Narrative:

After 8 legs of flight in the islands, my first day of operational experience, it was raining hard, but VFR. We had completed our day and were going to taxi (no passenger, just repos) to the other side of the airport. I called ground from the ramp area and was given clearance to taxi. I read back 'taxi, hold short on taxiway left.' the captain and I both thought we were cleared to hold short of runway 8L at taxiway left. Between the ramp and runway 8L is an automobile path for service and maintenance vehicles to cross taxiway left. I spotted a vehicle to our left moving as if he was going to cross the taxiway at a rather high speed. I alerted the captain. He acknowledged seeing the vehicle and when we both realized he wasn't going to stop (the truck) we stopped. We didn't have to really hit the skids, but the truck didn't see us until the last moment and skidded into the taxiway as marked by the yellow 'X' on my diagram. Ground control asked our location shortly after the situation. We had not moved any further. We told him we were holding short of the service vehicle path. Then I began to wonder if he had originally cleared us to hold short of taxiway left, not hold short on taxiway left. I was feeling fatigue from the stress of my first day on the job. Afraid of bringing attention to ourselves, we did not say anything about it. We were then cleared to cross runway 8L and then on to the other side of the airport. It was another one of those sits where we weren't sure exactly what had happened. I don't recall hearing the maintenance vehicle on frequency and he was driving very fast. Obviously he had no intention to stop or even look before crossing the taxiway. It sure would be nice to have some electronic means of seeing exactly where a controller has cleared you. A screen with airport maps programmed in and a path lit up as designated by the controller. Then we wouldn't misunderstand or be looking at airport diagrams instead of outside.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A DEHAVILLAND OTTER DH6 STOPPED ON A TXWY TO AVOID A SVC VEHICLE ABOUT TO CROSS THE TXWY ON A SVC ROAD AT A HIGH SPD.

Narrative: AFTER 8 LEGS OF FLT IN THE ISLANDS, MY FIRST DAY OF OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE, IT WAS RAINING HARD, BUT VFR. WE HAD COMPLETED OUR DAY AND WERE GOING TO TAXI (NO PAX, JUST REPOS) TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARPT. I CALLED GND FROM THE RAMP AREA AND WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO TAXI. I READ BACK 'TAXI, HOLD SHORT ON TXWY L.' THE CAPT AND I BOTH THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 8L AT TXWY L. BTWN THE RAMP AND RWY 8L IS AN AUTOMOBILE PATH FOR SVC AND MAINT VEHICLES TO CROSS TXWY L. I SPOTTED A VEHICLE TO OUR L MOVING AS IF HE WAS GOING TO CROSS THE TXWY AT A RATHER HIGH SPD. I ALERTED THE CAPT. HE ACKNOWLEDGED SEEING THE VEHICLE AND WHEN WE BOTH REALIZED HE WASN'T GOING TO STOP (THE TRUCK) WE STOPPED. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO REALLY HIT THE SKIDS, BUT THE TRUCK DIDN'T SEE US UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT AND SKIDDED INTO THE TXWY AS MARKED BY THE YELLOW 'X' ON MY DIAGRAM. GND CTL ASKED OUR LOCATION SHORTLY AFTER THE SIT. WE HAD NOT MOVED ANY FURTHER. WE TOLD HIM WE WERE HOLDING SHORT OF THE SVC VEHICLE PATH. THEN I BEGAN TO WONDER IF HE HAD ORIGINALLY CLRED US TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY L, NOT HOLD SHORT ON TXWY L. I WAS FEELING FATIGUE FROM THE STRESS OF MY FIRST DAY ON THE JOB. AFRAID OF BRINGING ATTN TO OURSELVES, WE DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO CROSS RWY 8L AND THEN ON TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ARPT. IT WAS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE SITS WHERE WE WEREN'T SURE EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I DON'T RECALL HEARING THE MAINT VEHICLE ON FREQ AND HE WAS DRIVING VERY FAST. OBVIOUSLY HE HAD NO INTENTION TO STOP OR EVEN LOOK BEFORE XING THE TXWY. IT SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME ELECTRONIC MEANS OF SEEING EXACTLY WHERE A CTLR HAS CLRED YOU. A SCREEN WITH ARPT MAPS PROGRAMMED IN AND A PATH LIT UP AS DESIGNATED BY THE CTLR. THEN WE WOULDN'T MISUNDERSTAND OR BE LOOKING AT ARPT DIAGRAMS INSTEAD OF OUTSIDE.

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.