Narrative:

After clearing runway 22L at ewr, I contacted ramp control to inquire about gate availability and was told the gate was open but the alley was blocked and to taxi slowly because the alley should clear in 5-8 mins. As we taxied in I tried several times to contact ramp to inquire about the alley, but could not get through due a congested ramp frequency. We had stopped short of rk which was the ramp entrance and could see a DC10 that had pushed back at the end of the alley and looked like it might be blocking our gate. I was monitoring both ramp and ground frequency. The captain and first officer were discussing whether or not we could taxi past the DC10 to the gate. I was finally able to get through to ramp and asked if we could get by the DC10. At the same time I heard ground control tell us to 'turn into rk now, or go to the ballpark.' I do not think that the captain heard the last part of the transmission, and he began to turn into the ramp. At the same time the DC10 began to move and blocked our gate completely. We were able to pull off to the right and allow the DC10 to taxi past but we added to ramp congestion. I think that many of the problems with gridlock in ewr could be solved if ramp control would talk directly to ground control and have a parking area on the south end of runway 22 to put airplanes when the gates are not open. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter states that the interface between the ground controller's instructions and the ramp controller's instructions is normally the burden of the flight crew, but even more so, at ewr. The txwys are narrow and a gridlock develops in this part of the airport between departures taxiing to the north and northwest and the arriving aircraft. The first officer contributed to this particular occurrence because he spoke over the ground controller's instruction of 'or go to the ballpark,' and then he did not wait to hear the ramp controller's instructions, he just kept telling the captain that he could get through. This reporter states again that this congestion could be alleviated by parking aircraft at the end of runway 22 and developing more efficient coordination between the ground controller and the ramp controller. The reporter also wishes that he had been more outspoken in such a situation with a new captain and an aggressive first officer.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 SO RPTS ENCOUNTERING RAMP 'GRIDLOCK' AT EWR AFTER THE CAPT ACTED ON CONFLICTING CLRNCS FROM THE GND CTLR AND THE RAMP CTLR. THE FO WAS TELLING THE CAPT THAT HE COULD GET THROUGH, BUT THE RAMP CTLR HAD NOT CLRED THE ACFT ONTO THE RAMP.

Narrative: AFTER CLRING RWY 22L AT EWR, I CONTACTED RAMP CTL TO INQUIRE ABOUT GATE AVAILABILITY AND WAS TOLD THE GATE WAS OPEN BUT THE ALLEY WAS BLOCKED AND TO TAXI SLOWLY BECAUSE THE ALLEY SHOULD CLR IN 5-8 MINS. AS WE TAXIED IN I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONTACT RAMP TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE ALLEY, BUT COULD NOT GET THROUGH DUE A CONGESTED RAMP FREQ. WE HAD STOPPED SHORT OF RK WHICH WAS THE RAMP ENTRANCE AND COULD SEE A DC10 THAT HAD PUSHED BACK AT THE END OF THE ALLEY AND LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT BE BLOCKING OUR GATE. I WAS MONITORING BOTH RAMP AND GND FREQ. THE CAPT AND FO WERE DISCUSSING WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD TAXI PAST THE DC10 TO THE GATE. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THROUGH TO RAMP AND ASKED IF WE COULD GET BY THE DC10. AT THE SAME TIME I HEARD GND CTL TELL US TO 'TURN INTO RK NOW, OR GO TO THE BALLPARK.' I DO NOT THINK THAT THE CAPT HEARD THE LAST PART OF THE XMISSION, AND HE BEGAN TO TURN INTO THE RAMP. AT THE SAME TIME THE DC10 BEGAN TO MOVE AND BLOCKED OUR GATE COMPLETELY. WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE R AND ALLOW THE DC10 TO TAXI PAST BUT WE ADDED TO RAMP CONGESTION. I THINK THAT MANY OF THE PROBS WITH GRIDLOCK IN EWR COULD BE SOLVED IF RAMP CTL WOULD TALK DIRECTLY TO GND CTL AND HAVE A PARKING AREA ON THE S END OF RWY 22 TO PUT AIRPLANES WHEN THE GATES ARE NOT OPEN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATES THAT THE INTERFACE BTWN THE GND CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS AND THE RAMP CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS IS NORMALLY THE BURDEN OF THE FLC, BUT EVEN MORE SO, AT EWR. THE TXWYS ARE NARROW AND A GRIDLOCK DEVELOPS IN THIS PART OF THE ARPT BTWN DEPS TAXIING TO THE N AND NW AND THE ARRIVING ACFT. THE FO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PARTICULAR OCCURRENCE BECAUSE HE SPOKE OVER THE GND CTLR'S INSTRUCTION OF 'OR GO TO THE BALLPARK,' AND THEN HE DID NOT WAIT TO HEAR THE RAMP CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS, HE JUST KEPT TELLING THE CAPT THAT HE COULD GET THROUGH. THIS RPTR STATES AGAIN THAT THIS CONGESTION COULD BE ALLEVIATED BY PARKING ACFT AT THE END OF RWY 22 AND DEVELOPING MORE EFFICIENT COORD BTWN THE GND CTLR AND THE RAMP CTLR. THE RPTR ALSO WISHES THAT HE HAD BEEN MORE OUTSPOKEN IN SUCH A SIT WITH A NEW CAPT AND AN AGGRESSIVE FO.

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.