Narrative:

Coming from grb to ord, 3 hours late due to WX at ory. First officer PF, captain is PNF being given a line check by company check airman. We were given holding instructions by ZAU to hold northwest at 14000 ft at teddy intersection, 10 DME legs. Expect further clearance in about 1/2 hour. After first turn in hold, traffic was being released into ord. We were told to descend to 10000 ft. 2 min later ZAU told us that ord had lost a runway and was no longer accepting traffic. We were told to stop at 11000 ft. We completed 2 full turns into the hold where ZAU told us that we were next out of the hold. We continued inbound and just approached the fix when center told us to descend to 9000 ft and to be 210 KTS at 9000 ft. Center handed us off to ord approach as we passed the fix. We started our turn again in the hold as we switched to ord approach, as center had not cleared us to a fix. Ord approach was busy and we got them as we were on the outbound leg. Approach told us to go back to center. We complied and center gave us vectors to avoid traffic. Eventually we were handed back to ord approach and the rest of the flight was uneventful, except for ord ground being very, very, very busy. Discussing with my first officer and check airman, we agreed that ZAU stating that we were next out of the hold did not give us clearance to leave. We should have been given a vector or fix to go to. I can only second-guess that the controller thought he told us to go to ord when he only gave us a frequency change. The volume of traffic prevented us from confirming with ord approach until we were committed to stay in the hold.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMB145 CAPT RPTED THAT DURING A HOLD ZAU USED NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY, CAUSING A BREAKDOWN IN COM BTWN ZAU AND C90.

Narrative: COMING FROM GRB TO ORD, 3 HRS LATE DUE TO WX AT ORY. FO PF, CAPT IS PNF BEING GIVEN A LINE CHK BY COMPANY CHK AIRMAN. WE WERE GIVEN HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS BY ZAU TO HOLD NW AT 14000 FT AT TEDDY INTXN, 10 DME LEGS. EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC IN ABOUT 1/2 HR. AFTER FIRST TURN IN HOLD, TFC WAS BEING RELEASED INTO ORD. WE WERE TOLD TO DSND TO 10000 FT. 2 MIN LATER ZAU TOLD US THAT ORD HAD LOST A RWY AND WAS NO LONGER ACCEPTING TFC. WE WERE TOLD TO STOP AT 11000 FT. WE COMPLETED 2 FULL TURNS INTO THE HOLD WHERE ZAU TOLD US THAT WE WERE NEXT OUT OF THE HOLD. WE CONTINUED INBOUND AND JUST APCHED THE FIX WHEN CTR TOLD US TO DSND TO 9000 FT AND TO BE 210 KTS AT 9000 FT. CTR HANDED US OFF TO ORD APCH AS WE PASSED THE FIX. WE STARTED OUR TURN AGAIN IN THE HOLD AS WE SWITCHED TO ORD APCH, AS CTR HAD NOT CLRED US TO A FIX. ORD APCH WAS BUSY AND WE GOT THEM AS WE WERE ON THE OUTBOUND LEG. APCH TOLD US TO GO BACK TO CTR. WE COMPLIED AND CTR GAVE US VECTORS TO AVOID TFC. EVENTUALLY WE WERE HANDED BACK TO ORD APCH AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL, EXCEPT FOR ORD GND BEING VERY, VERY, VERY BUSY. DISCUSSING WITH MY FO AND CHK AIRMAN, WE AGREED THAT ZAU STATING THAT WE WERE NEXT OUT OF THE HOLD DID NOT GIVE US CLRNC TO LEAVE. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A VECTOR OR FIX TO GO TO. I CAN ONLY SECOND-GUESS THAT THE CTLR THOUGHT HE TOLD US TO GO TO ORD WHEN HE ONLY GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE. THE VOLUME OF TFC PREVENTED US FROM CONFIRMING WITH ORD APCH UNTIL WE WERE COMMITTED TO STAY IN THE HOLD.

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.