B727 aircraft taxiing encountered some clearance confusion on which aircraft was to give way.

Attributes
ACN	394800
Time
Date	199802
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dtw
State Reference	MI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 4600 flight time type : 85
ASRS Report	394800
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

On feb/xx/98, after pushback from dtw airport we were cleared by ground control to taxi out of the alley way and to contact dtw ground control. Ground control advised us to taxi out of the alley and to the active runway 3C. While performing my taxi duties as a flight engineer I noticed a B757 taxiing perpendicular to our path. I advised the captain of the possible conflict. He advised the first officer to contact ground control to reconfirm our clearance at the same time the jet contacted ground control and asked what our clearance was. Ground responded that jet was to give way to our plane. Our crew was unfamiliar with the airport and was taxiing at a slow pace which allowed jet to catch up to us. The frequency was very congested and the lack of proper radio phraseology at busy airports fosters crews blocking other crews' xmissions.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 ACFT TAXIING ENCOUNTERED SOME CLRNC CONFUSION ON WHICH ACFT WAS TO GIVE WAY.

Narrative: ON FEB/XX/98, AFTER PUSHBACK FROM DTW ARPT WE WERE CLRED BY GND CTL TO TAXI OUT OF THE ALLEY WAY AND TO CONTACT DTW GND CTL. GND CTL ADVISED US TO TAXI OUT OF THE ALLEY AND TO THE ACTIVE RWY 3C. WHILE PERFORMING MY TAXI DUTIES AS A FE I NOTICED A B757 TAXIING PERPENDICULAR TO OUR PATH. I ADVISED THE CAPT OF THE POSSIBLE CONFLICT. HE ADVISED THE FO TO CONTACT GND CTL TO RECONFIRM OUR CLRNC AT THE SAME TIME THE JET CONTACTED GND CTL AND ASKED WHAT OUR CLRNC WAS. GND RESPONDED THAT JET WAS TO GIVE WAY TO OUR PLANE. OUR CREW WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND WAS TAXIING AT A SLOW PACE WHICH ALLOWED JET TO CATCH UP TO US. THE FREQ WAS VERY CONGESTED AND THE LACK OF PROPER RADIO PHRASEOLOGY AT BUSY ARPTS FOSTERS CREWS BLOCKING OTHER CREWS' XMISSIONS.

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.