Narrative:

We were cleared to runway 19R on a visual approach behind a B747 that we were in trail of. Approach kept us up longer than anticipated on the left base to let a learjet cross below us that was landing on runway 19L. We were cleared to land after we let the learjet cross below us, and were told to hold 190 KTS until five mile final on runway 19R and to caution wake turbulence. We touched down about 500 ft past the touchdown of the B747 to avoid wake turbulence which put our touchdown point abeam taxiway Z2 or thereabout. After touchdown, we were rolling out to facilitate our taxi, and tower gave us an exit clearance of, 'aircraft X left at high speed, ground 32.45, traffic on short final.' the first officer replied, 'we'll hurry it up.' at no time were we given an exact taxiway clearance or told whether it was the forward or reverse high speed. As we slowed to 60 KTS, we initiated a left turn onto taxiway Y6/Y7, which share the exit way of runway 19R. Once clear of the runway, we taxied up to the fork of Y6 and Y7. Y7 would take us to the terminal and Y6 would take us to our final destination. Since we were not given an exact taxi instruction, we were only concerned with being clear of the runway, and waiting to get further taxi instructions from ground control. Once clear of the runway, we turned the aircraft further to the left to point the nose down taxiway Y6, which got us pointed in the right direction, and gave us the ability to see the aircraft on short final. Once we were pointed in this direction, we could see that the aircraft on short final was executing a go around. Because we were already on ground control, we were unable to determine whether or not they elected to go-around, or if tower had instructed them to do it. Ground control called us and stated, 'do you see the aircraft that is going around? That is because you took the reverse high speed instead of the forward high speed like you were instructed. Taxi ahead on Y6 and copy the following phone number.' once we let the passenger off, I called the number as instructed. The controller didn't have a whole lot to say except that we had deviated from a taxi clearance, and that this deviation caused another aircraft to go around. When asked how we deviated from a clearance, when all we were told was to take the left high speed, the controller stated that they told us to take the forward high speed. This is an untrue statement by all regards because we were only told to exit left at the high speed. There are a total of seven high speed txwys that run along 19R, which makes this taxi clearance very 'vague' at a minimum. A taxi clearance in my estimation, and in reference to the aim needs to state specific taxi identification. After a couple of days, I contacted tower again to speak to a supervisor, which agreed to listen to the tapes and call us back. The man that called us back explained that he has been instructing the tower personnel to give specific taxi clrnces instead of vague clrnces. He went on to say that the clearance we were given on the tapes, is exactly what we had been saying all along, which was, 'aircraft X, left at the high speed, ground 32.45, traffic on short final.' he went on to say that in his estimation, we had done nothing wrong and that the clearance should have been more specific. I went on to apologize for any confusion there might have been on our part and thanked him for his time and expeditious response to my call.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FA20 LNDG AT IAD IS INSTRUCTED TO USE NEXT HIGH SPEED, EXITS ON REVERSE HIGH SPEED, RESULTS IN GAR AND IS COUNSELED BY ATC.