Narrative:

Sav was landing and departing runway 18 and runway 9. We called for taxi clearance to take off of runway 9. Our instruction was to 'taxi to runway 9, hold short of runway 18.' the night before, we taxied to runway 9 by taxing north, paralleling runway 18, crossing runway 9, and then crossing runway 18 as we would parallel runway 9 to the departure end. So we assumed that this was our route again. We asked ground if we could cross runway 9 or if we had to hold short of it. He repeated to 'taxi to runway 9, hold short of runway 18.' this made sense to us that we were cleared to cross runway 9, and then hold short of runway 18 as there was traffic on a 2 mi final for runway 18. After we crossed runway 9, the controller told us we did not have clearance to cross runway 9. We then realized that he had wanted us to use taxiway C instead of taxiway east. Taxiway C was south of runway 9, and taxiway east is north of runway 9. We apologized and he told us that it was no problem. Supplemental information from acn 486613: tower wanted us to go via taxiway C which was never stated or read back in the taxi clearance. Taxiway east was notamed out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727-100 FLC TAXIES ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY 9 WHILE MISUNDERSTANDING THE CLRNC AS ISSUED TWICE BY THE GND CTLR AT SAV, GA.

Narrative: SAV WAS LNDG AND DEPARTING RWY 18 AND RWY 9. WE CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC TO TAKE OFF OF RWY 9. OUR INSTRUCTION WAS TO 'TAXI TO RWY 9, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18.' THE NIGHT BEFORE, WE TAXIED TO RWY 9 BY TAXING N, PARALLELING RWY 18, XING RWY 9, AND THEN XING RWY 18 AS WE WOULD PARALLEL RWY 9 TO THE DEP END. SO WE ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS OUR RTE AGAIN. WE ASKED GND IF WE COULD CROSS RWY 9 OR IF WE HAD TO HOLD SHORT OF IT. HE REPEATED TO 'TAXI TO RWY 9, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18.' THIS MADE SENSE TO US THAT WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS RWY 9, AND THEN HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18 AS THERE WAS TFC ON A 2 MI FINAL FOR RWY 18. AFTER WE CROSSED RWY 9, THE CTLR TOLD US WE DID NOT HAVE CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 9. WE THEN REALIZED THAT HE HAD WANTED US TO USE TXWY C INSTEAD OF TXWY E. TXWY C WAS S OF RWY 9, AND TXWY E IS N OF RWY 9. WE APOLOGIZED AND HE TOLD US THAT IT WAS NO PROB. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 486613: TWR WANTED US TO GO VIA TXWY C WHICH WAS NEVER STATED OR READ BACK IN THE TAXI CLRNC. TXWY E WAS NOTAMED OUT.

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.