Narrative:

We were taxiing on taxiway a to take off on runway 7L at eddf. We contacted the tower and I believe the tower cleared us to line up and hold runway 7L behind 2 foreign air carriers. We were told to use left or l-east as a runway entrance point. The captain chose l-east as the second aircraft was going to line up from taxiway left. We waited for him to proceed onto the runway before we taxed onto l-east as we were concerned about wingtip clearance (they were a B747-400). Our checklist items were complete to the final items and we watched other aircraft receive takeoff clearance. It promptly began to roll and then we began our taxi on l-east towards runway 7L. I noticed an aircraft on final and it was difficult to ensure it was lined up for the parallel runway 7R due to the angle of the aircraft and the taxiway. I did not hear the landing clearance for the aircraft on final. I asked the controller to verify our position and hold clearance for runway 7L to which he responded 'roger.' although we should have insisted on a full readback, the captain started to angle the aircraft slightly right and then perpendicular to the runway. Final checklist items were completed and as we were just approaching the runway hold bars, I was turning to double check the final approach area to our right as the captain was stopping the aircraft. We then watched a B737 pass directly in front of us landing on runway 7L. The aircraft stopped quickly and without hard braking as we were going very slowly at the time. The tower called us and again instructed us to line up and hold runway 7L. We were all shocked as we believed we were already cleared to line up and hold after the second aircraft with no other conditional clrncs. It appears that the B737 may have landed without a clearance jeopardizing separation with our aircraft as well as the B747 departing before us. Human factors could have also contributed such as readback/hearback errors. Were we anticipating a line up clearance and never heard one? Was B737 cleared to land? On runway 7L? Did the controller misinterpret my 'verify position and hold runway 7L' when I should have said, 'verify line up and hold runway 7L?' and I should have asked for a full readback of our clearance and not have been satisfied with a 'roger.' during this trip sequence, the captain consistently asked for our input in all aircraft operations. I do not feel CRM was a contributing factor. Supplemental information from acn 615889: I looked at the other crew members to confirm we all agreed we were cleared onto the runway. I felt we were all in agreement. Because there is a large filleted area to the right of taxiway lima east and the runway, my plan was to get the airplane rolling, turn right 30 degrees or so to make my turn on to the centerline from a 90 degree angle there by gaining a few extra ft of runway. We were moving very slowly as I began the right turn and suddenly there was an aircraft's shadow passing right to left directly in front of us quickly followed by a B737 passing in front of us and landing on our runway. Somewhere in those moments I stopped the aircraft with the forward part of the fuselage beyond the hold short line. It didn't appear that the left wing of the B737 passed over the top of our aircraft. We contacted dispatch via satcom and reported what happened.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777 RECEIVED CLRNC ONTO RWY AT EDDF WITH CONFLICTING ACFT ON FINAL.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING ON TXWY A TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 7L AT EDDF. WE CONTACTED THE TWR AND I BELIEVE THE TWR CLRED US TO LINE UP AND HOLD RWY 7L BEHIND 2 FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS. WE WERE TOLD TO USE L OR L-EAST AS A RWY ENTRANCE POINT. THE CAPT CHOSE L-EAST AS THE SECOND ACFT WAS GOING TO LINE UP FROM TXWY L. WE WAITED FOR HIM TO PROCEED ONTO THE RWY BEFORE WE TAXED ONTO L-EAST AS WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT WINGTIP CLRNC (THEY WERE A B747-400). OUR CHKLIST ITEMS WERE COMPLETE TO THE FINAL ITEMS AND WE WATCHED OTHER ACFT RECEIVE TKOF CLRNC. IT PROMPTLY BEGAN TO ROLL AND THEN WE BEGAN OUR TAXI ON L-EAST TOWARDS RWY 7L. I NOTICED AN ACFT ON FINAL AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ENSURE IT WAS LINED UP FOR THE PARALLEL RWY 7R DUE TO THE ANGLE OF THE ACFT AND THE TXWY. I DID NOT HEAR THE LNDG CLRNC FOR THE ACFT ON FINAL. I ASKED THE CTLR TO VERIFY OUR POS AND HOLD CLRNC FOR RWY 7L TO WHICH HE RESPONDED 'ROGER.' ALTHOUGH WE SHOULD HAVE INSISTED ON A FULL READBACK, THE CAPT STARTED TO ANGLE THE ACFT SLIGHTLY R AND THEN PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY. FINAL CHKLIST ITEMS WERE COMPLETED AND AS WE WERE JUST APCHING THE RWY HOLD BARS, I WAS TURNING TO DOUBLE CHK THE FINAL APCH AREA TO OUR R AS THE CAPT WAS STOPPING THE ACFT. WE THEN WATCHED A B737 PASS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US LNDG ON RWY 7L. THE ACFT STOPPED QUICKLY AND WITHOUT HARD BRAKING AS WE WERE GOING VERY SLOWLY AT THE TIME. THE TWR CALLED US AND AGAIN INSTRUCTED US TO LINE UP AND HOLD RWY 7L. WE WERE ALL SHOCKED AS WE BELIEVED WE WERE ALREADY CLRED TO LINE UP AND HOLD AFTER THE SECOND ACFT WITH NO OTHER CONDITIONAL CLRNCS. IT APPEARS THAT THE B737 MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT A CLRNC JEOPARDIZING SEPARATION WITH OUR ACFT AS WELL AS THE B747 DEPARTING BEFORE US. HUMAN FACTORS COULD HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED SUCH AS READBACK/HEARBACK ERRORS. WERE WE ANTICIPATING A LINE UP CLRNC AND NEVER HEARD ONE? WAS B737 CLRED TO LAND? ON RWY 7L? DID THE CTLR MISINTERPRET MY 'VERIFY POS AND HOLD RWY 7L' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'VERIFY LINE UP AND HOLD RWY 7L?' AND I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A FULL READBACK OF OUR CLRNC AND NOT HAVE BEEN SATISFIED WITH A 'ROGER.' DURING THIS TRIP SEQUENCE, THE CAPT CONSISTENTLY ASKED FOR OUR INPUT IN ALL ACFT OPS. I DO NOT FEEL CRM WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 615889: I LOOKED AT THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS TO CONFIRM WE ALL AGREED WE WERE CLRED ONTO THE RWY. I FELT WE WERE ALL IN AGREEMENT. BECAUSE THERE IS A LARGE FILLETED AREA TO THE R OF TXWY LIMA E AND THE RWY, MY PLAN WAS TO GET THE AIRPLANE ROLLING, TURN R 30 DEGS OR SO TO MAKE MY TURN ON TO THE CTRLINE FROM A 90 DEG ANGLE THERE BY GAINING A FEW EXTRA FT OF RWY. WE WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY AS I BEGAN THE R TURN AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS AN ACFT'S SHADOW PASSING R TO L DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY A B737 PASSING IN FRONT OF US AND LNDG ON OUR RWY. SOMEWHERE IN THOSE MOMENTS I STOPPED THE ACFT WITH THE FORWARD PART OF THE FUSELAGE BEYOND THE HOLD SHORT LINE. IT DIDN'T APPEAR THAT THE L WING OF THE B737 PASSED OVER THE TOP OF OUR ACFT. WE CONTACTED DISPATCH VIA SATCOM AND RPTED WHAT HAPPENED.

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.