Narrative:

From FBO ground control told us to taxi via taxiway Y and hold short of taxiway a. My head was down programming the FMS. When I looked up my first officer had blown through taxiway a and I stopped the plane on taxiway B. I quickly notified ground of our mistake. We didn't affect his flow and he told us to continue via txwys Y, east, Z to runway 30. I apologized. Upon reaching 'Y9' ground told us to taxi via 'Y9' to taxiway Q hold short of taxiway Z. We complied. Up at 'Y8' he had several airliners holding for sequence. He came back and told us to follow the B767 to runway 30, holding short on taxiway Q. At the same time a B757 was moving from 'Y8.' unfortunately I am unable to tell the difference between a B767 and B757. This would be like asking an airliner to follow an LJ55/LJ60. So I figured he mistook the airline name. I reported we will follow the B767 to runway 30 and hold short on taxiway Q. About 100 ft from the runway tower tells us to switch back to ground. Ground begins to belittle us over the radio and tells us we cut off the B767 that was coming down taxiway Z, the plane looked like a B737 (older) and from our initial taxi point wasn't seeable through the B757. Maybe ground should pay closer attention to readbacks. After he made himself feel better he told us to switch to tower for taxi instructions. Tower told us to back taxi runway 30 and exit taxiway Z make a 180 degrees and hold short runway 30 on taxiway Z. We accepted a takeoff clearance runway 30 from taxiway Z. Upon entering runway 30 we ran our takeoff checklist, while slowly rolling forward. The checklist takes maybe 30 seconds. Tower starts yelling at us telling us not to stop on the runway, because an airliner was on short final runway 1L. We stated that we had never stopped and was rolling. The airliner was never a factor. If the aircraft was so critical, why didn't tower tell us to pull up past 'Q5' or clear of the approach end runway 1L prior to running any checklist or give us an immediate? I personally think we shouldn't have been holding on taxiway Z and tower was trying to fix a prior mistake by giving us takeoff clearance, after he cleared a plane to land runway 1L (due to all the prior mistakes). As a captain I should pay closer attention to my first officer's. Maybe had we not missed our hold of taxiway a ground wouldn't have been riding us so. Possibly ground had tower carry out his anger? Or maybe they were having a bad day? Whatever the factors were they made my life hell for 20 mins. Maybe had ground said, 'follow the B767 or whatever, coming down taxiway Z behind the B757 at 12 O'clock position to runway 30 on taxiway Q and hold short,' we wouldn't have messed up the second part. I have been in and out of dulles on several occasions and never experienced this kind of treatment, nor was I at anytime lost. Possibly egos played their role?

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LJ60 CAPT HAD MULTIPLE TAXI PROBS TAXIING OUT AT IAD.

Narrative: FROM FBO GND CTL TOLD US TO TAXI VIA TXWY Y AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY A. MY HEAD WAS DOWN PROGRAMMING THE FMS. WHEN I LOOKED UP MY FO HAD BLOWN THROUGH TXWY A AND I STOPPED THE PLANE ON TXWY B. I QUICKLY NOTIFIED GND OF OUR MISTAKE. WE DIDN'T AFFECT HIS FLOW AND HE TOLD US TO CONTINUE VIA TXWYS Y, E, Z TO RWY 30. I APOLOGIZED. UPON REACHING 'Y9' GND TOLD US TO TAXI VIA 'Y9' TO TXWY Q HOLD SHORT OF TXWY Z. WE COMPLIED. UP AT 'Y8' HE HAD SEVERAL AIRLINERS HOLDING FOR SEQUENCE. HE CAME BACK AND TOLD US TO FOLLOW THE B767 TO RWY 30, HOLDING SHORT ON TXWY Q. AT THE SAME TIME A B757 WAS MOVING FROM 'Y8.' UNFORTUNATELY I AM UNABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BTWN A B767 AND B757. THIS WOULD BE LIKE ASKING AN AIRLINER TO FOLLOW AN LJ55/LJ60. SO I FIGURED HE MISTOOK THE AIRLINE NAME. I RPTED WE WILL FOLLOW THE B767 TO RWY 30 AND HOLD SHORT ON TXWY Q. ABOUT 100 FT FROM THE RWY TWR TELLS US TO SWITCH BACK TO GND. GND BEGINS TO BELITTLE US OVER THE RADIO AND TELLS US WE CUT OFF THE B767 THAT WAS COMING DOWN TXWY Z, THE PLANE LOOKED LIKE A B737 (OLDER) AND FROM OUR INITIAL TAXI POINT WASN'T SEEABLE THROUGH THE B757. MAYBE GND SHOULD PAY CLOSER ATTN TO READBACKS. AFTER HE MADE HIMSELF FEEL BETTER HE TOLD US TO SWITCH TO TWR FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. TWR TOLD US TO BACK TAXI RWY 30 AND EXIT TXWY Z MAKE A 180 DEGS AND HOLD SHORT RWY 30 ON TXWY Z. WE ACCEPTED A TKOF CLRNC RWY 30 FROM TXWY Z. UPON ENTERING RWY 30 WE RAN OUR TKOF CHKLIST, WHILE SLOWLY ROLLING FORWARD. THE CHKLIST TAKES MAYBE 30 SECONDS. TWR STARTS YELLING AT US TELLING US NOT TO STOP ON THE RWY, BECAUSE AN AIRLINER WAS ON SHORT FINAL RWY 1L. WE STATED THAT WE HAD NEVER STOPPED AND WAS ROLLING. THE AIRLINER WAS NEVER A FACTOR. IF THE ACFT WAS SO CRITICAL, WHY DIDN'T TWR TELL US TO PULL UP PAST 'Q5' OR CLR OF THE APCH END RWY 1L PRIOR TO RUNNING ANY CHKLIST OR GIVE US AN IMMEDIATE? I PERSONALLY THINK WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN HOLDING ON TXWY Z AND TWR WAS TRYING TO FIX A PRIOR MISTAKE BY GIVING US TKOF CLRNC, AFTER HE CLRED A PLANE TO LAND RWY 1L (DUE TO ALL THE PRIOR MISTAKES). AS A CAPT I SHOULD PAY CLOSER ATTN TO MY FO'S. MAYBE HAD WE NOT MISSED OUR HOLD OF TXWY A GND WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN RIDING US SO. POSSIBLY GND HAD TWR CARRY OUT HIS ANGER? OR MAYBE THEY WERE HAVING A BAD DAY? WHATEVER THE FACTORS WERE THEY MADE MY LIFE HELL FOR 20 MINS. MAYBE HAD GND SAID, 'FOLLOW THE B767 OR WHATEVER, COMING DOWN TXWY Z BEHIND THE B757 AT 12 O'CLOCK POS TO RWY 30 ON TXWY Q AND HOLD SHORT,' WE WOULDN'T HAVE MESSED UP THE SECOND PART. I HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF DULLES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS KIND OF TREATMENT, NOR WAS I AT ANYTIME LOST. POSSIBLY EGOS PLAYED THEIR ROLE?

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.