Narrative:

O'hare was landing both on runways 4R and 9R. Runway 9R arrs were being asked to hold short of taxiway south. Runway 4R arrs were instructed by the ATIS not to turn off at taxiway Q unless as instructed. This is common at O'hare. Taxiway Q passes through a safety area at the end of runway 9R. Upon passing rekks intersection, we contacted the tower and were cleared to land on runway 4R and told to plan to turn off at taxiway Q. We then heard an air carrier Y airlines jet check in over deana for runway 9R and report unable to land and hold short. The tower cleared him to land on runway 9R, full length available. We heard nothing else from the tower until we had cleared the runway. Our landing was uneventful. Upon resuming control of the aircraft, the captain turned off at taxiway Q as we had been previously instructed. As soon as our aircraft entered taxiway Q, we heard the tower, in a different voice, order the air carrier Y to go around. He then asked us, 'do you see where you are,' referring to our position on taxiway Q. I replied, 'yes, but we were instructed to turn off at taxiway Q.' his reply was, 'okay...contact ground.' no other communication regarding the matter took place. I believe that the following factors were contributing: 1) it appeared to both of us that, due to the different voices, there may have been a controller change between the time we checked in and the time we cleared the runway. Perhaps the controller leaving station failed to properly brief the relieving controller of our instructions. Conversely, perhaps the controller, upon hearing the air carrier Y jet's refusal to land and hold short, simply forgot to revise our instructions. The second voice we heard from the tower may have been a supervisor. 2) as an experienced operator at O'hare, I know that when traffic is landing on runway 9R, turning off of runway 4R at taxiway Q is almost unheard of. Unless the landing traffic is holding short of taxiway south, when I heard the other aircraft's refusal of the land and hold short, I should have immediately asked the captain to confirm our instructions. In the future, when faced with a similar circumstance, I will be sure to confirm our instructions, resolve my ambiguity and possibly prevent a loss of separation incident from occurring.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR CTLR INSTRUCTED FLC OF A B737 TO TURN OFF AFTER LNDG ON A TXWY THAT THEY LATER DID NOT WANT THEM TO USE SINCE IT CAUSED ANOTHER ACR TO BE SENT AROUND DUE TO THE ENTIRE RWY NOT BEING CLR.

Narrative: O'HARE WAS LNDG BOTH ON RWYS 4R AND 9R. RWY 9R ARRS WERE BEING ASKED TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY S. RWY 4R ARRS WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE ATIS NOT TO TURN OFF AT TXWY Q UNLESS AS INSTRUCTED. THIS IS COMMON AT O'HARE. TXWY Q PASSES THROUGH A SAFETY AREA AT THE END OF RWY 9R. UPON PASSING REKKS INTXN, WE CONTACTED THE TWR AND WERE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4R AND TOLD TO PLAN TO TURN OFF AT TXWY Q. WE THEN HEARD AN ACR Y AIRLINES JET CHK IN OVER DEANA FOR RWY 9R AND RPT UNABLE TO LAND AND HOLD SHORT. THE TWR CLRED HIM TO LAND ON RWY 9R, FULL LENGTH AVAILABLE. WE HEARD NOTHING ELSE FROM THE TWR UNTIL WE HAD CLRED THE RWY. OUR LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON RESUMING CTL OF THE ACFT, THE CAPT TURNED OFF AT TXWY Q AS WE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY INSTRUCTED. AS SOON AS OUR ACFT ENTERED TXWY Q, WE HEARD THE TWR, IN A DIFFERENT VOICE, ORDER THE ACR Y TO GO AROUND. HE THEN ASKED US, 'DO YOU SEE WHERE YOU ARE,' REFERRING TO OUR POS ON TXWY Q. I REPLIED, 'YES, BUT WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TURN OFF AT TXWY Q.' HIS REPLY WAS, 'OKAY...CONTACT GND.' NO OTHER COM REGARDING THE MATTER TOOK PLACE. I BELIEVE THAT THE FOLLOWING FACTORS WERE CONTRIBUTING: 1) IT APPEARED TO BOTH OF US THAT, DUE TO THE DIFFERENT VOICES, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A CTLR CHANGE BTWN THE TIME WE CHKED IN AND THE TIME WE CLRED THE RWY. PERHAPS THE CTLR LEAVING STATION FAILED TO PROPERLY BRIEF THE RELIEVING CTLR OF OUR INSTRUCTIONS. CONVERSELY, PERHAPS THE CTLR, UPON HEARING THE ACR Y JET'S REFUSAL TO LAND AND HOLD SHORT, SIMPLY FORGOT TO REVISE OUR INSTRUCTIONS. THE SECOND VOICE WE HEARD FROM THE TWR MAY HAVE BEEN A SUPVR. 2) AS AN EXPERIENCED OPERATOR AT O'HARE, I KNOW THAT WHEN TFC IS LNDG ON RWY 9R, TURNING OFF OF RWY 4R AT TXWY Q IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF. UNLESS THE LNDG TFC IS HOLDING SHORT OF TXWY S, WHEN I HEARD THE OTHER ACFT'S REFUSAL OF THE LAND AND HOLD SHORT, I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY ASKED THE CAPT TO CONFIRM OUR INSTRUCTIONS. IN THE FUTURE, WHEN FACED WITH A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE, I WILL BE SURE TO CONFIRM OUR INSTRUCTIONS, RESOLVE MY AMBIGUITY AND POSSIBLY PREVENT A LOSS OF SEPARATION INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING.

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.