Narrative:

Landed about 1500 ft down runway 27R and turned off of runway 27R to 22R. We cleared runway 22R to the left at taxiway east. I stopped the aircraft and waited for ground control frequency congestion to ease. My copilot called ground control and they gave us a clearance to taxi via alpha, hotel, papa, bravo. I turned left onto alpha (inner) where I stopped at the intersection of alpha and golf to clarify the instructions with ground control. Ground control repeated the clearance, but added 'inner, parallels, inner bridge.' with those instruction I continued taxiing on the inner, thinking that the outer taxiway ran into the runway 27R parallel, and that I would have to transition to the outer taxiway to pick up the parallel. In my mind I'm still looking for the taxiway hotel. I could not locate hotel on the airport diagram in the vicinity of where I was physically located on the airport. I taxied slowly eastward. Abeam the air carrier X terminal, I came to 'H1.' thinking that this was my transition to the outer to pick up the runway 27R parallel, I started a l-hand turn. Clearing my turn to the left I noticed white runway lights and highspd turnoff lights. Realizing my mistake, I immediately applied full brakes and the airplane stopped right on the edge of the runway 27R. The airplane was now positioned at an angle to the runway facing ene. I immediately tried to contact ground control to inform them of my mistake, however, the frequency was jammed. I switched to tower frequency as we could see an aircraft on final about a mi out. Tower radio traffic was very heavy. Tower saw our aircraft sitting on the edge of the runway at the same moment I was going to tell him, and he told the arriving flight to go around immediately. It executed a successful go around. I immediately told tower who we were and that we were sitting on the edge of the runway. Tower cleared me onto runway 27R to exit at the highspd and to contact ground control. We followed those instructions and the remainder of the taxi to the gate was uneventful. This was my first trip to ord since the new taxiway designators were put into use. It was nighttime (VFR), bright ramp lights on the ramp, confusing clrncs, mixing of the new and the old terminology. Not being able to locate the taxiway designator for a couple of the txwys listed in the clearance ('H' is shown east and west of our position when I called ground to clarify the taxi route from 'G,' and taxiway 'P' is idented on the north side of wry 27R and not the south side where we were), all contributed to the confusion. On my return trip to ord the next day I received another confusing clearance. We landed on runway 9R and I cleared the runway at what used to be the north/south taxiway. Ground told me to 'turn right on bravo the outer, and to hold short of, I forget, hold short of what used to be C-6.' I complied with the instructions as I knew where C-6 used to be even though I didn't have a chart showing that anymore.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG BECAME CONFUSED WITH THE NEW TXWY DESIGNATORS AT ORD.

Narrative: LANDED ABOUT 1500 FT DOWN RWY 27R AND TURNED OFF OF RWY 27R TO 22R. WE CLRED RWY 22R TO THE L AT TXWY E. I STOPPED THE ACFT AND WAITED FOR GND CTL FREQ CONGESTION TO EASE. MY COPLT CALLED GND CTL AND THEY GAVE US A CLRNC TO TAXI VIA ALPHA, HOTEL, PAPA, BRAVO. I TURNED L ONTO ALPHA (INNER) WHERE I STOPPED AT THE INTXN OF ALPHA AND GOLF TO CLARIFY THE INSTRUCTIONS WITH GND CTL. GND CTL REPEATED THE CLRNC, BUT ADDED 'INNER, PARALLELS, INNER BRIDGE.' WITH THOSE INSTRUCTION I CONTINUED TAXIING ON THE INNER, THINKING THAT THE OUTER TXWY RAN INTO THE RWY 27R PARALLEL, AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TRANSITION TO THE OUTER TXWY TO PICK UP THE PARALLEL. IN MY MIND I'M STILL LOOKING FOR THE TXWY HOTEL. I COULD NOT LOCATE HOTEL ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE I WAS PHYSICALLY LOCATED ON THE ARPT. I TAXIED SLOWLY EASTWARD. ABEAM THE ACR X TERMINAL, I CAME TO 'H1.' THINKING THAT THIS WAS MY TRANSITION TO THE OUTER TO PICK UP THE RWY 27R PARALLEL, I STARTED A L-HAND TURN. CLRING MY TURN TO THE L I NOTICED WHITE RWY LIGHTS AND HIGHSPD TURNOFF LIGHTS. REALIZING MY MISTAKE, I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL BRAKES AND THE AIRPLANE STOPPED RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE RWY 27R. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOW POSITIONED AT AN ANGLE TO THE RWY FACING ENE. I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO CONTACT GND CTL TO INFORM THEM OF MY MISTAKE, HOWEVER, THE FREQ WAS JAMMED. I SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ AS WE COULD SEE AN ACFT ON FINAL ABOUT A MI OUT. TWR RADIO TFC WAS VERY HVY. TWR SAW OUR ACFT SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE RWY AT THE SAME MOMENT I WAS GOING TO TELL HIM, AND HE TOLD THE ARRIVING FLT TO GAR IMMEDIATELY. IT EXECUTED A SUCCESSFUL GAR. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD TWR WHO WE WERE AND THAT WE WERE SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE RWY. TWR CLRED ME ONTO RWY 27R TO EXIT AT THE HIGHSPD AND TO CONTACT GND CTL. WE FOLLOWED THOSE INSTRUCTIONS AND THE REMAINDER OF THE TAXI TO THE GATE WAS UNEVENTFUL. THIS WAS MY FIRST TRIP TO ORD SINCE THE NEW TXWY DESIGNATORS WERE PUT INTO USE. IT WAS NIGHTTIME (VFR), BRIGHT RAMP LIGHTS ON THE RAMP, CONFUSING CLRNCS, MIXING OF THE NEW AND THE OLD TERMINOLOGY. NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE THE TXWY DESIGNATOR FOR A COUPLE OF THE TXWYS LISTED IN THE CLRNC ('H' IS SHOWN E AND W OF OUR POS WHEN I CALLED GND TO CLARIFY THE TAXI RTE FROM 'G,' AND TXWY 'P' IS IDENTED ON THE N SIDE OF WRY 27R AND NOT THE S SIDE WHERE WE WERE), ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONFUSION. ON MY RETURN TRIP TO ORD THE NEXT DAY I RECEIVED ANOTHER CONFUSING CLRNC. WE LANDED ON RWY 9R AND I CLRED THE RWY AT WHAT USED TO BE THE N/S TXWY. GND TOLD ME TO 'TURN R ON BRAVO THE OUTER, AND TO HOLD SHORT OF, I FORGET, HOLD SHORT OF WHAT USED TO BE C-6.' I COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS AS I KNEW WHERE C-6 USED TO BE EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T HAVE A CHART SHOWING THAT ANYMORE.

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.