Narrative:

Following pushback from gate at cleveland hopkins international airport, I was cleared to taxi to runway 23L at taxiway west. That point is an intersection takeoff point that is legal for my aircraft so I began to taxi. That intersection is frequently used for departure with arrs flying the ILS to runway 23L with a sidestep to runway 23R. We switched to tower frequency and could see another aircraft on an approximately 4-5 mi final. We could not tell that aircraft's alignment because runways 23L and 23R are only about 200 ft apart. Additionally, there had not been any communication between tower and that aircraft since we had tuned in tower frequency. I was expecting a clearance for takeoff on runway 23L at taxiway west since that was the 'norm.' we have a laptop computer located in a recharging cradle behind the first officer's seat that has updated takeoff and landing data for all our operations. This particular intersection is published on the laptop and is legal for our use. When a clearance is given other than the planned we go immediately to the computer to see if it is legal. Cleveland tower gave us the following clearance, 'call sign cross runway 23L, cleared for takeoff runway 23R at intersection west.' my first officer and I had the same thought, can we do it. He immediately reached for the computer while I acknowledged and started a slow taxi. Quickly, the first officer discovered we were not legal for that clearance. I called tower and told them we couldn't accept that clearance and he replied, 'cancel takeoff clearance and back taxi into position (what I think I heard) runway 23L and hold.' I had taxied really slow while this was occurring so I turned right to back taxi on runway 23L. My first officer didn't challenge me when I repeated the clearance back taxi into position and hold runway 23L. His attention was diverted restowing the laptop computer. I turned on all my landing lights to make sure the aircraft on final would see me. At this point tower said, 'call sign, you're on runway 23L.' I replied, 'roger I'm into position runway 23L to hold.' about that time the aircraft on final queried tower and tower sent him around. I told tower that I had heard back taxi to runway 23L and hold. He replied we would talk about it later. I replied roger. Tower subsequently cleared us for takeoff and we departed without incident. Tower switched us to departure without giving us a phone number so I asked for the number from departure and gave them a call when I reached my destination. I called the tower supervisor and explained my version of the incident and about the takeoff data policies of our company. He was not aware we could not use the intersection that had been given to us. He said that no action would be taken since we had been given access to the runway and that we had all learned from this incident. I called the cleveland operations manager the next day for a follow up and he pretty much gave me the same reply as the tower supervisor the night before. In my mind I heard runway 23L but could have been mistaken due to my expectations coupled with the unusual clearance and increased activity in the cockpit. Better communication between tower and my aircraft and better familiarization of our procedures by tower could have prevented this incident. As the tower supervisor stated, both of us learned from this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF B737 IS GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS RWY AND MAKE AN INTXN TKOF. UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH CLRNC DUE TO COMPANY PROCS THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE CLRED TO BACK TAXI AND POS AND HOLD. ACFT ON FINAL IS GIVEN A GAR.

Narrative: FOLLOWING PUSHBACK FROM GATE AT CLEVELAND HOPKINS INTL ARPT, I WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 23L AT TXWY W. THAT POINT IS AN INTXN TKOF POINT THAT IS LEGAL FOR MY ACFT SO I BEGAN TO TAXI. THAT INTXN IS FREQUENTLY USED FOR DEP WITH ARRS FLYING THE ILS TO RWY 23L WITH A SIDESTEP TO RWY 23R. WE SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ AND COULD SEE ANOTHER ACFT ON AN APPROX 4-5 MI FINAL. WE COULD NOT TELL THAT ACFT'S ALIGNMENT BECAUSE RWYS 23L AND 23R ARE ONLY ABOUT 200 FT APART. ADDITIONALLY, THERE HAD NOT BEEN ANY COM BTWN TWR AND THAT ACFT SINCE WE HAD TUNED IN TWR FREQ. I WAS EXPECTING A CLRNC FOR TKOF ON RWY 23L AT TXWY W SINCE THAT WAS THE 'NORM.' WE HAVE A LAPTOP COMPUTER LOCATED IN A RECHARGING CRADLE BEHIND THE FO'S SEAT THAT HAS UPDATED TKOF AND LNDG DATA FOR ALL OUR OPS. THIS PARTICULAR INTXN IS PUBLISHED ON THE LAPTOP AND IS LEGAL FOR OUR USE. WHEN A CLRNC IS GIVEN OTHER THAN THE PLANNED WE GO IMMEDIATELY TO THE COMPUTER TO SEE IF IT IS LEGAL. CLEVELAND TWR GAVE US THE FOLLOWING CLRNC, 'CALL SIGN CROSS RWY 23L, CLRED FOR TKOF RWY 23R AT INTXN W.' MY FO AND I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT, CAN WE DO IT. HE IMMEDIATELY REACHED FOR THE COMPUTER WHILE I ACKNOWLEDGED AND STARTED A SLOW TAXI. QUICKLY, THE FO DISCOVERED WE WERE NOT LEGAL FOR THAT CLRNC. I CALLED TWR AND TOLD THEM WE COULDN'T ACCEPT THAT CLRNC AND HE REPLIED, 'CANCEL TKOF CLRNC AND BACK TAXI INTO POS (WHAT I THINK I HEARD) RWY 23L AND HOLD.' I HAD TAXIED REALLY SLOW WHILE THIS WAS OCCURRING SO I TURNED R TO BACK TAXI ON RWY 23L. MY FO DIDN'T CHALLENGE ME WHEN I REPEATED THE CLRNC BACK TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 23L. HIS ATTN WAS DIVERTED RESTOWING THE LAPTOP COMPUTER. I TURNED ON ALL MY LNDG LIGHTS TO MAKE SURE THE ACFT ON FINAL WOULD SEE ME. AT THIS POINT TWR SAID, 'CALL SIGN, YOU'RE ON RWY 23L.' I REPLIED, 'ROGER I'M INTO POS RWY 23L TO HOLD.' ABOUT THAT TIME THE ACFT ON FINAL QUERIED TWR AND TWR SENT HIM AROUND. I TOLD TWR THAT I HAD HEARD BACK TAXI TO RWY 23L AND HOLD. HE REPLIED WE WOULD TALK ABOUT IT LATER. I REPLIED ROGER. TWR SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED US FOR TKOF AND WE DEPARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT. TWR SWITCHED US TO DEP WITHOUT GIVING US A PHONE NUMBER SO I ASKED FOR THE NUMBER FROM DEP AND GAVE THEM A CALL WHEN I REACHED MY DEST. I CALLED THE TWR SUPVR AND EXPLAINED MY VERSION OF THE INCIDENT AND ABOUT THE TKOF DATA POLICIES OF OUR COMPANY. HE WAS NOT AWARE WE COULD NOT USE THE INTXN THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO US. HE SAID THAT NO ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN SINCE WE HAD BEEN GIVEN ACCESS TO THE RWY AND THAT WE HAD ALL LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT. I CALLED THE CLEVELAND OPS MGR THE NEXT DAY FOR A FOLLOW UP AND HE PRETTY MUCH GAVE ME THE SAME REPLY AS THE TWR SUPVR THE NIGHT BEFORE. IN MY MIND I HEARD RWY 23L BUT COULD HAVE BEEN MISTAKEN DUE TO MY EXPECTATIONS COUPLED WITH THE UNUSUAL CLRNC AND INCREASED ACTIVITY IN THE COCKPIT. BETTER COM BTWN TWR AND MY ACFT AND BETTER FAMILIARIZATION OF OUR PROCS BY TWR COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT. AS THE TWR SUPVR STATED, BOTH OF US LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT.

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.