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED TO RWY 19R ON A VISUAL APCH BEHIND A B747 THAT WE WERE IN TRAIL OF. APCH KEPT US UP LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED ON THE L BASE TO LET A LEARJET CROSS BELOW US THAT WAS LNDG ON RWY 19L. WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AFTER WE LET THE LEARJET CROSS BELOW US, AND WERE TOLD TO HOLD 190 KTS UNTIL FIVE MILE FINAL ON RWY 19R AND TO CAUTION WAKE TURBULENCE. WE TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 500 FT PAST THE TOUCHDOWN OF THE B747 TO AVOID WAKE TURBULENCE WHICH PUT OUR TOUCHDOWN POINT ABEAM TXWY Z2 OR THEREABOUT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, WE WERE ROLLING OUT TO FACILITATE OUR TAXI, AND TWR GAVE US AN EXIT CLRNC OF, 'ACFT X L AT HIGH SPEED, GND 32.45, TFC ON SHORT FINAL.' THE FO REPLIED, 'WE'LL HURRY IT UP.' AT NO TIME WERE WE GIVEN AN EXACT TXWY CLRNC OR TOLD WHETHER IT WAS THE FORWARD OR REVERSE HIGH SPEED. AS WE SLOWED TO 60 KTS, WE INITIATED A L TURN ONTO TXWY Y6/Y7, WHICH SHARE THE EXIT WAY OF RWY 19R. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY, WE TAXIED UP TO THE FORK OF Y6 AND Y7. Y7 WOULD TAKE US TO THE TERMINAL AND Y6 WOULD TAKE US TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION. SINCE WE WERE NOT GIVEN AN EXACT TAXI INSTRUCTION, WE WERE ONLY CONCERNED WITH BEING CLR OF THE RWY, AND WAITING TO GET FURTHER TAXI INSTRUCTIONS FROM GND CTL. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY, WE TURNED THE ACFT FURTHER TO THE L TO POINT THE NOSE DOWN TXWY Y6, WHICH GOT US POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND GAVE US THE ABILITY TO SEE THE ACFT ON SHORT FINAL. ONCE WE WERE POINTED IN THIS DIRECTION, WE COULD SEE THAT THE ACFT ON SHORT FINAL WAS EXECUTING A GO AROUND. BECAUSE WE WERE ALREADY ON GND CTL, WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY ELECTED TO GO-AROUND, OR IF TWR HAD INSTRUCTED THEM TO DO IT. GND CTL CALLED US AND STATED, 'DO YOU SEE THE ACFT THAT IS GOING AROUND? THAT IS BECAUSE YOU TOOK THE REVERSE HIGH SPEED INSTEAD OF THE FORWARD HIGH SPEED LIKE YOU WERE INSTRUCTED. TAXI AHEAD ON Y6 AND COPY THE FOLLOWING PHONE NUMBER.' ONCE WE LET THE PAX OFF, I CALLED THE NUMBER AS INSTRUCTED. THE CTLR DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO SAY EXCEPT THAT WE HAD DEVIATED FROM A TAXI CLRNC, AND THAT THIS DEVIATION CAUSED ANOTHER ACFT TO GO AROUND. WHEN ASKED HOW WE DEVIATED FROM A CLRNC, WHEN ALL WE WERE TOLD WAS TO TAKE THE LEFT HIGH SPEED, THE CTLR STATED THAT THEY TOLD US TO TAKE THE FORWARD HIGH SPEED. THIS IS AN UNTRUE STATEMENT BY ALL REGARDS BECAUSE WE WERE ONLY TOLD TO EXIT LEFT AT THE HIGH SPEED. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF SEVEN HIGH SPEED TXWYS THAT RUN ALONG 19R, WHICH MAKES THIS TAXI CLRNC VERY 'VAGUE' AT A MINIMUM. A TAXI CLRNC IN MY ESTIMATION, AND IN REFERENCE TO THE AIM NEEDS TO STATE SPECIFIC TAXI IDENTIFICATION. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS, I CONTACTED TWR AGAIN TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR, WHICH AGREED TO LISTEN TO THE TAPES AND CALL US BACK. THE MAN THAT CALLED US BACK EXPLAINED THAT HE HAS BEEN INSTRUCTING THE TWR PERSONNEL TO GIVE SPECIFIC TAXI CLRNCES INSTEAD OF VAGUE CLRNCES. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE CLRNC WE WERE GIVEN ON THE TAPES, IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAD BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG, WHICH WAS, 'ACFT X, LEFT AT THE HIGH SPEED, GND 32.45, TFC ON SHORT FINAL.' HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT IN HIS ESTIMATION, WE HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG AND THAT THE CLRNC SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC. I WENT ON TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CONFUSION THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON OUR PART AND THANKED HIM FOR HIS TIME AND EXPEDITIOUS RESPONSE TO MY CALL.

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.