As B727 flight crew applies takeoff power, gdl ATC controller issues hold position clearance. As pow...

Attributes
ACN	396061
Time
Date	199803
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : gdl
State Reference	FO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : gdl
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff other
Route In Use	departure other
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	other : unknown
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 7500
ASRS Report	396061
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 4000
ASRS Report	396415
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance flight crew : rejected takeoff flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 3000 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

Narrative:

Air carrier X, gdl-lax, scheduled to depart at XP55 local time, requested taxi, received clearance to taxi to runway 10 and hold short of runway 2/20. We held short of runway 2/20 and subsequently received clearance to continue to runway 10. Switched to tower frequency and informed tower that we were ready for takeoff runway 10. Received wind and takeoff clearance. After initial power application (approximately 1.4 EPR), tower told us to hold position. We had only rolled a short distance and immediately idled power and stopped. Airspeed was not indicating at the time power was reduced. An aircraft was taking off on runway 20. (This same aircraft was airborne and climbing out as we reduced power.) tower now informs us that we can takeoff (in a very casual manner). The captain asked tower what happened. Tower again said that we could takeoff and garbled something incoherent. The captain informed tower that we would not takeoff and coordinated a taxi back. We taxied down runway to taxiway I, which was 1/5 of the way down the runway, and taxied back for takeoff clearance. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. To be honest, the communication breakdown potential is high in this part of mexico. My guess is that the controller was timing departure way too close. This assumption is only based on the controller's casual manner, ie: his terminology, 'air carrier X hold position,' 'ok air carrier X, cleared for takeoff.' it was as if he was saying, the other guy's out of the way, you can go now. I'm just not comfortable with that. Supplemental information from acn 396408: at no time after switching from ground to tower did any of the 4 crew members in our cockpit hear anyone else cleared for takeoff. Supplemental information from acn 396415: 4 crew members were in our cockpit. All four heard 'air carrier X cleared for takeoff.' a major contributor to the occurrence was the fact that the controller was speaking 2 languages, spanish and english.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AS B727 FLC APPLIES TKOF PWR, GDL ATC CTLR ISSUES HOLD POS CLRNC. AS PWR IS REDUCED, FLC OBSERVES C172 DEPARTING FROM XING RWY. PIC ASKS FOR, BUT DOES NOT RECEIVE ANSWER FOR INCIDENT. FLC TAXIES ACFT BACK FOR DEP AND IS CLRED FOR TKOF.

Narrative: ACR X, GDL-LAX, SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT XP55 LCL TIME, REQUESTED TAXI, RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 10 AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 2/20. WE HELD SHORT OF RWY 2/20 AND SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED CLRNC TO CONTINUE TO RWY 10. SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ AND INFORMED TWR THAT WE WERE READY FOR TKOF RWY 10. RECEIVED WIND AND TKOF CLRNC. AFTER INITIAL PWR APPLICATION (APPROX 1.4 EPR), TWR TOLD US TO HOLD POS. WE HAD ONLY ROLLED A SHORT DISTANCE AND IMMEDIATELY IDLED PWR AND STOPPED. AIRSPD WAS NOT INDICATING AT THE TIME PWR WAS REDUCED. AN ACFT WAS TAKING OFF ON RWY 20. (THIS SAME ACFT WAS AIRBORNE AND CLBING OUT AS WE REDUCED PWR.) TWR NOW INFORMS US THAT WE CAN TKOF (IN A VERY CASUAL MANNER). THE CAPT ASKED TWR WHAT HAPPENED. TWR AGAIN SAID THAT WE COULD TKOF AND GARBLED SOMETHING INCOHERENT. THE CAPT INFORMED TWR THAT WE WOULD NOT TKOF AND COORDINATED A TAXI BACK. WE TAXIED DOWN RWY TO TXWY I, WHICH WAS 1/5 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, AND TAXIED BACK FOR TKOF CLRNC. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. TO BE HONEST, THE COM BREAKDOWN POTENTIAL IS HIGH IN THIS PART OF MEXICO. MY GUESS IS THAT THE CTLR WAS TIMING DEP WAY TOO CLOSE. THIS ASSUMPTION IS ONLY BASED ON THE CTLR'S CASUAL MANNER, IE: HIS TERMINOLOGY, 'ACR X HOLD POS,' 'OK ACR X, CLRED FOR TKOF.' IT WAS AS IF HE WAS SAYING, THE OTHER GUY'S OUT OF THE WAY, YOU CAN GO NOW. I'M JUST NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 396408: AT NO TIME AFTER SWITCHING FROM GND TO TWR DID ANY OF THE 4 CREW MEMBERS IN OUR COCKPIT HEAR ANYONE ELSE CLRED FOR TKOF. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 396415: 4 CREW MEMBERS WERE IN OUR COCKPIT. ALL FOUR HEARD 'ACR X CLRED FOR TKOF.' A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE OCCURRENCE WAS THE FACT THAT THE CTLR WAS SPEAKING 2 LANGUAGES, SPANISH AND ENGLISH.

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.