Narrative:

After landing at dtw on runway 3R and exiting on high speed taxiway W4, the tower controller said something to the effect of, 'I'll have to send you the long way, join taxiway west to taxiway T, contact ground.' we joined taxiway west and began taxiing northbound. We were unable to find taxiway T on the airport diagram, but didn't find this unusual, since some txwys aren't shown properly on the diagram (or marked on the airfield) due to the construction in progress at dtw. We taxied to nearly the end of taxiway west, then turned left onto taxiway P4 (since taxiway west was ending) and contacted ground (we had been unable to contact ground prior to this point due to frequency congestion). We stopped prior to runway 3C on taxiway P4. Ground advised us that we had gone the wrong way and said to contact tower to cross runway 3C. We contacted tower, who advised that it would be a while before we could cross runway 3C due to takeoff traffic. By this point, I had located taxiway T (all the way at the south end of the airport), so we asked if they would prefer us to taxi down to taxiway T and around the south end of runway 3C. Tower agreed and had us contact ground, who cleared us to taxi south on taxiway west, west on taxiway T, and eventually to our gate. The taxi error resulted from several factors: 1) nebulous taxi instructions by tower. Tower instructed us to join taxiway west to taxiway T from high speed taxiway W4. This required an approximately 150 degree turn to the left onto taxiway west from taxiway W4. We were expecting to proceed north to the gate, so we interpreted 'join' to mean merge onto taxiway west in the direction of the high speed. Tower's comment about sending us 'the long way' may have meant something to him, but only added to the confusion of the situation. A much more meaningful instruction might have been, 'proceed south on taxiway west to taxiway T, contact ground.' 2) our unfamiliarity with dtw taxi rtes. We did not know where taxiway T was. However, we were exiting a runway using a high speed taxiway, so we did not feel it appropriate to stop on the high speed while we located taxiway T (due to landing traffic behind us). By the time we located taxiway T, we were already headed in the wrong direction (north) on taxiway west. 3) frequency congestion which prevented us from asking for clarification, particularly when we could not immediately find taxiway T on the diagram. 4) poorly marked or unmarked txwys on both the commercial chart diagram and on the airfield itself due to extensive construction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 CREW MISUNDERSTOOD TAXI INSTRUCTIONS.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT DTW ON RWY 3R AND EXITING ON HIGH SPD TXWY W4, THE TWR CTLR SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF, 'I'LL HAVE TO SEND YOU THE LONG WAY, JOIN TXWY W TO TXWY T, CONTACT GND.' WE JOINED TXWY W AND BEGAN TAXIING NBOUND. WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND TXWY T ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM, BUT DIDN'T FIND THIS UNUSUAL, SINCE SOME TXWYS AREN'T SHOWN PROPERLY ON THE DIAGRAM (OR MARKED ON THE AIRFIELD) DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS AT DTW. WE TAXIED TO NEARLY THE END OF TXWY W, THEN TURNED L ONTO TXWY P4 (SINCE TXWY W WAS ENDING) AND CONTACTED GND (WE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO CONTACT GND PRIOR TO THIS POINT DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION). WE STOPPED PRIOR TO RWY 3C ON TXWY P4. GND ADVISED US THAT WE HAD GONE THE WRONG WAY AND SAID TO CONTACT TWR TO CROSS RWY 3C. WE CONTACTED TWR, WHO ADVISED THAT IT WOULD BE A WHILE BEFORE WE COULD CROSS RWY 3C DUE TO TKOF TFC. BY THIS POINT, I HAD LOCATED TXWY T (ALL THE WAY AT THE S END OF THE ARPT), SO WE ASKED IF THEY WOULD PREFER US TO TAXI DOWN TO TXWY T AND AROUND THE S END OF RWY 3C. TWR AGREED AND HAD US CONTACT GND, WHO CLRED US TO TAXI S ON TXWY W, W ON TXWY T, AND EVENTUALLY TO OUR GATE. THE TAXI ERROR RESULTED FROM SEVERAL FACTORS: 1) NEBULOUS TAXI INSTRUCTIONS BY TWR. TWR INSTRUCTED US TO JOIN TXWY W TO TXWY T FROM HIGH SPD TXWY W4. THIS REQUIRED AN APPROX 150 DEG TURN TO THE L ONTO TXWY W FROM TXWY W4. WE WERE EXPECTING TO PROCEED N TO THE GATE, SO WE INTERPED 'JOIN' TO MEAN MERGE ONTO TXWY W IN THE DIRECTION OF THE HIGH SPD. TWR'S COMMENT ABOUT SENDING US 'THE LONG WAY' MAY HAVE MEANT SOMETHING TO HIM, BUT ONLY ADDED TO THE CONFUSION OF THE SIT. A MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL INSTRUCTION MIGHT HAVE BEEN, 'PROCEED S ON TXWY W TO TXWY T, CONTACT GND.' 2) OUR UNFAMILIARITY WITH DTW TAXI RTES. WE DID NOT KNOW WHERE TXWY T WAS. HOWEVER, WE WERE EXITING A RWY USING A HIGH SPD TXWY, SO WE DID NOT FEEL IT APPROPRIATE TO STOP ON THE HIGH SPD WHILE WE LOCATED TXWY T (DUE TO LNDG TFC BEHIND US). BY THE TIME WE LOCATED TXWY T, WE WERE ALREADY HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION (N) ON TXWY W. 3) FREQ CONGESTION WHICH PREVENTED US FROM ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY FIND TXWY T ON THE DIAGRAM. 4) POORLY MARKED OR UNMARKED TXWYS ON BOTH THE COMMERCIAL CHART DIAGRAM AND ON THE AIRFIELD ITSELF DUE TO EXTENSIVE CONSTRUCTION.

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.