Narrative:

Flight attendant called flight deck as flight xyz was clearing runway 36R after landing. I did not respond immediately. She called a second time (within 10 seconds of first call) as we were switching from tower to ground frequency. I turned onto taxiway B and stopped aircraft. I answered the flight attendant's call, thinking it must be an urgent safety problem. She asked if we were going to get something to eat in mco. I told her not to call during sterile cockpit regime of taxi that we were in unless it was a safety issue. The first officer then tried to raise ground control 3 times as we continued taxi. He then called mco tower to find out if there was a different ground frequency. He was told 'no' and to try again. This time we used our call sign, xyz, without preceding it with the air carrier identify. The ground controller asked if we were 'air carrier' xyz and he answered affirmative. We were then given clearance to taxi to the gate. At the gate, we were contacted over ACARS to call the tower. The tower supervisor was upset that we had taxied onto taxiway B without clearance (even though we had proceeded a very short distance -- about 1/2 way between taxiway J and taxiway B4 on taxiway B). He was also upset that we hadn't used the call sign 'air carrier' xyz, because, in his own words, it was possible to have 'air carrier' B xyz and 'air carrier' C xyz on frequency, although this was not the case at the time. I apologized for taxiing on taxiway B without ground clearance but told him there were no other aircraft in our vicinity. Supplemental information from acn 405941: our flight was running a few mins late into mco. After landing, engines reversed, and taxi to the gate (where I thought we were at the time), I rang the cockpit twice to see if anyone was running off to bring food back to the aircraft. Flight attendants would not have adequate time to deplane (departure XA40). We were scheduled for a 10 hour 38 min duty day with no meal break and no crew meals provisioned. However, we were not at the gate as I thought and when the cockpit heard the bells, thought there was a problem. They stopped the taxi and missed a call from the tower. Along with the bells and the misunderstanding between the tower and cockpit, the entire situation was very intense. We arrived at the gate and the tower said the captain may be violated. The previous day the 'a' flight attendant had called the cockpit during taxi and then this situation arose. Supplemental information from acn 405761: the cockpit crew heard several bells and thought there was a problem in the cabin. They stopped their taxi and missed a call from the tower. I called the cockpit the day before during taxi. There are several items that concern me. First, we were scheduled for a 10 hour 38 min duty day with no meal break and no crew meal provided. (It would have never happened had there been a crew meal in the picture.) second, not enough is stressed about sterile cockpit on taxi. We understand about the under 10000 ft issue but many pilots accept any call during taxi. I certainly did not appreciate the intensity of the cockpit during taxi. More stress should be placed on the sterile cockpit period -- the whys and whens. I think if the flight attendants knew more about what happens before/after flight, it would benefit all.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON BOARD MD80, FLC TAXIED ACFT TOWARDS TERMINAL WITHOUT CLRNC. FLC DISTR BY FLT ATTENDANT CALL.

Narrative: FLT ATTENDANT CALLED FLT DECK AS FLT XYZ WAS CLRING RWY 36R AFTER LNDG. I DID NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY. SHE CALLED A SECOND TIME (WITHIN 10 SECONDS OF FIRST CALL) AS WE WERE SWITCHING FROM TWR TO GND FREQ. I TURNED ONTO TXWY B AND STOPPED ACFT. I ANSWERED THE FLT ATTENDANT'S CALL, THINKING IT MUST BE AN URGENT SAFETY PROB. SHE ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT IN MCO. I TOLD HER NOT TO CALL DURING STERILE COCKPIT REGIME OF TAXI THAT WE WERE IN UNLESS IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE FO THEN TRIED TO RAISE GND CTL 3 TIMES AS WE CONTINUED TAXI. HE THEN CALLED MCO TWR TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A DIFFERENT GND FREQ. HE WAS TOLD 'NO' AND TO TRY AGAIN. THIS TIME WE USED OUR CALL SIGN, XYZ, WITHOUT PRECEDING IT WITH THE ACR IDENT. THE GND CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE 'ACR' XYZ AND HE ANSWERED AFFIRMATIVE. WE WERE THEN GIVEN CLRNC TO TAXI TO THE GATE. AT THE GATE, WE WERE CONTACTED OVER ACARS TO CALL THE TWR. THE TWR SUPVR WAS UPSET THAT WE HAD TAXIED ONTO TXWY B WITHOUT CLRNC (EVEN THOUGH WE HAD PROCEEDED A VERY SHORT DISTANCE -- ABOUT 1/2 WAY BTWN TXWY J AND TXWY B4 ON TXWY B). HE WAS ALSO UPSET THAT WE HADN'T USED THE CALL SIGN 'ACR' XYZ, BECAUSE, IN HIS OWN WORDS, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO HAVE 'ACR' B XYZ AND 'ACR' C XYZ ON FREQ, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AT THE TIME. I APOLOGIZED FOR TAXIING ON TXWY B WITHOUT GND CLRNC BUT TOLD HIM THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN OUR VICINITY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 405941: OUR FLT WAS RUNNING A FEW MINS LATE INTO MCO. AFTER LNDG, ENGS REVERSED, AND TAXI TO THE GATE (WHERE I THOUGHT WE WERE AT THE TIME), I RANG THE COCKPIT TWICE TO SEE IF ANYONE WAS RUNNING OFF TO BRING FOOD BACK TO THE ACFT. FLT ATTENDANTS WOULD NOT HAVE ADEQUATE TIME TO DEPLANE (DEP XA40). WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR A 10 HR 38 MIN DUTY DAY WITH NO MEAL BREAK AND NO CREW MEALS PROVISIONED. HOWEVER, WE WERE NOT AT THE GATE AS I THOUGHT AND WHEN THE COCKPIT HEARD THE BELLS, THOUGHT THERE WAS A PROB. THEY STOPPED THE TAXI AND MISSED A CALL FROM THE TWR. ALONG WITH THE BELLS AND THE MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN THE TWR AND COCKPIT, THE ENTIRE SIT WAS VERY INTENSE. WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE AND THE TWR SAID THE CAPT MAY BE VIOLATED. THE PREVIOUS DAY THE 'A' FLT ATTENDANT HAD CALLED THE COCKPIT DURING TAXI AND THEN THIS SIT AROSE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 405761: THE COCKPIT CREW HEARD SEVERAL BELLS AND THOUGHT THERE WAS A PROB IN THE CABIN. THEY STOPPED THEIR TAXI AND MISSED A CALL FROM THE TWR. I CALLED THE COCKPIT THE DAY BEFORE DURING TAXI. THERE ARE SEVERAL ITEMS THAT CONCERN ME. FIRST, WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR A 10 HR 38 MIN DUTY DAY WITH NO MEAL BREAK AND NO CREW MEAL PROVIDED. (IT WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED HAD THERE BEEN A CREW MEAL IN THE PICTURE.) SECOND, NOT ENOUGH IS STRESSED ABOUT STERILE COCKPIT ON TAXI. WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE UNDER 10000 FT ISSUE BUT MANY PLTS ACCEPT ANY CALL DURING TAXI. I CERTAINLY DID NOT APPRECIATE THE INTENSITY OF THE COCKPIT DURING TAXI. MORE STRESS SHOULD BE PLACED ON THE STERILE COCKPIT PERIOD -- THE WHYS AND WHENS. I THINK IF THE FLT ATTENDANTS KNEW MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE/AFTER FLT, IT WOULD BENEFIT ALL.

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.