WAS 'ACR X, BEHIND CESSNA XX ON XX MI FINAL, LINE UP BEHIND.' I BELIEVE THE CAUSES OF THIS INCIDENT WERE: 1) ISSUANCE OF A CLRNC AND A PROC WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH, IE, CLRING AN ACFT TO LINE UP AND WAIT BEHIND AN ACFT WHICH IS SEVERAL MI OUT ON FINAL APCH. THIS PROC WAS ALSO FOREIGN TO THE INTL FLT DEPT. WHAT WE PERCEIVED AND PERHAPS EXPECTED WAS THE TERM 'LINE UP' WAS ASSOCIATED WITH 'WAIT' AS OPPOSED TO 'BEHIND.' 2) FEMALE JAMAICAN CTLR HAD A SORT OF HIGH PITCHED VOICE AND TENDED TO 'RUN' WORDS TOGETHER IN A SENTENCE AND COMBINED WITH HER ACCENT, MADE HER DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND -- SOMETHING THE FO AND I COMMENTED ON PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND WHICH THE TWR SUPVR ACKNOWLEDGED DURING OUR DISCUSSION. HE HAD IN FACT MENTIONED THIS TO HER DURING THEIR INTERVIEW PRIOR TO OUR DISCUSSION. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT ON THE TAPE, IN OUR CLRNC, THE FIRST 'BEHIND' WAS BARELY AUDIBLE, ALTHOUGH THE SECOND 'BEHIND' WAS AUDIBLE. 3) THE CTLR DID NOT CATCH OR CORRECT OUR 'LINE UP AND WAIT' READBACK.

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.