Narrative:

I was cleared to taxi from parking at the FBO at reno-tahoe international airport to runway 16L. I stopped at the hold short line and told the tower I was ready for takeoff. Tower told me to hold short, which I did. Next, I heard taxi into position and hold. I thought I had heard the tower use my tail number when issuing that instruction. I read back the instruction 'taxi into position and hold, small aircraft,' waited a few seconds as is my habit, and hearing no response from the tower, I taxied into position and held on the runway. After approximately 30 seconds to 1 min on the runway, the tower controller came on the radio and asked me what I was doing on the runway. I told him that I had taxied into position and held, and then asked him what he wanted me to do. At that point he cleared me for takeoff. After discussing this matter with a controller later by telephone, I learned that the instruction was issued to another plane on the parallel runway. Coincidentally, at the time that I was reading back my instruction to the tower, the tower began transmitting to the other plane. Apparently my transmission was stepped on so that the tower controller could not respond to my readback to tell me to continue to hold short. The problem arose because the instructions to taxi into position and hold came right after another small GA plane in front of me had taken off. Therefore, it was common for me to get an instruction to taxi and hold after a plane had taken off. Perhaps my mindset led me to confuse the call sign that the controller had used. A contributing factor to this incident was the coincidence that I read back my instructions at exactly the same time that another person was transmitting, thus stepping on my transmission so that the tower controller could not hear it and correct me in time. It is required of pilots to read back instrument clrncs and instructions given to them by controllers. Perhaps it would cut down runway incursions if the pilot had to hear 'readback correct' before executing taxi instructions. But since that is not currently done, I took the controller's silence to mean that I had read back the instruction correctly. My corrective action will be to listen more carefully to call signs that the controller uses to make certain that an instruction is directed to me and not to some other pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A C210 INADVERTENTLY TAXIED INTO POS AND HELD IN RESPONSE TO ANOTHER ACFT'S CLRNC. HIS CONFIRMATION OF THE CLRNC TO THE TWR WAS APPARENTLY BLOCKED BY THE OTHER ACFT OR TWR CTLR.

Narrative: I WAS CLRED TO TAXI FROM PARKING AT THE FBO AT RENO-TAHOE INTL ARPT TO RWY 16L. I STOPPED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND TOLD THE TWR I WAS READY FOR TKOF. TWR TOLD ME TO HOLD SHORT, WHICH I DID. NEXT, I HEARD TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD THE TWR USE MY TAIL NUMBER WHEN ISSUING THAT INSTRUCTION. I READ BACK THE INSTRUCTION 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD, SMA,' WAITED A FEW SECONDS AS IS MY HABIT, AND HEARING NO RESPONSE FROM THE TWR, I TAXIED INTO POS AND HELD ON THE RWY. AFTER APPROX 30 SECONDS TO 1 MIN ON THE RWY, THE TWR CTLR CAME ON THE RADIO AND ASKED ME WHAT I WAS DOING ON THE RWY. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD TAXIED INTO POS AND HELD, AND THEN ASKED HIM WHAT HE WANTED ME TO DO. AT THAT POINT HE CLRED ME FOR TKOF. AFTER DISCUSSING THIS MATTER WITH A CTLR LATER BY TELEPHONE, I LEARNED THAT THE INSTRUCTION WAS ISSUED TO ANOTHER PLANE ON THE PARALLEL RWY. COINCIDENTALLY, AT THE TIME THAT I WAS READING BACK MY INSTRUCTION TO THE TWR, THE TWR BEGAN XMITTING TO THE OTHER PLANE. APPARENTLY MY XMISSION WAS STEPPED ON SO THAT THE TWR CTLR COULD NOT RESPOND TO MY READBACK TO TELL ME TO CONTINUE TO HOLD SHORT. THE PROB AROSE BECAUSE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD CAME RIGHT AFTER ANOTHER SMALL GA PLANE IN FRONT OF ME HAD TAKEN OFF. THEREFORE, IT WAS COMMON FOR ME TO GET AN INSTRUCTION TO TAXI AND HOLD AFTER A PLANE HAD TAKEN OFF. PERHAPS MY MINDSET LED ME TO CONFUSE THE CALL SIGN THAT THE CTLR HAD USED. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS INCIDENT WAS THE COINCIDENCE THAT I READ BACK MY INSTRUCTIONS AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME THAT ANOTHER PERSON WAS XMITTING, THUS STEPPING ON MY XMISSION SO THAT THE TWR CTLR COULD NOT HEAR IT AND CORRECT ME IN TIME. IT IS REQUIRED OF PLTS TO READ BACK INST CLRNCS AND INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO THEM BY CTLRS. PERHAPS IT WOULD CUT DOWN RWY INCURSIONS IF THE PLT HAD TO HEAR 'READBACK CORRECT' BEFORE EXECUTING TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. BUT SINCE THAT IS NOT CURRENTLY DONE, I TOOK THE CTLR'S SILENCE TO MEAN THAT I HAD READ BACK THE INSTRUCTION CORRECTLY. MY CORRECTIVE ACTION WILL BE TO LISTEN MORE CAREFULLY TO CALL SIGNS THAT THE CTLR USES TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT AN INSTRUCTION IS DIRECTED TO ME AND NOT TO SOME OTHER PLT.

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.