Narrative:

Holding short for runway 15 lima, peru, reported 'ready for takeoff.' tower said 'hold for traffic.' a single engine aircraft landed and the tower said in a weak transmission 'hold in position runway 15.' the copilot asked me what the tower said and I said 'hold in position runway 15.' the copilot then said to tower 'taxi into position and hold runway 15.' there was no reply from the tower. We taxied onto the runway. The copilot and I both cleared the final approach course and observed no aircraft. As soon as we lined up, tower said 'cleared for immediate takeoff.' after we were airborne, the tower made a transmission which we didn't understand. We asked him to repeat and we still didn't understand (mostly nouns, no verbs, no sentence). He then switched us to departure control and they cleared us to FL310. I then switched back to tower on another radio and told them we did not understand his comments to us after takeoff. The tower then told us that he had not wanted us to taxi onto the runway because there was yet another aircraft on final and he had to give us an immediate takeoff to avoid a conflict. We did not see any landing traffic nor did we hear the controller issue a go around clearance. I believe the problem was in the misunderstanding of instructions, and failure to challenge our readback of 'taxi into position and hold runway 15.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC MISREADS TWR INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO LANGUAGE BARRIER AND INCURS ON ACTIVE RWY AT LIMA, PERU.

Narrative: HOLDING SHORT FOR RWY 15 LIMA, PERU, RPTED 'READY FOR TKOF.' TWR SAID 'HOLD FOR TFC.' A SINGLE ENG ACFT LANDED AND THE TWR SAID IN A WEAK XMISSION 'HOLD IN POS RWY 15.' THE COPLT ASKED ME WHAT THE TWR SAID AND I SAID 'HOLD IN POS RWY 15.' THE COPLT THEN SAID TO TWR 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 15.' THERE WAS NO REPLY FROM THE TWR. WE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. THE COPLT AND I BOTH CLRED THE FINAL APCH COURSE AND OBSERVED NO ACFT. AS SOON AS WE LINED UP, TWR SAID 'CLRED FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF.' AFTER WE WERE AIRBORNE, THE TWR MADE A XMISSION WHICH WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. WE ASKED HIM TO REPEAT AND WE STILL DIDN'T UNDERSTAND (MOSTLY NOUNS, NO VERBS, NO SENTENCE). HE THEN SWITCHED US TO DEP CTL AND THEY CLRED US TO FL310. I THEN SWITCHED BACK TO TWR ON ANOTHER RADIO AND TOLD THEM WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIS COMMENTS TO US AFTER TKOF. THE TWR THEN TOLD US THAT HE HAD NOT WANTED US TO TAXI ONTO THE RWY BECAUSE THERE WAS YET ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL AND HE HAD TO GIVE US AN IMMEDIATE TKOF TO AVOID A CONFLICT. WE DID NOT SEE ANY LNDG TFC NOR DID WE HEAR THE CTLR ISSUE A GAR CLRNC. I BELIEVE THE PROB WAS IN THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF INSTRUCTIONS, AND FAILURE TO CHALLENGE OUR READBACK OF 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 15.'

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.