Narrative:

At approximately XA00, myself and the captain finished our preflight. After a brief pushback and after both engines were started and checklists completed, I called tpa ground for taxi instructions. After a brief pause, a ground controller asked us to 'confirm your squawk code.' I replied with the appropriate code. At this point, another person came on and said 'air carrier X, I didn't ask you for your squawk code, I want to know if you're ready to taxi' in an angry manner. I immediately said yes. At this point, several xmissions were blocked and another company MD88 was cleared to taxi that had pushed back right beside us. We were finally given clearance to follow company to runway 18R. As we taxied, a few aircraft passed us on taxiway and we were told our sequence was to follow a navy F18 hornet. We were getting excessive amounts of jetblast from the F18 engines, so the captain added some distance behind the F18 -- no more than standard in this situation. At this point, the ground controller said taxi. Right as this transmission occurred, our onboard leader (lead flight attendant) came up to the cockpit and stated that a woman had left her seat and gone to the bathroom, stating it was an emergency. However, she did not ask for any assistance and said she would be done quickly. At this point, ground asked if we were going to taxi. I replied that we had a passenger up in the back of the aircraft and that we would have to hold our position for a few moments. Ground came on and said roger. I found this strange since 'we' had asked for the short pause. A few seconds later, ground came on again and asked if we were going to taxi. At this point, the captain stated that we had a passenger up in the cabin and that we would not be able to move for a few moments, to which ground replied, 'you will have to do better than that, taxi down and hold short of the runway and contact tower.' at this point, the lead flight attendant came up and told us that the cabin was secure. We called ground and asked for clearance to continue. At this point he said 'write this number down and call when you land.' the total duration of the taxi from block-out to gear up was 23 mins. The incident with the passenger could not have lasted more than 2 mins and the whole time we were talking to ground several aircraft arrived and departed runway 18R. Also, the F18 contributed to the problem, in that the jetblast was abnormally high requiring a longer taxi space. This space was misinterpret by ground as failure to taxi. After getting to jfk, the captain called the number given and they said that we had caused the delay to 5 aircraft. This simply was not true. The time between us and the last aircraft (the F18) was not more than 2 mins. A small amount of time considering the safety of the passenger was at stake. Also, after tower cleared us for takeoff, he also cleared another aircraft for takeoff as soon as we had taxied onto runway 18R. I have several witnesses to what transpired and agreed the ground controller had acknowledged the wrong aircraft when we called for the short pause. A few contributing factors were the fact that the ramp area became very congested at pushback time. Possibly a ramp controller would help expedited pushback and taxi times. I also believe there was training going on in the ground facility and some miscom between ground controllers as to which aircraft requested the pause.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 FLC ACCUSED OF TAXI DELAY EVEN THOUGH GND CTLR ADVISED OF A CABIN SIT.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA00, MYSELF AND THE CAPT FINISHED OUR PREFLT. AFTER A BRIEF PUSHBACK AND AFTER BOTH ENGS WERE STARTED AND CHKLISTS COMPLETED, I CALLED TPA GND FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER A BRIEF PAUSE, A GND CTLR ASKED US TO 'CONFIRM YOUR SQUAWK CODE.' I REPLIED WITH THE APPROPRIATE CODE. AT THIS POINT, ANOTHER PERSON CAME ON AND SAID 'ACR X, I DIDN'T ASK YOU FOR YOUR SQUAWK CODE, I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU'RE READY TO TAXI' IN AN ANGRY MANNER. I IMMEDIATELY SAID YES. AT THIS POINT, SEVERAL XMISSIONS WERE BLOCKED AND ANOTHER COMPANY MD88 WAS CLRED TO TAXI THAT HAD PUSHED BACK RIGHT BESIDE US. WE WERE FINALLY GIVEN CLRNC TO FOLLOW COMPANY TO RWY 18R. AS WE TAXIED, A FEW ACFT PASSED US ON TXWY AND WE WERE TOLD OUR SEQUENCE WAS TO FOLLOW A NAVY F18 HORNET. WE WERE GETTING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF JETBLAST FROM THE F18 ENGS, SO THE CAPT ADDED SOME DISTANCE BEHIND THE F18 -- NO MORE THAN STANDARD IN THIS SIT. AT THIS POINT, THE GND CTLR SAID TAXI. RIGHT AS THIS XMISSION OCCURRED, OUR ONBOARD LEADER (LEAD FLT ATTENDANT) CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT AND STATED THAT A WOMAN HAD LEFT HER SEAT AND GONE TO THE BATHROOM, STATING IT WAS AN EMER. HOWEVER, SHE DID NOT ASK FOR ANY ASSISTANCE AND SAID SHE WOULD BE DONE QUICKLY. AT THIS POINT, GND ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO TAXI. I REPLIED THAT WE HAD A PAX UP IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HOLD OUR POS FOR A FEW MOMENTS. GND CAME ON AND SAID ROGER. I FOUND THIS STRANGE SINCE 'WE' HAD ASKED FOR THE SHORT PAUSE. A FEW SECONDS LATER, GND CAME ON AGAIN AND ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO TAXI. AT THIS POINT, THE CAPT STATED THAT WE HAD A PAX UP IN THE CABIN AND THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE FOR A FEW MOMENTS, TO WHICH GND REPLIED, 'YOU WILL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT, TAXI DOWN AND HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY AND CONTACT TWR.' AT THIS POINT, THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP AND TOLD US THAT THE CABIN WAS SECURE. WE CALLED GND AND ASKED FOR CLRNC TO CONTINUE. AT THIS POINT HE SAID 'WRITE THIS NUMBER DOWN AND CALL WHEN YOU LAND.' THE TOTAL DURATION OF THE TAXI FROM BLOCK-OUT TO GEAR UP WAS 23 MINS. THE INCIDENT WITH THE PAX COULD NOT HAVE LASTED MORE THAN 2 MINS AND THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE TALKING TO GND SEVERAL ACFT ARRIVED AND DEPARTED RWY 18R. ALSO, THE F18 CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB, IN THAT THE JETBLAST WAS ABNORMALLY HIGH REQUIRING A LONGER TAXI SPACE. THIS SPACE WAS MISINTERPRET BY GND AS FAILURE TO TAXI. AFTER GETTING TO JFK, THE CAPT CALLED THE NUMBER GIVEN AND THEY SAID THAT WE HAD CAUSED THE DELAY TO 5 ACFT. THIS SIMPLY WAS NOT TRUE. THE TIME BTWN US AND THE LAST ACFT (THE F18) WAS NOT MORE THAN 2 MINS. A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME CONSIDERING THE SAFETY OF THE PAX WAS AT STAKE. ALSO, AFTER TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF, HE ALSO CLRED ANOTHER ACFT FOR TKOF AS SOON AS WE HAD TAXIED ONTO RWY 18R. I HAVE SEVERAL WITNESSES TO WHAT TRANSPIRED AND AGREED THE GND CTLR HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE WRONG ACFT WHEN WE CALLED FOR THE SHORT PAUSE. A FEW CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE FACT THAT THE RAMP AREA BECAME VERY CONGESTED AT PUSHBACK TIME. POSSIBLY A RAMP CTLR WOULD HELP EXPEDITED PUSHBACK AND TAXI TIMES. I ALSO BELIEVE THERE WAS TRAINING GOING ON IN THE GND FACILITY AND SOME MISCOM BTWN GND CTLRS AS TO WHICH ACFT REQUESTED THE PAUSE.

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.