Narrative:

I am a first officer on a hawker 800XP (corporate). I was the PNF at the time of the occurrence. We had just completed our landing roll at ads runway 15 and were advised by tower to exit next left and contact ground 121.6. The captain exited the runway environment onto the parallel taxiway, slowly following a PA28 ahead of us going the same direction. As I contacted ground control for a taxi to XXX FBO, the ground controller spoke sharply that we had entered an active taxiway without permission and said 'now I want you to pull off the taxiway onto the YYY FBO ramp and allow the oncoming traffic to clear.' it was at that time that we noticed the C152 taxiing head-on to the cherokee (PA28) we were following. The conflict was, at least immediately, with them 2 aircraft, not with us. The C152 pulled off the parallel and allowed the PA28 to pass, and we waited for the C152 to pass, then asked if it was ok to proceed, and ground said yes. We were never asked to contact the tower by phone. The answer to this situation seems simple and obvious (exit the runway, stop, contact ground before proceeding any further on the active taxiway). However, it's much more puzzling and complicated than that. Although, if I were the PF I would have stopped to contact ground. It was, as at many airports in the united states, impossible to exit the runway environment without entering the active taxiway environment. At many of our nation's airports, the holding position markings are much closer to the parallel taxiway than the runway, and I'm sure for a good reason. Runways have fast moving aircraft with a variety of wing spans giving the runway movement area high priority. At the same time, the aim clearly states that 'an aircraft exiting a runway is not clear of the runway until all parts of the aircraft have crossed the applicable holding position marking.' herein lies the problem. Once clear of the active runway, it is just as much of a violation to stop on the active taxiway as to continue taxiing. At runway thresholds that connect to the parallel this is not usually a problem like it is on many of the intermediate exits to the parallel taxiway. As I said before, I'm an advocate for stopping when clear, however, over the yrs of experience, I've witnessed the practice of continued taxi on the active taxiway is widely acceptable by the controllers themselves. This is the first time I've ever witnessed a controller take issue with the practice, but in this case, as in many others, taxiing into the active taxiway environment in order to be clear of the runway environment is impossible to avoid. What are we to do?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HS25 CREW WERE TOLD TO EXIT RWY BY TWR. THEY DO AND GND CTLR WAS UPSET THAT THEY ENTERED 'HIS' ACTIVE TXWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I AM A FO ON A HAWKER 800XP (CORPORATE). I WAS THE PNF AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. WE HAD JUST COMPLETED OUR LNDG ROLL AT ADS RWY 15 AND WERE ADVISED BY TWR TO EXIT NEXT L AND CONTACT GND 121.6. THE CAPT EXITED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY, SLOWLY FOLLOWING A PA28 AHEAD OF US GOING THE SAME DIRECTION. AS I CONTACTED GND CTL FOR A TAXI TO XXX FBO, THE GND CTLR SPOKE SHARPLY THAT WE HAD ENTERED AN ACTIVE TXWY WITHOUT PERMISSION AND SAID 'NOW I WANT YOU TO PULL OFF THE TXWY ONTO THE YYY FBO RAMP AND ALLOW THE ONCOMING TFC TO CLR.' IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT WE NOTICED THE C152 TAXIING HEAD-ON TO THE CHEROKEE (PA28) WE WERE FOLLOWING. THE CONFLICT WAS, AT LEAST IMMEDIATELY, WITH THEM 2 ACFT, NOT WITH US. THE C152 PULLED OFF THE PARALLEL AND ALLOWED THE PA28 TO PASS, AND WE WAITED FOR THE C152 TO PASS, THEN ASKED IF IT WAS OK TO PROCEED, AND GND SAID YES. WE WERE NEVER ASKED TO CONTACT THE TWR BY PHONE. THE ANSWER TO THIS SIT SEEMS SIMPLE AND OBVIOUS (EXIT THE RWY, STOP, CONTACT GND BEFORE PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER ON THE ACTIVE TXWY). HOWEVER, IT'S MUCH MORE PUZZLING AND COMPLICATED THAN THAT. ALTHOUGH, IF I WERE THE PF I WOULD HAVE STOPPED TO CONTACT GND. IT WAS, AS AT MANY ARPTS IN THE UNITED STATES, IMPOSSIBLE TO EXIT THE RWY ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT ENTERING THE ACTIVE TXWY ENVIRONMENT. AT MANY OF OUR NATION'S ARPTS, THE HOLDING POS MARKINGS ARE MUCH CLOSER TO THE PARALLEL TXWY THAN THE RWY, AND I'M SURE FOR A GOOD REASON. RWYS HAVE FAST MOVING ACFT WITH A VARIETY OF WING SPANS GIVING THE RWY MOVEMENT AREA HIGH PRIORITY. AT THE SAME TIME, THE AIM CLRLY STATES THAT 'AN ACFT EXITING A RWY IS NOT CLR OF THE RWY UNTIL ALL PARTS OF THE ACFT HAVE CROSSED THE APPLICABLE HOLDING POS MARKING.' HEREIN LIES THE PROB. ONCE CLR OF THE ACTIVE RWY, IT IS JUST AS MUCH OF A VIOLATION TO STOP ON THE ACTIVE TXWY AS TO CONTINUE TAXIING. AT RWY THRESHOLDS THAT CONNECT TO THE PARALLEL THIS IS NOT USUALLY A PROB LIKE IT IS ON MANY OF THE INTERMEDIATE EXITS TO THE PARALLEL TXWY. AS I SAID BEFORE, I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR STOPPING WHEN CLR, HOWEVER, OVER THE YRS OF EXPERIENCE, I'VE WITNESSED THE PRACTICE OF CONTINUED TAXI ON THE ACTIVE TXWY IS WIDELY ACCEPTABLE BY THE CTLRS THEMSELVES. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER WITNESSED A CTLR TAKE ISSUE WITH THE PRACTICE, BUT IN THIS CASE, AS IN MANY OTHERS, TAXIING INTO THE ACTIVE TXWY ENVIRONMENT IN ORDER TO BE CLR OF THE RWY ENVIRONMENT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID. WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

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.