Narrative:

Charles de gaulle, paris: approaching runway 10 at taxiway 23 (the end of runway 10), aircraft were departing from the end of runway 10 at taxiway 23 and also 7/10 mi away at the intersection of taxiway 21 to runway 10. Several aircraft departed from each point ahead of us and we had a controled 'wheels up' takeoff time of XX23Z. Most communications between charles de gaulle tower and other aircraft were in the french language. At XX00Z we were #1 for runway 10 at taxiway 23. At XX10 I saw an air carrier Y airbus taxi into position on runway 10 (at taxiway 21) 7/10 mi away. This air carrier Y airbus remained on the runway for a couple of mins and at XX13Z charles de gaulle tower cleared 'air carrier X (us) after the A340, line up and wait for runway 10.' more communications followed in french. The air carrier Y airbus was then cleared for takeoff and so we started taxiing toward runway 10. The first officer looked to his right as far as he could see around the flight engineer panel and final approach appeared clear as far as he could see. As we taxied on taxiway 23 towards runway 10 and started running the before takeoff checklist, the airbus was still on takeoff roll up ahead of us. We overheard more communications in french. Tower then stated, 'air carrier X, after the airbus 340, line up and wait.' I immediately stopped the aircraft, still on taxiway 23 and well short of runway 10. As I stopped, an air carrier Z A340 came into view off the right side of the aircraft, landing traffic on runway 10. The air carrier Z A340 made an uneventful landing and after it passed us, we taxied 'into position' for takeoff. We made an uneventful takeoff. Nothing more about this was said by us or tower. It is possible that some of the french communications both before and after the landing of the A340 may have been from the air carrier Z pilot complaining to charles de gaulle tower. I guess this because I believe that most pilots would complain about someone taxiing towards a runway which he was landing on. This could have been a disaster because of: 1) charles de gaulle tower not using english for communications -- we had no situational awareness of who was 'cleared for landing,' 'cleared for takeoff,' etc. 2) charles de gaulle tower not telling us to 'line up and wait' after a landing A340. We saw a departing airbus on the runway ahead of us and we assumed this was the traffic we were to 'line up after.' 3) the geography of taxiway 23, intersecting runway 10 at a 60-70 degree angle makes seeing aircraft, way out on final, impossible until you actually get on the runway and can turn the aircraft slightly to the right before turning back to the left to 'line up' on runway 10. The first officer properly cleared final approach for any traffic and from what he could see, final was clear! However, there obviously was traffic on final approach behind us, but it could not be seen from the cockpit. 4) the airbus sitting on runway 10 (at taxiway 21) created a mindset in our cockpit that this was the traffic tower was talking about when tower stated, 'after the A340, line up and wait runway 10.' 5) we had 'traffic' of 2 airbuses: one on takeoff roll and one on approach. We did not receive adequate advisories from tower that there was a landing airbus. We only knew about one of them -- the one we could see 'sitting' on the runway and subsequently cleared for takeoff. The geography cannot be changed. Charles de gaulle procedures can be changed: 1) say 'landing' traffic. 2) use the international language of aviation -- english. Supplemental information from acn 382230: the tower then cleared air carrier Y airbus 320 onto the runway from taxiway 21 and told us to line up and wait behind the airbus 340. At that time we started taxiing towards the runway. The tower then said again to line up behind the airbus 340. I then told the captain to stop when I knew the air carrier Y was an airbus 320 and not an airbus 340. The problem we had happened for several reasons. The first is the french controllers speak in french to french pilots leaving us in the dark as to what has been said to whom. The next problem, the angle of the taxiway, which leaves the pilot departing on runway 10 blind as your back is turned to landing traffic. The next problem came as the controller never told us to hold for landing only line up behind an airbus 340 not the landing airbus 340. I was expecting to see an airbus 340 taxiing from taxiway 22 or taxiway 23 to runway 10. The remaining factor was the failure of our captain to differentiate an A320 from an A340 and I failed in not bringing this to his attention until the second call from the tower and again they never told us behind the landing A340, only A340 even after the second call. The first we saw of the A340 was as he crossed the threshold of runway 10.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CHARLES DE GAULLE, A DC10-30 FLC STRUGGLES WITH THE CLRNC PROVIDED BY THE FRENCH CTLR. FLC DOES NOT UNDERSTAND TO WAIT FOR A LNDG A340 AS THEY CANNOT SEE IT FROM THE ANGLE THEY ARE APCHING THE RWY. THEY MISTAKE A DEPARTING A320 FOR AN A340.

