Narrative:

We pushed from the gate, started engines and then were asked by ground control if we were ready for taxi. The controller told us to follow an MD80 and 2 brasilia's. I asked the first officer if he could see the aircraft and at that time he didn't see them. As the first officer was telling me that he didn't see the aircraft, the controller said something garbled, and then said the equivalent of disregard and follow the brasilia. We were looking for the first brasilia and had to wait for that aircraft to taxi into view from our extreme left. We taxied out behind the brasilia with about 4 or 5 aircraft in front of the brasilia and accomplished our checklists. The brasilia taxied across runway 23L and onto runway 23R. We were then told to hold our position by tower (frequency 120.9) and we stopped short of runway 23L. At that time the tower controller directed an MD80 to go around and we watched him execute a controled go around. He passed overhead, well clear of our aircraft. The tower controller then cleared us to taxi onto runway 23R, gave us a phone number to call and cleared us for takeoff. In my opinion this incident may have been avoided if the ground controller had been a little more observant, and if the airport runway confign was a little less complicated and I had been more observant. The runway layout is somewhat difficult to work for both airport professionals and flcs. Supplemental information from acn 393631: they never gave a taxi route. The taxi route went onto runway 28 where we continued to follow the brasilia. We did not hear the clearance for the brasilia to cross runway 23L and continued to follow him. We then realized we had crossed the runway 23L hold line and were approaching runway 23L. We stopped about 20 ft short of the edge of runway 23L. About this same point we heard tower calling us. We responded 3-4 times before they acknowledged they heard us. At this point an air carrier aircraft was sent around. We were subsequently cleared to cross runway 23L and takeoff on runway 23R and were given the phone number and advised to call tower at our next stop. This event has taught me that non standard taxi instructions must always be clarified if there is a potential for misunderstanding. Confusing txwys and awkward runway intxns increase the need for awareness and lookout during these critical points.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF B737 TAXIING FOR TKOF IS CLRED TO FOLLOW A BRASILIA. THEY FOLLOW THE ACFT UNTIL THEY REALIZE HE HAS CROSSED RWY 23L AND THEY STOP SHORT OF THAT RWY BUT BEYOND THE HOLD LINE. AN MD80 IS TOLD TO MAKE A GAR.

Narrative: WE PUSHED FROM THE GATE, STARTED ENGS AND THEN WERE ASKED BY GND CTL IF WE WERE READY FOR TAXI. THE CTLR TOLD US TO FOLLOW AN MD80 AND 2 BRASILIA'S. I ASKED THE FO IF HE COULD SEE THE ACFT AND AT THAT TIME HE DIDN'T SEE THEM. AS THE FO WAS TELLING ME THAT HE DIDN'T SEE THE ACFT, THE CTLR SAID SOMETHING GARBLED, AND THEN SAID THE EQUIVALENT OF DISREGARD AND FOLLOW THE BRASILIA. WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE FIRST BRASILIA AND HAD TO WAIT FOR THAT ACFT TO TAXI INTO VIEW FROM OUR EXTREME L. WE TAXIED OUT BEHIND THE BRASILIA WITH ABOUT 4 OR 5 ACFT IN FRONT OF THE BRASILIA AND ACCOMPLISHED OUR CHKLISTS. THE BRASILIA TAXIED ACROSS RWY 23L AND ONTO RWY 23R. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO HOLD OUR POS BY TWR (FREQ 120.9) AND WE STOPPED SHORT OF RWY 23L. AT THAT TIME THE TWR CTLR DIRECTED AN MD80 TO GAR AND WE WATCHED HIM EXECUTE A CTLED GAR. HE PASSED OVERHEAD, WELL CLR OF OUR ACFT. THE TWR CTLR THEN CLRED US TO TAXI ONTO RWY 23R, GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL AND CLRED US FOR TKOF. IN MY OPINION THIS INCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE GND CTLR HAD BEEN A LITTLE MORE OBSERVANT, AND IF THE ARPT RWY CONFIGN WAS A LITTLE LESS COMPLICATED AND I HAD BEEN MORE OBSERVANT. THE RWY LAYOUT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT TO WORK FOR BOTH ARPT PROFESSIONALS AND FLCS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 393631: THEY NEVER GAVE A TAXI RTE. THE TAXI RTE WENT ONTO RWY 28 WHERE WE CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THE BRASILIA. WE DID NOT HEAR THE CLRNC FOR THE BRASILIA TO CROSS RWY 23L AND CONTINUED TO FOLLOW HIM. WE THEN REALIZED WE HAD CROSSED THE RWY 23L HOLD LINE AND WERE APCHING RWY 23L. WE STOPPED ABOUT 20 FT SHORT OF THE EDGE OF RWY 23L. ABOUT THIS SAME POINT WE HEARD TWR CALLING US. WE RESPONDED 3-4 TIMES BEFORE THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THEY HEARD US. AT THIS POINT AN ACR ACFT WAS SENT AROUND. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED TO CROSS RWY 23L AND TKOF ON RWY 23R AND WERE GIVEN THE PHONE NUMBER AND ADVISED TO CALL TWR AT OUR NEXT STOP. THIS EVENT HAS TAUGHT ME THAT NON STANDARD TAXI INSTRUCTIONS MUST ALWAYS BE CLARIFIED IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR MISUNDERSTANDING. CONFUSING TXWYS AND AWKWARD RWY INTXNS INCREASE THE NEED FOR AWARENESS AND LOOKOUT DURING THESE CRITICAL POINTS.

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.