Narrative:

This is an exceedingly confusing area and the DC10 is difficult to taxi. I was confused and was not allowed to stop and assess our situation. In the future, I will separate requesting the clearance to taxi from the performance of the 'before taxi checklist' so my undivided attention will be on the taxi clearance. Also, I'm going to request that my first officer write the clearance down for clarity, and so we can refer back to it. There is no text describing the use of taxiway U and runway 28 as preferable. A new hold point is in order, or a taxi spot should be devised. All crew members completed their preflight duties, and both the captain and the first officer looked briefly at the airport diagram on the commercial plate. They started engines, completed before taxi checklist and were given clearance to runway 23R, first officer thinks, and requested runway 23L. They were given clearance to runway 23L which was a right turn, and they understood give way to a commuter and follow another air carrier, who was at all times holding position on runway 28. The first officer realized that the captain was taxiing toward the approach end of runway 28 on taxiway west and told him. The captain admitted his wrong turn to tower, and tower sent him to ground who seemed angry. Ground gave us clearance to use taxiway Y back around and the captain rogered. The first officer told ground that we understood follow another air carrier and ground said that they had said apss before the air carrier. Tower cleared aircraft to taxi across runway 28 to hold short of runway 23L which the first officer read back. The captain taxied across runway 28, but crossed the hold short line. The aircraft was not on the runway and was stopped, but was nosed into the clear area of runway 23L. Tower said the main gear was near the line. The captain realized he was across before tower. Tower side-stepped a brasilia to runway 23R and because the brasilia did not clear runway 23R in time, tower sent an air carrier DC9 around. The air carrier DC9 went around because of the brasilia, but the brasilia side-stepped because our aircraft made unusable the brasilia's intended runway. Tower informed our crew of this. We then departed cle without further event. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a DC10 captain who is being charged with violating an ATC clearance and an far for an incursion onto runway 23L at cle. He said that he admits to being confused about the original clearance and later not being able to see the hold line for runway 23L until he was almost past it. He said that the arrangement of taxiway J, runway 28 and runway 23L with the hold line for runway 23L not being parallel to the runway and the taxi lines blending with the hold line makes this area very difficult. The captain said that he does not think that using taxiway J is a good idea. He also said that the DC10 is not a very suitable aircraft to be taxiing in this area either. Supplemental information from acn 366123: we had made a wrong turn and ground control cleared us to taxi back on taxiway Y. The captain explained to ground control why we made that turn and ground clarified what he wanted and told us to contact tower, who cleared us to cross runway 28 and hold short of runway 23L, which I repeated back. We crossed runway 28 and I was looking right for oncoming landing traffic. When I looked straight ahead I realized immediately that we were too close to the runway. The captain had stopped and said, 'I think we're too close.' a moment later tower told an approaching brasilia to side-step to runway 23R which it did, but couldn't clear the runway soon enough to let another air carrier behind it land, so tower sent the air carrier around. In cases like ours, where the aircraft is using taxiway J instead of taxiway U, the best way to handle it is have the aircraft hold short of runway 28 until they can be cleared onto runway 23L.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DC10 FLC TAXIES BEYOND THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 23L AT CLE CAUSING ONE COMMUTER TO SWITCH TO RWY 23R AND ANOTHER ACR TO GAR. THE FAA IS CHARGING THE FLC WITH A VIOLATION.

