Medium large transport on approach makes a go around due aircraft on end of runway.

Attributes
ACN	265573
Time
Date	199403
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : cle
State Reference	OH
Altitude	agl bound lower : 100 agl bound upper : 100
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : cle
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : go around
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : holding
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 7500
ASRS Report	265573
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 13000 flight time type : 240
ASRS Report	265792
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 100
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

I was the sic and performing the PNF duties of a scheduled air carrier (B-737) flying an instrument approach to runway 23L in night restr visibility conditions. During our communications switch over to the tower, we were cleared to land and advised that there was traffic crossing our runway and that the traffic would be clear upon our arrival. We saw an aircraft exiting our runway downfield and believed that all was well as we continued our final descent. At about 150 AGL, the captain suddenly noticed that an md-80 aircraft was sitting right on our runway, 90 degrees off, as if he were crossing the approach end of the runway. Well, he was stopped there, so we executed a go around and made an uneventful return to land safely. What went wrong? Us -- the message that traffic was crossing our runway was specific. The tower controller did say the 'approach end' but both the captain and I missed the intent of the words because we saw another aircraft exiting the runway and made an assumption. Otherwise, our go around would have occurred earlier because we would have been looking for the other guy. Him -- he was lost and in a spot not assigned to him. Tower had cleared him to cross runway 23L and position himself on runway 23R. He must have become confused and decided to do nothing until he got his bearings. Meanwhile, here we came -- right at him. Him -- no airplane illumination as he sat sideways across our runway. Had he turned on a light or 2, perhaps we would have seen him a lot sooner. Tower -- lost their awareness of the situation and did not take control to ensure that folks were doing as they were told. I'm not sure that they were able to see the aircraft on the ground either. All of us -- communication. When the pilot of the aircraft on the ground became confused, he needed to communicate right now (remember confess) in order to allow others to help and/or react. We should have paid closer attention to the crossing location specified by tower and tower needed to stay on top of the situation. Ground movement of aircraft near active runways have proven to be quite dangerous in low visibility sits in recent yrs.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG ON APCH MAKES A GAR DUE ACFT ON END OF RWY.

Narrative: I WAS THE SIC AND PERFORMING THE PNF DUTIES OF A SCHEDULED ACR (B-737) FLYING AN INST APCH TO RWY 23L IN NIGHT RESTR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. DURING OUR COMS SWITCH OVER TO THE TWR, WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AND ADVISED THAT THERE WAS TFC XING OUR RWY AND THAT THE TFC WOULD BE CLR UPON OUR ARR. WE SAW AN ACFT EXITING OUR RWY DOWNFIELD AND BELIEVED THAT ALL WAS WELL AS WE CONTINUED OUR FINAL DSCNT. AT ABOUT 150 AGL, THE CAPT SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT AN MD-80 ACFT WAS SITTING RIGHT ON OUR RWY, 90 DEGS OFF, AS IF HE WERE XING THE APCH END OF THE RWY. WELL, HE WAS STOPPED THERE, SO WE EXECUTED A GAR AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL RETURN TO LAND SAFELY. WHAT WENT WRONG? US -- THE MESSAGE THAT TFC WAS XING OUR RWY WAS SPECIFIC. THE TWR CTLR DID SAY THE 'APCH END' BUT BOTH THE CAPT AND I MISSED THE INTENT OF THE WORDS BECAUSE WE SAW ANOTHER ACFT EXITING THE RWY AND MADE AN ASSUMPTION. OTHERWISE, OUR GAR WOULD HAVE OCCURRED EARLIER BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE OTHER GUY. HIM -- HE WAS LOST AND IN A SPOT NOT ASSIGNED TO HIM. TWR HAD CLRED HIM TO CROSS RWY 23L AND POS HIMSELF ON RWY 23R. HE MUST HAVE BECOME CONFUSED AND DECIDED TO DO NOTHING UNTIL HE GOT HIS BEARINGS. MEANWHILE, HERE WE CAME -- RIGHT AT HIM. HIM -- NO AIRPLANE ILLUMINATION AS HE SAT SIDEWAYS ACROSS OUR RWY. HAD HE TURNED ON A LIGHT OR 2, PERHAPS WE WOULD HAVE SEEN HIM A LOT SOONER. TWR -- LOST THEIR AWARENESS OF THE SIT AND DID NOT TAKE CTL TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS WERE DOING AS THEY WERE TOLD. I'M NOT SURE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE ACFT ON THE GND EITHER. ALL OF US -- COM. WHEN THE PLT OF THE ACFT ON THE GND BECAME CONFUSED, HE NEEDED TO COMMUNICATE RIGHT NOW (REMEMBER CONFESS) IN ORDER TO ALLOW OTHERS TO HELP AND/OR REACT. WE SHOULD HAVE PAID CLOSER ATTN TO THE XING LOCATION SPECIFIED BY TWR AND TWR NEEDED TO STAY ON TOP OF THE SIT. GND MOVEMENT OF ACFT NEAR ACTIVE RWYS HAVE PROVEN TO BE QUITE DANGEROUS IN LOW VISIBILITY SITS IN RECENT YRS.

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.