Narrative:

Approaching mke from mkg, captain contacted dispatch about a plane swap for next leg of flight. As PF, I went off communication #2 (dispatch frequency) to monitor ATC on communication #1. Captain finished with dispatch and resumed his duties of monitoring both frequencys. Approach and landing normal. After landing, I contacted ground and company to taxi to gate. Ground informed us to taxi north of our gates. When I inquired as to why and where we were to taxi, I was told it was our company's instructions. I called company and all they said was to follow ground's instructions. Neither captain nor myself knew what was going on and we got no response from company or ground as to reason for taxi instructions. Since we were taxiing in direction of hangar, I wondered if we had a maintenance concern. We were finally asked what our squawk was and what assistance was requested. Not knowing what the captain said to dispatch, I asked him if he reported any squawk about the aircraft to company. He said no. I called on radio and said no squawks, no assistance, no problems. At that time I commented to captain 'I think they think we were being hijacked.' we checked our flap position (normally up) and transponder (standby 1200). Finally dispatch cleared us to return to gate with term 'flight XXXX.' I thought the term flight XXXX odd, since we never prefix our number other than call sign X. Thinking dispatch might have mistook term 'flight' for 'trip,' I responded 'we are not flight XXXX, we are call sign XXXX, taxiing back to gate.' upon return to gate, were met by FAA, sheriff, security, and company. Apparently, captain used word 'trip' to dispatch while discussing upcoming plane change. As far as I know, 'trip' was never used to ATC. Additional information from acn 501971: while inbound from mkg to mke, I reviewed my release and and saw that I was to 'swap' aircraft upon my arrival to mke. Being that we were already behind schedule, I elected to contact my dispatch office to see whether or not my first officer and I could remain in the current airplane. After discussing what was going on and the fact that our late arrival would make our next trip even later, I continued my conversation with our dispatcher concerning our current trip and the trip that was to follow. Throughout the conversation, radio reception was somewhat broken and garbled. The dispatcher kept asking me to confirm what trip I was talking about. After several responses made on my part, I was told that I was not allowed to stay in the same aircraft. When we were finally permitted back to the gate, I was made aware that the dispatcher had thought that we were being hijacked because of the frequent use of the word, 'trip.' I believe the frequent and popular usse of the word, 'trip,' had an impact on the situation. As far as resolution, maybe the aviation community should come up with another word which is less frequently used, but also effectie in determining whether or not an actual hijacking is taking place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B190 FLC'S DISCUSSION WITH COMPANY WHILE ON APCH TO MKE BECOMES MISINTERPED BY COMPANY WHO BELIEVE THE FLC IS INCURRING A HIJACK INCIDENT.

Narrative: APCHING MKE FROM MKG, CAPT CONTACTED DISPATCH ABOUT A PLANE SWAP FOR NEXT LEG OF FLT. AS PF, I WENT OFF COM #2 (DISPATCH FREQ) TO MONITOR ATC ON COM #1. CAPT FINISHED WITH DISPATCH AND RESUMED HIS DUTIES OF MONITORING BOTH FREQS. APCH AND LNDG NORMAL. AFTER LNDG, I CONTACTED GND AND COMPANY TO TAXI TO GATE. GND INFORMED US TO TAXI N OF OUR GATES. WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO WHY AND WHERE WE WERE TO TAXI, I WAS TOLD IT WAS OUR COMPANY'S INSTRUCTIONS. I CALLED COMPANY AND ALL THEY SAID WAS TO FOLLOW GND'S INSTRUCTIONS. NEITHER CAPT NOR MYSELF KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WE GOT NO RESPONSE FROM COMPANY OR GND AS TO REASON FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. SINCE WE WERE TAXIING IN DIRECTION OF HANGAR, I WONDERED IF WE HAD A MAINT CONCERN. WE WERE FINALLY ASKED WHAT OUR SQUAWK WAS AND WHAT ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED. NOT KNOWING WHAT THE CAPT SAID TO DISPATCH, I ASKED HIM IF HE RPTED ANY SQUAWK ABOUT THE ACFT TO COMPANY. HE SAID NO. I CALLED ON RADIO AND SAID NO SQUAWKS, NO ASSISTANCE, NO PROBS. AT THAT TIME I COMMENTED TO CAPT 'I THINK THEY THINK WE WERE BEING HIJACKED.' WE CHKED OUR FLAP POS (NORMALLY UP) AND XPONDER (STANDBY 1200). FINALLY DISPATCH CLRED US TO RETURN TO GATE WITH TERM 'FLT XXXX.' I THOUGHT THE TERM FLT XXXX ODD, SINCE WE NEVER PREFIX OUR NUMBER OTHER THAN CALL SIGN X. THINKING DISPATCH MIGHT HAVE MISTOOK TERM 'FLT' FOR 'TRIP,' I RESPONDED 'WE ARE NOT FLT XXXX, WE ARE CALL SIGN XXXX, TAXIING BACK TO GATE.' UPON RETURN TO GATE, WERE MET BY FAA, SHERIFF, SECURITY, AND COMPANY. APPARENTLY, CAPT USED WORD 'TRIP' TO DISPATCH WHILE DISCUSSING UPCOMING PLANE CHANGE. AS FAR AS I KNOW, 'TRIP' WAS NEVER USED TO ATC. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 501971: WHILE INBOUND FROM MKG TO MKE, I REVIEWED MY RELEASE AND AND SAW THAT I WAS TO 'SWAP' ACFT UPON MY ARRIVAL TO MKE. BEING THAT WE WERE ALREADY BEHIND SCHEDULE, I ELECTED TO CONTACT MY DISPATCH OFFICE TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT MY FO AND I COULD REMAIN IN THE CURRENT AIRPLANE. AFTER DISCUSSING WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THE FACT THAT OUR LATE ARRIVAL WOULD MAKE OUR NEXT TRIP EVEN LATER, I CONTINUED MY CONVERSATION WITH OUR DISPATCHER CONCERNING OUR CURRENT TRIP AND THE TRIP THAT WAS TO FOLLOW. THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATION, RADIO RECEPTION WAS SOMEWHAT BROKEN AND GARBLED. THE DISPATCHER KEPT ASKING ME TO CONFIRM WHAT TRIP I WAS TALKING ABOUT. AFTER SEVERAL RESPONSES MADE ON MY PART, I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE SAME ACFT. WHEN WE WERE FINALLY PERMITTED BACK TO THE GATE, I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE DISPATCHER HAD THOUGHT THAT WE WERE BEING HIJACKED BECAUSE OF THE FREQUENT USE OF THE WORD, 'TRIP.' I BELIEVE THE FREQUENT AND POPULAR USSE OF THE WORD, 'TRIP,' HAD AN IMPACT ON THE SITUATION. AS FAR AS RESOLUTION, MAYBE THE AVIATION COMMUNITY SHOULD COME UP WITH ANOTHER WORD WHICH IS LESS FREQUENTLY USED, BUT ALSO EFFECTIE IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT AN ACTUAL HIJACKING IS TAKING PLACE.

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.