Narrative:

Called and copied clearance for VFR flight to abilene, tx, contacted ground at FBO at phx, ground controller instructed me to taxi to runway 8L. I replied 'X is unfamiliar with the airport.' ground responded 'see that airplane?' I assumed he was referring to a bonanza taxiing past from my right at high speed, and replied 'yeah,' to which he replied 'follow that airplane to runway 8L.' to which I replied: 'thanks,' or 'roger.' as the bonanza I was to follow was taxiing at a pretty good clip, something like 20-30 mph, I added plenty of power and pulled out behind him on the taxiway. We proceeded west for a short distance along the blast fence at which point he made a right turn onto what looked to me like a runway, he never stopped and hardly slowed down, if at all, and proceeded to head eastbound at his previous speed. Seeing that I was entering a runway, and sensing that something wasn't right, I directed my attention to the approach path of the runway so as to confirm to myself that I wasn't pulling out in front of any traffic on the approach, none was present so I redirected my attention to the bonanza. It was my impression at this time that though something was unusual there was no danger as I had just confirmed the absence of a collision hazard, and I expected the bonanza to proceed eastbound for a short distance before pulling off of the runway onto a run-up apron or something like that. I assumed this because he had not performed a run-up, nor even stopped, but moreover had the correct course of action for me been to hold at the end where we pulled onto the runway, the controller would have said something like 'turn left ahead, taxi runway 8L.' this would have been appropriate since it was a straight line and a short distance from where I made my initial call to the end of runway 8L. Since he said to 'follow that airplane,' I assumed it implicit that it wasn't just a straight shot to where I wanted to stop and prepare for departure. Back to the events: I'm on runway 8L, headed eastbound at taxi speed, and I can read the runway markings and am now sure that things aren't right. I begin to slow, watching the bonanza for turns, and looking for a convenient exit from the runway, still headed eastbound. No exits appears available till well down the runway and I elect to make a 180 degree to take another look for traffic and to proceed back to where I think I should be. As I'm slowing for my turn I see the bonanza leave the ground. I execute my 180 degree quickly at this point, looking for traffic, and see what appears to be a cessna conquest on a go around from about a half-mile final to my runway. There has, since my last transmission to ground, been no talk on ground frequency. About 5 seconds later ground controller asks 'X, what are you doing?' I advised him that I was following the bonanza , to which he said something like 'I told you to follow him to runway 8L -- you're on the runway!' we didn't argue, I just went back to the approach end, did my normal thing, and departed. Factors contributing to the situation were my unfamiliarity with the airport (I'd never been there) the non-standard taxi and departure behavior of the aircraft which I was assigned to follow, the rate at which all of this happened (the bonanza was taxiing fast, in fact, upon arrival at my destination in texas I briefly described the incident to my friend, an airline pilot, and he idented the airplane and time of day himself, complete with the bonanza pilot's name, saying the guy does this every morning on a freight contract), my inattn to the runway identify signs (I was looking for traffic while I was pulling out). The causative factors, however, were clearly that the controller gave me an improper and ambiguous instruction when I told him I was unfamiliar with the airport, and that I accepted that non- standard instruction (which I knew to be weird) with the assumption that he was going to be watching me anyway since he knew I was unfamiliar. While there was no collision hazard since I was watching (I always look around as if the field is uncontrolled) I did end up where I wasn't supposed to be and did send somebody around. My belief is that non-standard ('cool') radio communications, while tempting after yrs of uneventful flying, should be avoided because of their ambiguity, 'see that airplane?' 'yeah.' 'follow him to 8L.' 'thanks.' should be: 'turn left, it's ahead and to your right 200 yds.' or, if the controller is busy, a simple 'stand by,' is fine with me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT ENTERS RWY WITHOUT CLRNC DUE TO CONFUSION ON TAXI CLRNC. FORCED GAR.

