Narrative:

We were next in line for takeoff on runway 27 in paris. All 3 crew members understood tower's clearance as 'after departing aircraft cleared to line up and wait.' a plane just took off and we taxied into position and hold. The tower then said the clearance was 'after landing aircraft cleared to line up and wait.' (all quotes are approximately.) myself and first officer checked final prior to taxiing onto runway and saw no aircraft. The landing aircraft must have been several mi out since the visibility was excellent. The sits leading to the event were the controller's french accent, the high noise levels in the B727, and the use of 'following' type of clrncs. They should use the united state's procedures of giving position and hold clrncs only after the landing aircraft has touched down. The crew was not rushed and experienced in european procedures, and those at cdg. We must listen very carefully to the french controllers and not anticipate what they say. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: after having spent many yrs operating in and out of paris, this reporter (captain) feels that he is very clear about the intention of certain phrases or clrncs received from the controllers, but that he still managed to get caught on this one because of the controller's strong accent combined with the noise levels in the B727 cockpit. No one in the crew perceived that there might be a problem until the controller corrected them. Reporter also was misled by what he terms an 'assumption' on his part that the aircraft that had just departed was the aircraft that they were to follow because no one else was in sight when they taxied onto the runway. Training was not a factor in this instance, but reporter states that his company does not route check foreign operations and he feels that as a result, they are overlooking a tremendous source of information that can and should be used for crew familiarization -- specifically, in briefing flcs that are new to certain foreign operations. He believes that the line operation is not the place to just be getting acquainted with foreign use of clrncs, since, even in this instance (with an experienced and knowledgeable crew), it was still not possible to get it right. Supplemental information from acn 340859: I checked final and I did not see an aircraft or aircraft lights. The tower then cleared us for an immediate takeoff. There was no danger and the landing aircraft did not have to do a go around. The french speak french to the french crews and english to non french crews. They do not use standard international clrncs. They say 'line up behind' versus 'cleared into position and hold.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR FLC WRONGLY TAXIED INTO POS ON THE RWY AT CHARLES DE GAULLE INTL ARPT IN PARIS, FRANCE. THE CREW THOUGHT THAT THEY RECEIVED A CLRNC TO LINE UP AND WAIT AFTER THE 'DEPARTING' ACFT. THE CTLR INTERVENED AND STATED THAT THEY WERE CLRED TO LINE UP AND WAIT AFTER THE 'LNDG' ACFT. THE FINAL APCH AREA HAD BEEN CHKED PRIOR TO TAXIING ONTO THE RWY AND THE FLC SAW NO OTHER ACFT, SO THERE WAS NO CONFLICT.

Narrative: WE WERE NEXT IN LINE FOR TKOF ON RWY 27 IN PARIS. ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS UNDERSTOOD TWR'S CLRNC AS 'AFTER DEPARTING ACFT CLRED TO LINE UP AND WAIT.' A PLANE JUST TOOK OFF AND WE TAXIED INTO POS AND HOLD. THE TWR THEN SAID THE CLRNC WAS 'AFTER LNDG ACFT CLRED TO LINE UP AND WAIT.' (ALL QUOTES ARE APPROX.) MYSELF AND FO CHKED FINAL PRIOR TO TAXIING ONTO RWY AND SAW NO ACFT. THE LNDG ACFT MUST HAVE BEEN SEVERAL MI OUT SINCE THE VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT. THE SITS LEADING TO THE EVENT WERE THE CTLR'S FRENCH ACCENT, THE HIGH NOISE LEVELS IN THE B727, AND THE USE OF 'FOLLOWING' TYPE OF CLRNCS. THEY SHOULD USE THE UNITED STATE'S PROCS OF GIVING POS AND HOLD CLRNCS ONLY AFTER THE LNDG ACFT HAS TOUCHED DOWN. THE CREW WAS NOT RUSHED AND EXPERIENCED IN EUROPEAN PROCS, AND THOSE AT CDG. WE MUST LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY TO THE FRENCH CTLRS AND NOT ANTICIPATE WHAT THEY SAY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER HAVING SPENT MANY YRS OPERATING IN AND OUT OF PARIS, THIS RPTR (CAPT) FEELS THAT HE IS VERY CLR ABOUT THE INTENTION OF CERTAIN PHRASES OR CLRNCS RECEIVED FROM THE CTLRS, BUT THAT HE STILL MANAGED TO GET CAUGHT ON THIS ONE BECAUSE OF THE CTLR'S STRONG ACCENT COMBINED WITH THE NOISE LEVELS IN THE B727 COCKPIT. NO ONE IN THE CREW PERCEIVED THAT THERE MIGHT BE A PROB UNTIL THE CTLR CORRECTED THEM. RPTR ALSO WAS MISLED BY WHAT HE TERMS AN 'ASSUMPTION' ON HIS PART THAT THE ACFT THAT HAD JUST DEPARTED WAS THE ACFT THAT THEY WERE TO FOLLOW BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WAS IN SIGHT WHEN THEY TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. TRAINING WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THIS INSTANCE, BUT RPTR STATES THAT HIS COMPANY DOES NOT RTE CHK FOREIGN OPS AND HE FEELS THAT AS A RESULT, THEY ARE OVERLOOKING A TREMENDOUS SOURCE OF INFO THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE USED FOR CREW FAMILIARIZATION -- SPECIFICALLY, IN BRIEFING FLCS THAT ARE NEW TO CERTAIN FOREIGN OPS. HE BELIEVES THAT THE LINE OP IS NOT THE PLACE TO JUST BE GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH FOREIGN USE OF CLRNCS, SINCE, EVEN IN THIS INSTANCE (WITH AN EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE CREW), IT WAS STILL NOT POSSIBLE TO GET IT RIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 340859: I CHKED FINAL AND I DID NOT SEE AN ACFT OR ACFT LIGHTS. THE TWR THEN CLRED US FOR AN IMMEDIATE TKOF. THERE WAS NO DANGER AND THE LNDG ACFT DID NOT HAVE TO DO A GAR. THE FRENCH SPEAK FRENCH TO THE FRENCH CREWS AND ENGLISH TO NON FRENCH CREWS. THEY DO NOT USE STANDARD INTL CLRNCS. THEY SAY 'LINE UP BEHIND' VERSUS 'CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD.'

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.