Narrative: THIS IS AN EXCEEDINGLY CONFUSING AREA AND THE DC10 IS DIFFICULT TO TAXI. I WAS CONFUSED AND WAS NOT ALLOWED TO STOP AND ASSESS OUR SIT. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL SEPARATE REQUESTING THE CLRNC TO TAXI FROM THE PERFORMANCE OF THE 'BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST' SO MY UNDIVIDED ATTN WILL BE ON THE TAXI CLRNC. ALSO, I'M GOING TO REQUEST THAT MY FO WRITE THE CLRNC DOWN FOR CLARITY, AND SO WE CAN REFER BACK TO IT. THERE IS NO TEXT DESCRIBING THE USE OF TXWY U AND RWY 28 AS PREFERABLE. A NEW HOLD POINT IS IN ORDER, OR A TAXI SPOT SHOULD BE DEVISED. ALL CREW MEMBERS COMPLETED THEIR PREFLT DUTIES, AND BOTH THE CAPT AND THE FO LOOKED BRIEFLY AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON THE COMMERCIAL PLATE. THEY STARTED ENGS, COMPLETED BEFORE TAXI CHKLIST AND WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO RWY 23R, FO THINKS, AND REQUESTED RWY 23L. THEY WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO RWY 23L WHICH WAS A R TURN, AND THEY UNDERSTOOD GIVE WAY TO A COMMUTER AND FOLLOW ANOTHER ACR, WHO WAS AT ALL TIMES HOLDING POS ON RWY 28. THE FO REALIZED THAT THE CAPT WAS TAXIING TOWARD THE APCH END OF RWY 28 ON TXWY W AND TOLD HIM. THE CAPT ADMITTED HIS WRONG TURN TO TWR, AND TWR SENT HIM TO GND WHO SEEMED ANGRY. GND GAVE US CLRNC TO USE TXWY Y BACK AROUND AND THE CAPT ROGERED. THE FO TOLD GND THAT WE UNDERSTOOD FOLLOW ANOTHER ACR AND GND SAID THAT THEY HAD SAID APSS BEFORE THE ACR. TWR CLRED ACFT TO TAXI ACROSS RWY 28 TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 23L WHICH THE FO READ BACK. THE CAPT TAXIED ACROSS RWY 28, BUT CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THE ACFT WAS NOT ON THE RWY AND WAS STOPPED, BUT WAS NOSED INTO THE CLR AREA OF RWY 23L. TWR SAID THE MAIN GEAR WAS NEAR THE LINE. THE CAPT REALIZED HE WAS ACROSS BEFORE TWR. TWR SIDE-STEPPED A BRASILIA TO RWY 23R AND BECAUSE THE BRASILIA DID NOT CLR RWY 23R IN TIME, TWR SENT AN ACR DC9 AROUND. THE ACR DC9 WENT AROUND BECAUSE OF THE BRASILIA, BUT THE BRASILIA SIDE-STEPPED BECAUSE OUR ACFT MADE UNUSABLE THE BRASILIA'S INTENDED RWY. TWR INFORMED OUR CREW OF THIS. WE THEN DEPARTED CLE WITHOUT FURTHER EVENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A DC10 CAPT WHO IS BEING CHARGED WITH VIOLATING AN ATC CLRNC AND AN FAR FOR AN INCURSION ONTO RWY 23L AT CLE. HE SAID THAT HE ADMITS TO BEING CONFUSED ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CLRNC AND LATER NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 23L UNTIL HE WAS ALMOST PAST IT. HE SAID THAT THE ARRANGEMENT OF TXWY J, RWY 28 AND RWY 23L WITH THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 23L NOT BEING PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND THE TAXI LINES BLENDING WITH THE HOLD LINE MAKES THIS AREA VERY DIFFICULT. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE DOES NOT THINK THAT USING TXWY J IS A GOOD IDEA. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE DC10 IS NOT A VERY SUITABLE ACFT TO BE TAXIING IN THIS AREA EITHER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 366123: WE HAD MADE A WRONG TURN AND GND CTL CLRED US TO TAXI BACK ON TXWY Y. THE CAPT EXPLAINED TO GND CTL WHY WE MADE THAT TURN AND GND CLARIFIED WHAT HE WANTED AND TOLD US TO CONTACT TWR, WHO CLRED US TO CROSS RWY 28 AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 23L, WHICH I REPEATED BACK. WE CROSSED RWY 28 AND I WAS LOOKING R FOR ONCOMING LNDG TFC. WHEN I LOOKED STRAIGHT AHEAD I REALIZED IMMEDIATELY THAT WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY. THE CAPT HAD STOPPED AND SAID, 'I THINK WE'RE TOO CLOSE.' A MOMENT LATER TWR TOLD AN APCHING BRASILIA TO SIDE-STEP TO RWY 23R WHICH IT DID, BUT COULDN'T CLR THE RWY SOON ENOUGH TO LET ANOTHER ACR BEHIND IT LAND, SO TWR SENT THE ACR AROUND. IN CASES LIKE OURS, WHERE THE ACFT IS USING TXWY J INSTEAD OF TXWY U, THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE IT IS HAVE THE ACFT HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28 UNTIL THEY CAN BE CLRED ONTO RWY 23L.

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.