Narrative:

After a normal landing at sna, I cleared the runway as soon as practical because an airline aircraft was on a 2-3 mi final behind me. Immediately after departing the runway, the copilot attempted to contact ground control 3 times without success. The distance between the active runway and taxiway is very short. It is also the last taxiway on a short runway -- by large aircraft standards. By this time I turned on the taxiway and stopped immediately when I saw a small plane approximately 1200-1500 ft away taxiing toward me. Then the small plane stopped. The copilot checked the ground frequency and had inadvertently inserted the wrong frequency (121.8 versus 120.8). After selecting the correct frequency, ground control was contacted and I remained stopped until the small aircraft was cleared to taxi and taxied around me. There was no danger to either aircraft at any time in as much as both aircraft stopped (with over 1000 ft of clearance) until ground control had control of the situation. The ground controller was correct that I did not have clearance onto the taxiway, however, if I had stopped before entering the taxiway the airliner would have been unable to clear the runway. Sna has only a single runway for large aircraft and is one of the most highly congested airports in the world. My attempt to clear the runway and onto the taxiway was an honest attempt to keep traffic moving. With the ground control frequency, at times, being congested, often there is a delay in contacting the ground controller. On this occasion it was compounded by inadvertently selecting the wrong ground control frequency. Because of the heavy traffic and limited txwys often aircraft are facing each other on the same taxiway. The situation basically results in making the decision: 1) clearing the runway, stopping immediately (until ground control is contacted) with no space for an aircraft behind to exit resulting in possible delays and even missed approachs. 2) if unable to immediately contact ground control (for whatever reason) taxi onto the taxiway and stop until contact with ground control is established.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PVT MLG FLC CLRS RWY 19R AT SNA AND TURNS OFF ONTO TXWY D THEN, WITHOUT TALKING TO GND CTL, CONTINUES ONTO TXWY A, WHERE THEY BLOCK ANOTHER ACFT TEMPORARILY. THE RPTR ADMITS TO BEING ON THE WRONG FREQ, BUT ALSO COMPLAINS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF CLRING THE RWY WITHOUT PROCEEDING ONTO TXWY A DUE TO THE LENGTH OF HIS ACFT VERSUS THE SHORTNESS OF TXWY D.

Narrative: AFTER A NORMAL LNDG AT SNA, I CLRED THE RWY AS SOON AS PRACTICAL BECAUSE AN AIRLINE ACFT WAS ON A 2-3 MI FINAL BEHIND ME. IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEPARTING THE RWY, THE COPLT ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT GND CTL 3 TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE DISTANCE BTWN THE ACTIVE RWY AND TXWY IS VERY SHORT. IT IS ALSO THE LAST TXWY ON A SHORT RWY -- BY LARGE ACFT STANDARDS. BY THIS TIME I TURNED ON THE TXWY AND STOPPED IMMEDIATELY WHEN I SAW A SMALL PLANE APPROX 1200-1500 FT AWAY TAXIING TOWARD ME. THEN THE SMALL PLANE STOPPED. THE COPLT CHKED THE GND FREQ AND HAD INADVERTENTLY INSERTED THE WRONG FREQ (121.8 VERSUS 120.8). AFTER SELECTING THE CORRECT FREQ, GND CTL WAS CONTACTED AND I REMAINED STOPPED UNTIL THE SMALL ACFT WAS CLRED TO TAXI AND TAXIED AROUND ME. THERE WAS NO DANGER TO EITHER ACFT AT ANY TIME IN AS MUCH AS BOTH ACFT STOPPED (WITH OVER 1000 FT OF CLRNC) UNTIL GND CTL HAD CTL OF THE SIT. THE GND CTLR WAS CORRECT THAT I DID NOT HAVE CLRNC ONTO THE TXWY, HOWEVER, IF I HAD STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING THE TXWY THE AIRLINER WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CLR THE RWY. SNA HAS ONLY A SINGLE RWY FOR LARGE ACFT AND IS ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY CONGESTED ARPTS IN THE WORLD. MY ATTEMPT TO CLR THE RWY AND ONTO THE TXWY WAS AN HONEST ATTEMPT TO KEEP TFC MOVING. WITH THE GND CTL FREQ, AT TIMES, BEING CONGESTED, OFTEN THERE IS A DELAY IN CONTACTING THE GND CTLR. ON THIS OCCASION IT WAS COMPOUNDED BY INADVERTENTLY SELECTING THE WRONG GND CTL FREQ. BECAUSE OF THE HVY TFC AND LIMITED TXWYS OFTEN ACFT ARE FACING EACH OTHER ON THE SAME TXWY. THE SIT BASICALLY RESULTS IN MAKING THE DECISION: 1) CLRING THE RWY, STOPPING IMMEDIATELY (UNTIL GND CTL IS CONTACTED) WITH NO SPACE FOR AN ACFT BEHIND TO EXIT RESULTING IN POSSIBLE DELAYS AND EVEN MISSED APCHS. 2) IF UNABLE TO IMMEDIATELY CONTACT GND CTL (FOR WHATEVER REASON) TAXI ONTO THE TXWY AND STOP UNTIL CONTACT WITH GND CTL IS ESTABLISHED.

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.