Narrative:

Nassau tower cleared air carrier X into position and hold. The airport was busy. It was a friday afternoon. 4 aircraft holding for runway 14 at the threshold. 4 holding for runway 14 at taxiway F. Tower cleared us into position and hold. (They actually said 'line up and hold' instead of 'line up and wait' or 'position and hold.') as we taxied onto the runway, the first officer noted an aircraft on short final. Tower told someone to go around and the other aircraft proceeded overhead to land at midfield, a twin cessna. We taxied clear once we saw the aircraft (back to the hold short line). We didn't see the aircraft on final as we initially taxied onto the runway. It wasn't until we turned to the centerline and while the first officer was finishing the runway checks callouts that we saw the traffic. I have flown in and out of nassau frequently. VFR traffic into runway 14 will often turn a tight left base to final at tree-top level. I believe they follow the beach line. Then they make the tight 90 degree turn. This is what may have occurred in this instance. The other aircraft was probably in our blind spot at the 4-3 O'clock position. Once clear of the runway, tower chastised us. Their claim was they had cleared us to the runway after the traffic had landed. Typically nassau has an unusual verbal delivery of takeoff or other clrncs on and around the runway environment. Many of the aircraft waiting to depart were VFR mixed in with IFR and commercial traffic. Nassau tower doesn't handle 'busy' very well. On this day, the tower controller was speaking in low volume. Neither I nor the first officer heard any reference from tower to wait for the other aircraft. We were not distraction. The tower controller sounded as if he knew the VFR aircraft's pilot personally, from the sound of their conversation after the VFR aircraft had landed. WX was a factor. Twring cumulus were around the airport, and there were numerous VFR arrs. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he has received conditional clrncs from controllers and has heard the controllers give conditional clrncs to other aircraft. He also stated the language barrier is sometimes a problem but if one listens carefully it can be understood. He feels controllers are sometimes too conservative during the busy periods and departures sometimes get long delays. On the other hand, the txwys off the runways are such that if the midfield taxiway is missed on landing, the flight must taxi to the end of the 10000 ft runway to get off.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AS THE FLC ON BE1900 AT NAS (FO) WAS LINING UP FOR DEP, THE FO OBSERVED AN ACFT ON SHORT FINAL. AN ACFT WAS SENT AROUND BY THE TWR AND A TWIN CESSNA LANDED MIDFIELD. THE BE1900 CREW TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND WERE TOLD BY THE TWR THAT THEY WERE CLRED TO LINE UP AFTER THE LNDG TFC.

Narrative: NASSAU TWR CLRED ACR X INTO POS AND HOLD. THE ARPT WAS BUSY. IT WAS A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. 4 ACFT HOLDING FOR RWY 14 AT THE THRESHOLD. 4 HOLDING FOR RWY 14 AT TXWY F. TWR CLRED US INTO POS AND HOLD. (THEY ACTUALLY SAID 'LINE UP AND HOLD' INSTEAD OF 'LINE UP AND WAIT' OR 'POS AND HOLD.') AS WE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY, THE FO NOTED AN ACFT ON SHORT FINAL. TWR TOLD SOMEONE TO GAR AND THE OTHER ACFT PROCEEDED OVERHEAD TO LAND AT MIDFIELD, A TWIN CESSNA. WE TAXIED CLR ONCE WE SAW THE ACFT (BACK TO THE HOLD SHORT LINE). WE DIDN'T SEE THE ACFT ON FINAL AS WE INITIALLY TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. IT WASN'T UNTIL WE TURNED TO THE CTRLINE AND WHILE THE FO WAS FINISHING THE RWY CHKS CALLOUTS THAT WE SAW THE TFC. I HAVE FLOWN IN AND OUT OF NASSAU FREQUENTLY. VFR TFC INTO RWY 14 WILL OFTEN TURN A TIGHT L BASE TO FINAL AT TREE-TOP LEVEL. I BELIEVE THEY FOLLOW THE BEACH LINE. THEN THEY MAKE THE TIGHT 90 DEG TURN. THIS IS WHAT MAY HAVE OCCURRED IN THIS INSTANCE. THE OTHER ACFT WAS PROBABLY IN OUR BLIND SPOT AT THE 4-3 O'CLOCK POS. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY, TWR CHASTISED US. THEIR CLAIM WAS THEY HAD CLRED US TO THE RWY AFTER THE TFC HAD LANDED. TYPICALLY NASSAU HAS AN UNUSUAL VERBAL DELIVERY OF TKOF OR OTHER CLRNCS ON AND AROUND THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. MANY OF THE ACFT WAITING TO DEPART WERE VFR MIXED IN WITH IFR AND COMMERCIAL TFC. NASSAU TWR DOESN'T HANDLE 'BUSY' VERY WELL. ON THIS DAY, THE TWR CTLR WAS SPEAKING IN LOW VOLUME. NEITHER I NOR THE FO HEARD ANY REF FROM TWR TO WAIT FOR THE OTHER ACFT. WE WERE NOT DISTR. THE TWR CTLR SOUNDED AS IF HE KNEW THE VFR ACFT'S PLT PERSONALLY, FROM THE SOUND OF THEIR CONVERSATION AFTER THE VFR ACFT HAD LANDED. WX WAS A FACTOR. TWRING CUMULUS WERE AROUND THE ARPT, AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS VFR ARRS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED HE HAS RECEIVED CONDITIONAL CLRNCS FROM CTLRS AND HAS HEARD THE CTLRS GIVE CONDITIONAL CLRNCS TO OTHER ACFT. HE ALSO STATED THE LANGUAGE BARRIER IS SOMETIMES A PROB BUT IF ONE LISTENS CAREFULLY IT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. HE FEELS CTLRS ARE SOMETIMES TOO CONSERVATIVE DURING THE BUSY PERIODS AND DEPS SOMETIMES GET LONG DELAYS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE TXWYS OFF THE RWYS ARE SUCH THAT IF THE MIDFIELD TXWY IS MISSED ON LNDG, THE FLT MUST TAXI TO THE END OF THE 10000 FT RWY TO GET OFF.

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.