Narrative: CHARLES DE GAULLE, PARIS: APCHING RWY 10 AT TXWY 23 (THE END OF RWY 10), ACFT WERE DEPARTING FROM THE END OF RWY 10 AT TXWY 23 AND ALSO 7/10 MI AWAY AT THE INTXN OF TXWY 21 TO RWY 10. SEVERAL ACFT DEPARTED FROM EACH POINT AHEAD OF US AND WE HAD A CTLED 'WHEELS UP' TKOF TIME OF XX23Z. MOST COMS BTWN CHARLES DE GAULLE TWR AND OTHER ACFT WERE IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE. AT XX00Z WE WERE #1 FOR RWY 10 AT TXWY 23. AT XX10 I SAW AN ACR Y AIRBUS TAXI INTO POS ON RWY 10 (AT TXWY 21) 7/10 MI AWAY. THIS ACR Y AIRBUS REMAINED ON THE RWY FOR A COUPLE OF MINS AND AT XX13Z CHARLES DE GAULLE TWR CLRED 'ACR X (US) AFTER THE A340, LINE UP AND WAIT FOR RWY 10.' MORE COMS FOLLOWED IN FRENCH. THE ACR Y AIRBUS WAS THEN CLRED FOR TKOF AND SO WE STARTED TAXIING TOWARD RWY 10. THE FO LOOKED TO HIS R AS FAR AS HE COULD SEE AROUND THE FE PANEL AND FINAL APCH APPEARED CLR AS FAR AS HE COULD SEE. AS WE TAXIED ON TXWY 23 TOWARDS RWY 10 AND STARTED RUNNING THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST, THE AIRBUS WAS STILL ON TKOF ROLL UP AHEAD OF US. WE OVERHEARD MORE COMS IN FRENCH. TWR THEN STATED, 'ACR X, AFTER THE AIRBUS 340, LINE UP AND WAIT.' I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT, STILL ON TXWY 23 AND WELL SHORT OF RWY 10. AS I STOPPED, AN ACR Z A340 CAME INTO VIEW OFF THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT, LNDG TFC ON RWY 10. THE ACR Z A340 MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND AFTER IT PASSED US, WE TAXIED 'INTO POS' FOR TKOF. WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF. NOTHING MORE ABOUT THIS WAS SAID BY US OR TWR. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THE FRENCH COMS BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE LNDG OF THE A340 MAY HAVE BEEN FROM THE ACR Z PLT COMPLAINING TO CHARLES DE GAULLE TWR. I GUESS THIS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT MOST PLTS WOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMEONE TAXIING TOWARDS A RWY WHICH HE WAS LNDG ON. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER BECAUSE OF: 1) CHARLES DE GAULLE TWR NOT USING ENGLISH FOR COMS -- WE HAD NO SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF WHO WAS 'CLRED FOR LNDG,' 'CLRED FOR TKOF,' ETC. 2) CHARLES DE GAULLE TWR NOT TELLING US TO 'LINE UP AND WAIT' AFTER A LNDG A340. WE SAW A DEPARTING AIRBUS ON THE RWY AHEAD OF US AND WE ASSUMED THIS WAS THE TFC WE WERE TO 'LINE UP AFTER.' 3) THE GEOGRAPHY OF TXWY 23, INTERSECTING RWY 10 AT A 60-70 DEG ANGLE MAKES SEEING ACFT, WAY OUT ON FINAL, IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY GET ON THE RWY AND CAN TURN THE ACFT SLIGHTLY TO THE R BEFORE TURNING BACK TO THE L TO 'LINE UP' ON RWY 10. THE FO PROPERLY CLRED FINAL APCH FOR ANY TFC AND FROM WHAT HE COULD SEE, FINAL WAS CLR! HOWEVER, THERE OBVIOUSLY WAS TFC ON FINAL APCH BEHIND US, BUT IT COULD NOT BE SEEN FROM THE COCKPIT. 4) THE AIRBUS SITTING ON RWY 10 (AT TXWY 21) CREATED A MINDSET IN OUR COCKPIT THAT THIS WAS THE TFC TWR WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN TWR STATED, 'AFTER THE A340, LINE UP AND WAIT RWY 10.' 5) WE HAD 'TFC' OF 2 AIRBUSES: ONE ON TKOF ROLL AND ONE ON APCH. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ADEQUATE ADVISORIES FROM TWR THAT THERE WAS A LNDG AIRBUS. WE ONLY KNEW ABOUT ONE OF THEM -- THE ONE WE COULD SEE 'SITTING' ON THE RWY AND SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED FOR TKOF. THE GEOGRAPHY CANNOT BE CHANGED. CHARLES DE GAULLE PROCS CAN BE CHANGED: 1) SAY 'LNDG' TFC. 2) USE THE INTL LANGUAGE OF AVIATION -- ENGLISH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 382230: THE TWR THEN CLRED ACR Y AIRBUS 320 ONTO THE RWY FROM TXWY 21 AND TOLD US TO LINE UP AND WAIT BEHIND THE AIRBUS 340. AT THAT TIME WE STARTED TAXIING TOWARDS THE RWY. THE TWR THEN SAID AGAIN TO LINE UP BEHIND THE AIRBUS 340. I THEN TOLD THE CAPT TO STOP WHEN I KNEW THE ACR Y WAS AN AIRBUS 320 AND NOT AN AIRBUS 340. THE PROB WE HAD HAPPENED FOR SEVERAL REASONS. THE FIRST IS THE FRENCH CTLRS SPEAK IN FRENCH TO FRENCH PLTS LEAVING US IN THE DARK AS TO WHAT HAS BEEN SAID TO WHOM. THE NEXT PROB, THE ANGLE OF THE TXWY, WHICH LEAVES THE PLT DEPARTING ON RWY 10 BLIND AS YOUR BACK IS TURNED TO LNDG TFC. THE NEXT PROB CAME AS THE CTLR NEVER TOLD US TO HOLD FOR LNDG ONLY LINE UP BEHIND AN AIRBUS 340 NOT THE LNDG AIRBUS 340. I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE AN AIRBUS 340 TAXIING FROM TXWY 22 OR TXWY 23 TO RWY 10. THE REMAINING FACTOR WAS THE FAILURE OF OUR CAPT TO DIFFERENTIATE AN A320 FROM AN A340 AND I FAILED IN NOT BRINGING THIS TO HIS ATTN UNTIL THE SECOND CALL FROM THE TWR AND AGAIN THEY NEVER TOLD US BEHIND THE LNDG A340, ONLY A340 EVEN AFTER THE SECOND CALL. THE FIRST WE SAW OF THE A340 WAS AS HE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 10.

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.