Narrative:

After landing on runway 4R at ord, tower told us to taxi to the end of the runway and turn left on taxiway D. At the end of the runway, I turned left onto taxiway D, cleared the runway while my copilot changed frequencys from tower to ground, and I stopped on taxiway D pointing north, abeam the runway 27L pad. Ahead of me, 'D' took another turn to the left, and I was not sure if I was supposed to make another left, and wanted to doublechk with ground. Before we called ground, however, the ground controller shouted 'air carrier X get off the runway!' (verbiage may not be exact, but it is close.) rather than debate on the air, I immediately added power and moved further ahead (still pointing north), and my first officer asked 'is this good enough?' again I cannot quote the controller exactly, but he shouted back 'yes, and don't stop on the runway!' at this point I keyed the microphone and said, 'this is the captain, and I wasn't sure where to go,' to which the controller responded with another shout, 'I'm standing next to your previous controller, and I heard her (I think it was 'her') tell you to turn left on delta!' I told my copilot to just answer with a 'roger,' and proceeded to turn left onto the wbound part of 'delta,' past D6 and D5 toward our gate. I was about to ask my copilot to get a number to call when the controller came on and gave us a phone number, which we copied down. I called the number when we got to company operations and talked to the supervisor. I idented myself, and said that I thought we had a misunderstanding. He responded with 'you stopped on the runway.' I explained to him that I did not think we did, and added that 'if I caused you a problem, it was unintentional and I apologize.' he told me that they (the controllers as a group, I assume) had been having problems with air carrier X pilots, and they knew 'what's going on,' and they no longer thought we (the air carrier X pilots) were very professional. He related an incident to me that occurred a week or 2 earlier involving another air carrier X flight, and said we were being unsafe, and they might have to start violating air carrier X pilots. I told him that I would never deliberately endanger my crew or passenger, and again that I was sorry for any problems or misunderstandings. Also, I told him that I was not very familiar with ord, and that's why I stopped at all. It was the first time in ord in 9 yrs (I checked my previous schedules since the conversation, and it was actually the second), I explained. The supervisor believed my sincerity, I think, and said the incident would go no further. In my hotel room that night, I went over the ord ground chart carefully, and I still honestly believe I was clear of the runway. However, I did stop before making a second left turn and continuing west down the taxiway D. I attribute that to my own lack of familiarity with ord and not knowing the controller's intention when told to 'turn left on delta' at the end of runway 4R. While I think the ground controller was completely unprofessional in his communications and remarks (ground control frequency is not the place for shouting, blaming, or discussing incidents), the supervisor was very polite and professional on the phone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLC CHALLENGED AFTER LNDG RWY 4R BY ORD TWR FOR APPARENTLY STOPPING TAXI, AND NOT CLR OF AN ADJOINING RWY.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 4R AT ORD, TWR TOLD US TO TAXI TO THE END OF THE RWY AND TURN L ON TXWY D. AT THE END OF THE RWY, I TURNED L ONTO TXWY D, CLRED THE RWY WHILE MY COPLT CHANGED FREQS FROM TWR TO GND, AND I STOPPED ON TXWY D POINTING N, ABEAM THE RWY 27L PAD. AHEAD OF ME, 'D' TOOK ANOTHER TURN TO THE L, AND I WAS NOT SURE IF I WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE ANOTHER L, AND WANTED TO DOUBLECHK WITH GND. BEFORE WE CALLED GND, HOWEVER, THE GND CTLR SHOUTED 'ACR X GET OFF THE RWY!' (VERBIAGE MAY NOT BE EXACT, BUT IT IS CLOSE.) RATHER THAN DEBATE ON THE AIR, I IMMEDIATELY ADDED PWR AND MOVED FURTHER AHEAD (STILL POINTING N), AND MY FO ASKED 'IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH?' AGAIN I CANNOT QUOTE THE CTLR EXACTLY, BUT HE SHOUTED BACK 'YES, AND DON'T STOP ON THE RWY!' AT THIS POINT I KEYED THE MIKE AND SAID, 'THIS IS THE CAPT, AND I WASN'T SURE WHERE TO GO,' TO WHICH THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH ANOTHER SHOUT, 'I'M STANDING NEXT TO YOUR PREVIOUS CTLR, AND I HEARD HER (I THINK IT WAS 'HER') TELL YOU TO TURN L ON DELTA!' I TOLD MY COPLT TO JUST ANSWER WITH A 'ROGER,' AND PROCEEDED TO TURN L ONTO THE WBOUND PART OF 'DELTA,' PAST D6 AND D5 TOWARD OUR GATE. I WAS ABOUT TO ASK MY COPLT TO GET A NUMBER TO CALL WHEN THE CTLR CAME ON AND GAVE US A PHONE NUMBER, WHICH WE COPIED DOWN. I CALLED THE NUMBER WHEN WE GOT TO COMPANY OPS AND TALKED TO THE SUPVR. I IDENTED MYSELF, AND SAID THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD A MISUNDERSTANDING. HE RESPONDED WITH 'YOU STOPPED ON THE RWY.' I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I DID NOT THINK WE DID, AND ADDED THAT 'IF I CAUSED YOU A PROB, IT WAS UNINTENTIONAL AND I APOLOGIZE.' HE TOLD ME THAT THEY (THE CTLRS AS A GROUP, I ASSUME) HAD BEEN HAVING PROBS WITH ACR X PLTS, AND THEY KNEW 'WHAT'S GOING ON,' AND THEY NO LONGER THOUGHT WE (THE ACR X PLTS) WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL. HE RELATED AN INCIDENT TO ME THAT OCCURRED A WK OR 2 EARLIER INVOLVING ANOTHER ACR X FLT, AND SAID WE WERE BEING UNSAFE, AND THEY MIGHT HAVE TO START VIOLATING ACR X PLTS. I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD NEVER DELIBERATELY ENDANGER MY CREW OR PAX, AND AGAIN THAT I WAS SORRY FOR ANY PROBS OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS. ALSO, I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH ORD, AND THAT'S WHY I STOPPED AT ALL. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN ORD IN 9 YRS (I CHKED MY PREVIOUS SCHEDULES SINCE THE CONVERSATION, AND IT WAS ACTUALLY THE SECOND), I EXPLAINED. THE SUPVR BELIEVED MY SINCERITY, I THINK, AND SAID THE INCIDENT WOULD GO NO FURTHER. IN MY HOTEL ROOM THAT NIGHT, I WENT OVER THE ORD GND CHART CAREFULLY, AND I STILL HONESTLY BELIEVE I WAS CLR OF THE RWY. HOWEVER, I DID STOP BEFORE MAKING A SECOND L TURN AND CONTINUING W DOWN THE TXWY D. I ATTRIBUTE THAT TO MY OWN LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH ORD AND NOT KNOWING THE CTLR'S INTENTION WHEN TOLD TO 'TURN L ON DELTA' AT THE END OF RWY 4R. WHILE I THINK THE GND CTLR WAS COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL IN HIS COMS AND REMARKS (GND CTL FREQ IS NOT THE PLACE FOR SHOUTING, BLAMING, OR DISCUSSING INCIDENTS), THE SUPVR WAS VERY POLITE AND PROFESSIONAL ON THE PHONE.

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.