Narrative: CALLED AND COPIED CLRNC FOR VFR FLT TO ABILENE, TX, CONTACTED GND AT FBO AT PHX, GND CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO TAXI TO RWY 8L. I REPLIED 'X IS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT.' GND RESPONDED 'SEE THAT AIRPLANE?' I ASSUMED HE WAS REFERRING TO A BONANZA TAXIING PAST FROM MY R AT HIGH SPD, AND REPLIED 'YEAH,' TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'FOLLOW THAT AIRPLANE TO RWY 8L.' TO WHICH I REPLIED: 'THANKS,' OR 'ROGER.' AS THE BONANZA I WAS TO FOLLOW WAS TAXIING AT A PRETTY GOOD CLIP, SOMETHING LIKE 20-30 MPH, I ADDED PLENTY OF PWR AND PULLED OUT BEHIND HIM ON THE TXWY. WE PROCEEDED W FOR A SHORT DISTANCE ALONG THE BLAST FENCE AT WHICH POINT HE MADE A R TURN ONTO WHAT LOOKED TO ME LIKE A RWY, HE NEVER STOPPED AND HARDLY SLOWED DOWN, IF AT ALL, AND PROCEEDED TO HEAD EBOUND AT HIS PREVIOUS SPD. SEEING THAT I WAS ENTERING A RWY, AND SENSING THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT, I DIRECTED MY ATTN TO THE APCH PATH OF THE RWY SO AS TO CONFIRM TO MYSELF THAT I WASN'T PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF ANY TFC ON THE APCH, NONE WAS PRESENT SO I REDIRECTED MY ATTN TO THE BONANZA. IT WAS MY IMPRESSION AT THIS TIME THAT THOUGH SOMETHING WAS UNUSUAL THERE WAS NO DANGER AS I HAD JUST CONFIRMED THE ABSENCE OF A COLLISION HAZARD, AND I EXPECTED THE BONANZA TO PROCEED EBOUND FOR A SHORT DISTANCE BEFORE PULLING OFF OF THE RWY ONTO A RUN-UP APRON OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I ASSUMED THIS BECAUSE HE HAD NOT PERFORMED A RUN-UP, NOR EVEN STOPPED, BUT MOREOVER HAD THE CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION FOR ME BEEN TO HOLD AT THE END WHERE WE PULLED ONTO THE RWY, THE CTLR WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'TURN L AHEAD, TAXI RWY 8L.' THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATE SINCE IT WAS A STRAIGHT LINE AND A SHORT DISTANCE FROM WHERE I MADE MY INITIAL CALL TO THE END OF RWY 8L. SINCE HE SAID TO 'FOLLOW THAT AIRPLANE,' I ASSUMED IT IMPLICIT THAT IT WASN'T JUST A STRAIGHT SHOT TO WHERE I WANTED TO STOP AND PREPARE FOR DEP. BACK TO THE EVENTS: I'M ON RWY 8L, HEADED EBOUND AT TAXI SPD, AND I CAN READ THE RWY MARKINGS AND AM NOW SURE THAT THINGS AREN'T RIGHT. I BEGIN TO SLOW, WATCHING THE BONANZA FOR TURNS, AND LOOKING FOR A CONVENIENT EXIT FROM THE RWY, STILL HEADED EBOUND. NO EXITS APPEARS AVAILABLE TILL WELL DOWN THE RWY AND I ELECT TO MAKE A 180 DEG TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK FOR TFC AND TO PROCEED BACK TO WHERE I THINK I SHOULD BE. AS I'M SLOWING FOR MY TURN I SEE THE BONANZA LEAVE THE GND. I EXECUTE MY 180 DEG QUICKLY AT THIS POINT, LOOKING FOR TFC, AND SEE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A CESSNA CONQUEST ON A GAR FROM ABOUT A HALF-MILE FINAL TO MY RWY. THERE HAS, SINCE MY LAST XMISSION TO GND, BEEN NO TALK ON GND FREQ. ABOUT 5 SECONDS LATER GND CTLR ASKS 'X, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' I ADVISED HIM THAT I WAS FOLLOWING THE BONANZA , TO WHICH HE SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'I TOLD YOU TO FOLLOW HIM TO RWY 8L -- YOU'RE ON THE RWY!' WE DIDN'T ARGUE, I JUST WENT BACK TO THE APCH END, DID MY NORMAL THING, AND DEPARTED. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SIT WERE MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT (I'D NEVER BEEN THERE) THE NON-STANDARD TAXI AND DEP BEHAVIOR OF THE ACFT WHICH I WAS ASSIGNED TO FOLLOW, THE RATE AT WHICH ALL OF THIS HAPPENED (THE BONANZA WAS TAXIING FAST, IN FACT, UPON ARR AT MY DEST IN TEXAS I BRIEFLY DESCRIBED THE INCIDENT TO MY FRIEND, AN AIRLINE PLT, AND HE IDENTED THE AIRPLANE AND TIME OF DAY HIMSELF, COMPLETE WITH THE BONANZA PLT'S NAME, SAYING THE GUY DOES THIS EVERY MORNING ON A FREIGHT CONTRACT), MY INATTN TO THE RWY IDENT SIGNS (I WAS LOOKING FOR TFC WHILE I WAS PULLING OUT). THE CAUSATIVE FACTORS, HOWEVER, WERE CLRLY THAT THE CTLR GAVE ME AN IMPROPER AND AMBIGUOUS INSTRUCTION WHEN I TOLD HIM I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT, AND THAT I ACCEPTED THAT NON- STANDARD INSTRUCTION (WHICH I KNEW TO BE WEIRD) WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE WATCHING ME ANYWAY SINCE HE KNEW I WAS UNFAMILIAR. WHILE THERE WAS NO COLLISION HAZARD SINCE I WAS WATCHING (I ALWAYS LOOK AROUND AS IF THE FIELD IS UNCTLED) I DID END UP WHERE I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE AND DID SEND SOMEBODY AROUND. MY BELIEF IS THAT NON-STANDARD ('COOL') RADIO COMS, WHILE TEMPTING AFTER YRS OF UNEVENTFUL FLYING, SHOULD BE AVOIDED BECAUSE OF THEIR AMBIGUITY, 'SEE THAT AIRPLANE?' 'YEAH.' 'FOLLOW HIM TO 8L.' 'THANKS.' SHOULD BE: 'TURN L, IT'S AHEAD AND TO YOUR R 200 YDS.' OR, IF THE CTLR IS BUSY, A SIMPLE 'STAND BY,' IS FINE WITH ME.

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.