Narrative:

Ind originator. WX visibility at 1/16 ft. Held at gate until XA45, 1 hour 15 mins late. WX improving, pushed and taxied to hold short at taxiway A4 on taxiway a. #5 in line for departure on taxiway a. RVR for runway 5R improved to the extent ground control started moving aircraft to depart runway 5R. Ground was taxiing aircraft down to runway 5L to the end and around on taxiway P and taxiway C to runway 5R. After a short discussion, the captain and I decided, due to the improving visibility and the number of aircraft headed for runway 5R, we would like to continue on taxiway a and depart runway 5L. To the best of our recollection here was the transmission sequence: we said to ground, 'ground flight X, when available, we would like to continue taxi to depart runway 5L.' ground immediately transmitted to the aircraft holding on taxiway a at taxiway A5, flight Y, L1011 I think, asking their intentions. They replied they were not ready. Ground immediately gave us these instructions. 'Flight X turn left to taxiway A4, report turning on runway 5L.' when we turned right on runway 5L we reported, 'flight X on runway 5L heading southwest.' to this, ground replied, 'report clearing the runway.' 'roger.' approximately 40 seconds later, ground asked 'are you clear of the runway?' our response, 'no flight X.' he asked us to 'expedite traffic on an 8 mi final.' I then reported passing taxiway A7 for further ground situational awareness. To this ground replied, 'flight X, you are going the wrong way, exit at taxiway A11 and hold on taxiway a.' the RVR came up within 10 mins (approximately) and we departed runway 5L uneventfully with no further discussion regarding a conflict with the taxi instructions. It was our understanding that ground control understood our request to continue the taxi to depart runway 5L. This is because of the sequence and context of the radio xmissions, and that he asked the aircraft ahead of us if they were ready to continue, and they were not. We thought that ground was going to take us around them via taxiway A4 and down runway 5L to depart runway 5L. At no time were we given taxi instructions to runway 5R. And at no time did we ask for a runway 5R departure. This was a potentially very serious situation, ground control telling us to expedite a taxi on a runway that he thinks we are going in the opposite direction on. This situation could have been avoided by ground control telling us that: 1) he is changing our runway of departure, and 2) telling us what direction to turn, ie, right or left on runway 5L. We thought we were being extra vigilant in the low visibility conditions, but we could have avoided the confusion by, instead of saying we are 'heading southwest on runway 5L,' that we were turning right on runway 5L, or we are back-taxiing on runway 5L.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-300 FLC TAXIES THE WRONG WAY DOWN RWY 5L UNDER LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS THAT CREATED A POTENTIAL CONFLICT FOR THE GND CTLR AT IND, IN.

Narrative: IND ORIGINATOR. WX VISIBILITY AT 1/16 FT. HELD AT GATE UNTIL XA45, 1 HR 15 MINS LATE. WX IMPROVING, PUSHED AND TAXIED TO HOLD SHORT AT TXWY A4 ON TXWY A. #5 IN LINE FOR DEP ON TXWY A. RVR FOR RWY 5R IMPROVED TO THE EXTENT GND CTL STARTED MOVING ACFT TO DEPART RWY 5R. GND WAS TAXIING ACFT DOWN TO RWY 5L TO THE END AND AROUND ON TXWY P AND TXWY C TO RWY 5R. AFTER A SHORT DISCUSSION, THE CAPT AND I DECIDED, DUE TO THE IMPROVING VISIBILITY AND THE NUMBER OF ACFT HEADED FOR RWY 5R, WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE ON TXWY A AND DEPART RWY 5L. TO THE BEST OF OUR RECOLLECTION HERE WAS THE XMISSION SEQUENCE: WE SAID TO GND, 'GND FLT X, WHEN AVAILABLE, WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TAXI TO DEPART RWY 5L.' GND IMMEDIATELY XMITTED TO THE ACFT HOLDING ON TXWY A AT TXWY A5, FLT Y, L1011 I THINK, ASKING THEIR INTENTIONS. THEY REPLIED THEY WERE NOT READY. GND IMMEDIATELY GAVE US THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 'FLT X TURN L TO TXWY A4, RPT TURNING ON RWY 5L.' WHEN WE TURNED R ON RWY 5L WE RPTED, 'FLT X ON RWY 5L HDG SW.' TO THIS, GND REPLIED, 'RPT CLRING THE RWY.' 'ROGER.' APPROX 40 SECONDS LATER, GND ASKED 'ARE YOU CLR OF THE RWY?' OUR RESPONSE, 'NO FLT X.' HE ASKED US TO 'EXPEDITE TFC ON AN 8 MI FINAL.' I THEN RPTED PASSING TXWY A7 FOR FURTHER GND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. TO THIS GND REPLIED, 'FLT X, YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY, EXIT AT TXWY A11 AND HOLD ON TXWY A.' THE RVR CAME UP WITHIN 10 MINS (APPROX) AND WE DEPARTED RWY 5L UNEVENTFULLY WITH NO FURTHER DISCUSSION REGARDING A CONFLICT WITH THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. IT WAS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT GND CTL UNDERSTOOD OUR REQUEST TO CONTINUE THE TAXI TO DEPART RWY 5L. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE SEQUENCE AND CONTEXT OF THE RADIO XMISSIONS, AND THAT HE ASKED THE ACFT AHEAD OF US IF THEY WERE READY TO CONTINUE, AND THEY WERE NOT. WE THOUGHT THAT GND WAS GOING TO TAKE US AROUND THEM VIA TXWY A4 AND DOWN RWY 5L TO DEPART RWY 5L. AT NO TIME WERE WE GIVEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO RWY 5R. AND AT NO TIME DID WE ASK FOR A RWY 5R DEP. THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY VERY SERIOUS SIT, GND CTL TELLING US TO EXPEDITE A TAXI ON A RWY THAT HE THINKS WE ARE GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON. THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY GND CTL TELLING US THAT: 1) HE IS CHANGING OUR RWY OF DEP, AND 2) TELLING US WHAT DIRECTION TO TURN, IE, R OR L ON RWY 5L. WE THOUGHT WE WERE BEING EXTRA VIGILANT IN THE LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS, BUT WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE CONFUSION BY, INSTEAD OF SAYING WE ARE 'HDG SW ON RWY 5L,' THAT WE WERE TURNING R ON RWY 5L, OR WE ARE BACK-TAXIING ON RWY 5L.

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.