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An ATCT local controller cleared an air carrier freight aircraft for takeoff toward an approaching air carrier ldng aircraft, for the same runway. The reporter's crew of the freight aircraft noticed the lights approaching their direction of takeoff, and questioned the controller. The controller then instructed the reporter's aircraft to taxi clear of the runway, and the arriving aircraft landed less than 1 min later.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 334517 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199604 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : iad |
| State Reference | VA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground : holding ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 80 flight time total : 3200 flight time type : 900 |
| ASRS Report | 334517 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
We had a situation occur at iad. After taxiing to runway 30, we called tower and advised that we were 'approaching runway 30 for takeoff.' we were cleared into 'position and hold' with additional instructions of traffic to overfly the airport. We had been watching some aircraft lights that were in the departure corridor for runway 30 and we assumed that the aircraft we saw was the traffic that the tower was talking about. Shortly after getting into 'position and hold,' iad tower cleared us to takeoff. We were surprised about the clearance because the lights in the departure end had not moved clear of our departure flight path. We questioned the tower about the traffic. Tower must have misunderstood us because he said something about automobile lights at the end of the runway. We questioned him again to clarify what we saw and about that time the pilot of an air carrier aircraft called 'final for runway 12.' the controller in the tower then realized the problem and instructed us to clear the runway. We complied with the instructions. The air carrier flight landed within 1 min of us exiting the runway. Had we not seen the other aircraft we would have taken off and our departure path would have collided with incoming aircraft. Our aircraft do not have TCASII to prevent potential collisions.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ATCT LCL CTLR CLRED AN ACR FREIGHT ACFT FOR TKOF TOWARD AN APCHING ACR LDNG ACFT, FOR THE SAME RWY. THE RPTR'S CREW OF THE FREIGHT ACFT NOTICED THE LIGHTS APCHING THEIR DIRECTION OF TKOF, AND QUESTIONED THE CTLR. THE CTLR THEN INSTRUCTED THE RPTR'S ACFT TO TAXI CLR OF THE RWY, AND THE ARRIVING ACFT LANDED LESS THAN 1 MIN LATER.
Narrative: WE HAD A SIT OCCUR AT IAD. AFTER TAXIING TO RWY 30, WE CALLED TWR AND ADVISED THAT WE WERE 'APCHING RWY 30 FOR TKOF.' WE WERE CLRED INTO 'POS AND HOLD' WITH ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS OF TFC TO OVERFLY THE ARPT. WE HAD BEEN WATCHING SOME ACFT LIGHTS THAT WERE IN THE DEP CORRIDOR FOR RWY 30 AND WE ASSUMED THAT THE ACFT WE SAW WAS THE TFC THAT THE TWR WAS TALKING ABOUT. SHORTLY AFTER GETTING INTO 'POS AND HOLD,' IAD TWR CLRED US TO TKOF. WE WERE SURPRISED ABOUT THE CLRNC BECAUSE THE LIGHTS IN THE DEP END HAD NOT MOVED CLR OF OUR DEP FLT PATH. WE QUESTIONED THE TWR ABOUT THE TFC. TWR MUST HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD US BECAUSE HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT AUTOMOBILE LIGHTS AT THE END OF THE RWY. WE QUESTIONED HIM AGAIN TO CLARIFY WHAT WE SAW AND ABOUT THAT TIME THE PLT OF AN ACR ACFT CALLED 'FINAL FOR RWY 12.' THE CTLR IN THE TWR THEN REALIZED THE PROB AND INSTRUCTED US TO CLR THE RWY. WE COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS. THE ACR FLT LANDED WITHIN 1 MIN OF US EXITING THE RWY. HAD WE NOT SEEN THE OTHER ACFT WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF AND OUR DEP PATH WOULD HAVE COLLIDED WITH INCOMING ACFT. OUR ACFT DO NOT HAVE TCASII TO PREVENT POTENTIAL COLLISIONS.
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.