Taxiing traffic in conflict.

Attributes
ACN	266411
Time
Date	199403
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sea
State Reference	WA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	other : unknown
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 270 flight time total : 6500 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	266411
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 600
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

After landing we cleared the active runway. Ground control instructed us to stay to the right side of the taxiway for a jet taxiing the opposite direction and to give way to another jet which was yet to taxi from around the other side of the main terminal building. The captain began taxiing and I began giving the after landing briefing to the passenger. When I finished the briefing, we had passed the jet taxiing the opposite direction. However, the captain was monitoring the wingtip clearance so intently that he'd forgotten that we were to give way to the other jet (about 300 yards away on a shallow angle convergence). Furthermore, this jet began to slow down and seemed to defer to us. We were about 200 yards from the jet when I finished the passenger briefing and I realized that our taxi speed relative to the jet would cause us to pass in front of the jet. I then pointed out to the captain that this was the jet we were to give way to. The captain immediately slowed the aircraft taxi speed but, by this time, we seemed to be in the jet's intended taxi path, so the captain continued taxiing in order to get clear. There was no imminent conflict because the crew in both aircraft seemed to be aware of each other's aircraft and the jet seemed to be deferring to us. We passed comfortably about 200 yards in front of the jet at normal taxi speed. The contributing factors were the captain's focused attention on the wingtip clearance with the jet taxiing in the opposite direction and my diversion of attention to the required post-landing passenger briefing. Had I not been doing the briefing at that time, I may have realized sooner that the captain had forgotten the part of the taxi clearance instructing us to give way to the second jet and I could have reminded him. Procedures that I may use in the future which may prevent this type of occurrence are: 1) delaying the post-landing passenger briefing or other duties until traffic or obstacles are cleared, and 2) repeating to the other crewmembers the last ATC clearance received before I begin other duties which may reduce the attention I can give to other aircraft and obstacles.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAXIING TFC IN CONFLICT.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG WE CLRED THE ACTIVE RWY. GND CTL INSTRUCTED US TO STAY TO THE R SIDE OF THE TXWY FOR A JET TAXIING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND TO GIVE WAY TO ANOTHER JET WHICH WAS YET TO TAXI FROM AROUND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MAIN TERMINAL BUILDING. THE CAPT BEGAN TAXIING AND I BEGAN GIVING THE AFTER LNDG BRIEFING TO THE PAX. WHEN I FINISHED THE BRIEFING, WE HAD PASSED THE JET TAXIING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. HOWEVER, THE CAPT WAS MONITORING THE WINGTIP CLRNC SO INTENTLY THAT HE'D FORGOTTEN THAT WE WERE TO GIVE WAY TO THE OTHER JET (ABOUT 300 YARDS AWAY ON A SHALLOW ANGLE CONVERGENCE). FURTHERMORE, THIS JET BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND SEEMED TO DEFER TO US. WE WERE ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM THE JET WHEN I FINISHED THE PAX BRIEFING AND I REALIZED THAT OUR TAXI SPD RELATIVE TO THE JET WOULD CAUSE US TO PASS IN FRONT OF THE JET. I THEN POINTED OUT TO THE CAPT THAT THIS WAS THE JET WE WERE TO GIVE WAY TO. THE CAPT IMMEDIATELY SLOWED THE ACFT TAXI SPD BUT, BY THIS TIME, WE SEEMED TO BE IN THE JET'S INTENDED TAXI PATH, SO THE CAPT CONTINUED TAXIING IN ORDER TO GET CLR. THERE WAS NO IMMINENT CONFLICT BECAUSE THE CREW IN BOTH ACFT SEEMED TO BE AWARE OF EACH OTHER'S ACFT AND THE JET SEEMED TO BE DEFERRING TO US. WE PASSED COMFORTABLY ABOUT 200 YARDS IN FRONT OF THE JET AT NORMAL TAXI SPD. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE CAPT'S FOCUSED ATTN ON THE WINGTIP CLRNC WITH THE JET TAXIING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND MY DIVERSION OF ATTN TO THE REQUIRED POST-LNDG PAX BRIEFING. HAD I NOT BEEN DOING THE BRIEFING AT THAT TIME, I MAY HAVE REALIZED SOONER THAT THE CAPT HAD FORGOTTEN THE PART OF THE TAXI CLRNC INSTRUCTING US TO GIVE WAY TO THE SECOND JET AND I COULD HAVE REMINDED HIM. PROCS THAT I MAY USE IN THE FUTURE WHICH MAY PREVENT THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE ARE: 1) DELAYING THE POST-LNDG PAX BRIEFING OR OTHER DUTIES UNTIL TFC OR OBSTACLES ARE CLRED, AND 2) REPEATING TO THE OTHER CREWMEMBERS THE LAST ATC CLRNC RECEIVED BEFORE I BEGIN OTHER DUTIES WHICH MAY REDUCE THE ATTN I CAN GIVE TO OTHER ACFT AND OBSTACLES.

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.