Narrative:

After landing and clearing runway 3R at ltac, we were cleared to taxi to the GA ramp via taxiway a to hold short of runway 21L. We taxied towards the hold short line at the designated runway and as we approached the holding point we called the tower and requested clearance to cross runway 21L. Shortly before and after our request was made with the tower, the tower controller was having a conversation with another aircraft. This conversation was in turkish and completely unintelligible to us. However, during the turkish exchange, the controller referenced our tail number and as we understood cleared us to cross the runway. 3/4 of the way across the runway, the tower instructed us to hold position. By the time we came to a stop, we were clear of the runway. A BAE146 had been rolling on the 10000 ft runway as we taxied. We believe the language difference was a major factor. We were immediately chastised by the tower controller on the frequency and told that we were going to be reported to the turkish aviation authority/authorized. We made a brief, apologetic attempt to explain our misunderstanding to no avail. This flight was the concluding flight of a 3 week long european tour of our aircraft. This particular flight had on our manifest 8 pilots, all of whom were crowded up near the flight deck asking questions about the aircraft as we taxied. Our attention to the objective at hand was spread thin. We believe that we did hear and acknowledge a clearance to cross the active runway. The tower's conversation with what was the air carrier X BAE146 was in turkish and as such was unintelligible to us. I believe if we had heard an english 'cleared for takeoff' that our situational awareness would have been enough to cause us to reconsider our action. Attempts to contact the tower controller were made on our behalf by our turkish speaking representatives at the airport. After these conversations, the tower concluded that it in fact was a misunderstanding and expressed no intention to pursue the matter, however, the air carrier X BAE146 crew stated to the tower their intention to report and pursue the matter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC BELIEVED THAT TAXI CLRNC ACROSS ACTIVE RWY WAS GIVEN AFTER CLRING THE RWY FROM LNDG. HOWEVER, TWR CTLR INSTRUCTED THEM TO HOLD POS AFTER THEY WERE ALMOST CLR OF RWY. THE CLRNC WAS NOT FOR THEM AND WERE ADVISED BY CTLR THAT THEY WOULD BE RPTED TO THE FOREIGN AVIATION AUTH SINCE THERE WAS A CONFLICTION WITH A BAE146 ON TKOF ROLL.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AND CLRING RWY 3R AT LTAC, WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO THE GA RAMP VIA TXWY A TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 21L. WE TAXIED TOWARDS THE HOLD SHORT LINE AT THE DESIGNATED RWY AND AS WE APCHED THE HOLDING POINT WE CALLED THE TWR AND REQUESTED CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 21L. SHORTLY BEFORE AND AFTER OUR REQUEST WAS MADE WITH THE TWR, THE TWR CTLR WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER ACFT. THIS CONVERSATION WAS IN TURKISH AND COMPLETELY UNINTELLIGIBLE TO US. HOWEVER, DURING THE TURKISH EXCHANGE, THE CTLR REFED OUR TAIL NUMBER AND AS WE UNDERSTOOD CLRED US TO CROSS THE RWY. 3/4 OF THE WAY ACROSS THE RWY, THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO HOLD POS. BY THE TIME WE CAME TO A STOP, WE WERE CLR OF THE RWY. A BAE146 HAD BEEN ROLLING ON THE 10000 FT RWY AS WE TAXIED. WE BELIEVE THE LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE WAS A MAJOR FACTOR. WE WERE IMMEDIATELY CHASTISED BY THE TWR CTLR ON THE FREQ AND TOLD THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE RPTED TO THE TURKISH AVIATION AUTH. WE MADE A BRIEF, APOLOGETIC ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN OUR MISUNDERSTANDING TO NO AVAIL. THIS FLT WAS THE CONCLUDING FLT OF A 3 WK LONG EUROPEAN TOUR OF OUR ACFT. THIS PARTICULAR FLT HAD ON OUR MANIFEST 8 PLTS, ALL OF WHOM WERE CROWDED UP NEAR THE FLT DECK ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACFT AS WE TAXIED. OUR ATTN TO THE OBJECTIVE AT HAND WAS SPREAD THIN. WE BELIEVE THAT WE DID HEAR AND ACKNOWLEDGE A CLRNC TO CROSS THE ACTIVE RWY. THE TWR'S CONVERSATION WITH WHAT WAS THE ACR X BAE146 WAS IN TURKISH AND AS SUCH WAS UNINTELLIGIBLE TO US. I BELIEVE IF WE HAD HEARD AN ENGLISH 'CLRED FOR TKOF' THAT OUR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO CAUSE US TO RECONSIDER OUR ACTION. ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THE TWR CTLR WERE MADE ON OUR BEHALF BY OUR TURKISH SPEAKING REPRESENTATIVES AT THE ARPT. AFTER THESE CONVERSATIONS, THE TWR CONCLUDED THAT IT IN FACT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING AND EXPRESSED NO INTENTION TO PURSUE THE MATTER, HOWEVER, THE ACR X BAE146 CREW STATED TO THE TWR THEIR INTENTION TO RPT AND PURSUE THE MATTER.

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.