Reporter could not understand controller instructions, asked for a repeat, still was unsure but taxi...

Narrative:

At bna I was instructed by ground control to taxi to runway 2C. Departure control frequencys were given, departure altitude was given. No contact tower frequency was given. After runup was completed, we contacted departure on 119.35 and were told to hold short for runway 2C and contact the tower on 118.6. I contacted the tower on 118.6 and told them we were ready to go. The tower replied 'hold short.' C130 was landing on runway 2C, or appeared to be runway 2C. The tower called and said something indistinguishable that ended with go. I called the tower back and asked to say again. The tower replied again with something I could not understand. What I thought I heard was 'hurry and go, traffic on a 4 mi final.' I taxied onto runway 2C and took off. Upon doing so, tower called and said we did not have clearance to take off, continue on, and turn to heading and contact departure. The person in the tower was speaking very fast -- too fast for the amount of traffic. The controller also had an accent of a 'southern country' nature. The combination of the two made him very difficult to understand. After asking the tower to 'say again,' I expected to receive clrer instructions from the tower. But the second transmission was almost identical to the first with the addition of 'traffic on a 4 mi final.' if the instructions were 'hold short,' or 'taxi into position and hold,' they were given in a format that could not be understood. After thinking about what happened and talking to an instructor, I came to realize the controller might have wanted me to 'position and hold.' if that was the case, what I heard was 'zishinanho.' with 'traffic on a 4 mi final' (C130), pulling out onto a runway and sitting there did present itself as the correct thing to do. This incident was inadvertent and not deliberate, and was caused by unnecessary rapid speech that led to conjoining of the phrase. The use of clearly enunciated standard instructions, such as 'taxi into position and hold,' 'hold short of runway,' 'cleared for takeoff,' would have prevented this situation.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR COULD NOT UNDERSTAND CTLR INSTRUCTIONS, ASKED FOR A REPEAT, STILL WAS UNSURE BUT TAXIED INTO POS AND TOOK OFF WITH TFC ON FINAL.

Narrative: AT BNA I WAS INSTRUCTED BY GND CTL TO TAXI TO RWY 2C. DEP CTL FREQS WERE GIVEN, DEP ALT WAS GIVEN. NO CONTACT TWR FREQ WAS GIVEN. AFTER RUNUP WAS COMPLETED, WE CONTACTED DEP ON 119.35 AND WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT FOR RWY 2C AND CONTACT THE TWR ON 118.6. I CONTACTED THE TWR ON 118.6 AND TOLD THEM WE WERE READY TO GO. THE TWR REPLIED 'HOLD SHORT.' C130 WAS LNDG ON RWY 2C, OR APPEARED TO BE RWY 2C. THE TWR CALLED AND SAID SOMETHING INDISTINGUISHABLE THAT ENDED WITH GO. I CALLED THE TWR BACK AND ASKED TO SAY AGAIN. THE TWR REPLIED AGAIN WITH SOMETHING I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND. WHAT I THOUGHT I HEARD WAS 'HURRY AND GO, TFC ON A 4 MI FINAL.' I TAXIED ONTO RWY 2C AND TOOK OFF. UPON DOING SO, TWR CALLED AND SAID WE DID NOT HAVE CLRNC TO TAKE OFF, CONTINUE ON, AND TURN TO HDG AND CONTACT DEP. THE PERSON IN THE TWR WAS SPEAKING VERY FAST -- TOO FAST FOR THE AMOUNT OF TFC. THE CTLR ALSO HAD AN ACCENT OF A 'SOUTHERN COUNTRY' NATURE. THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO MADE HIM VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. AFTER ASKING THE TWR TO 'SAY AGAIN,' I EXPECTED TO RECEIVE CLRER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR. BUT THE SECOND XMISSION WAS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE FIRST WITH THE ADDITION OF 'TFC ON A 4 MI FINAL.' IF THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE 'HOLD SHORT,' OR 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD,' THEY WERE GIVEN IN A FORMAT THAT COULD NOT BE UNDERSTOOD. AFTER THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND TALKING TO AN INSTRUCTOR, I CAME TO REALIZE THE CTLR MIGHT HAVE WANTED ME TO 'POS AND HOLD.' IF THAT WAS THE CASE, WHAT I HEARD WAS 'ZISHINANHO.' WITH 'TFC ON A 4 MI FINAL' (C130), PULLING OUT ONTO A RWY AND SITTING THERE DID PRESENT ITSELF AS THE CORRECT THING TO DO. THIS INCIDENT WAS INADVERTENT AND NOT DELIBERATE, AND WAS CAUSED BY UNNECESSARY RAPID SPEECH THAT LED TO CONJOINING OF THE PHRASE. THE USE OF CLRLY ENUNCIATED STANDARD INSTRUCTIONS, SUCH AS 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD,' 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY,' 'CLRED FOR TKOF,' WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SIT.

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.

Attributes
ACN	437576
Time
Date	199905
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bna.airport
State Reference	TN
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : bna.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : holding
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 550 flight time type : 80
ASRS Report	437576
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground less severe non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Reporter could not understand controller instructions, asked for a repeat, still was unsure but taxied into position and took off with traffic on final.