Narrative:

B727 to bos, second night of trip. Captain returning from 10 weeks off for surgery. First officer and so returning from vacation. So also conducting IOE with new crew member. ATIS reporting lahso in use runway 22L. I checked in twice with tower before being cleared to land (no lahso clearance issued). We appeared to be the only aircraft arriving because our clearance was the only communication broadcast until after landing. Lahso lights were on, and didn't seem uniform across the runway. At approximately 400 ft I told the captain I thought there was an airplane on the runway. He dismissed me and continued flying inbound. Again at approximately 200 ft I said I thought I saw an airplane at the lahso lights. He said 'no there's not -- you're distracting me!' in hindsight, I should have called the go around or called the tower, but I wasn't getting any input from the other 2 pilots and thought I must be mistaken. We landed and upon rollout discovered a small aircraft barely taxiing on the runway beyond the lahso lights, apparently lost. The controller must have seen this as well when he was about to give us exit and taxi instructions, because he sounded incredulous that this guy was somehow still there and issued firm taxi instructions to him. The pilot of the light aircraft had a foreign accent and must have been confused with the lahso lights and parked himself there maybe thinking he had gone off the end. Our flight engineer's had never seen lahso lights before, and the other plane's weak strobe blended in with them. Talking with both flight engineer's after the flight, they said they didn't hear me questioning the captain with the noise of the jet. I think pilots and controllers alike are in a learning phase of lahso procedures. In this instance, the lights were distracting and the other aircraft would have been visible without them. I've learned if something doesn't feel quite right, it probably isn't. Fortunately, no one was hurt in what could have been a very serious incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: crew was flying a B727-200 aircraft. She stated there is no information in the company fom regarding hold short lighting or signs. This was the first time the crew had seen the hold short lighting illuminated. Since it was nighttime, it was difficult to see the small aircraft against the hold short lighting. The captain was described as a 'cowboy' in his style of flying. His adherence to SOP operation left a lot to be desired. Reporter thinks that a complete description of hold short operation is needed along with a detailed picture of hold short lighting and signage. What does it mean if the hold short lighting is illuminated, but no hold short clearance is given? On callback with the flight information design specialist with the commercial chart publisher, it was indicated the lahso briefing bulletin has been removed and is no longer current. The analyst stated he attended a meeting with the FAA to revise the lahso information. At the end of the meeting, the FAA representative told the attendees that everything that was discussed was now withdrawn. The commercial charting publisher has no current information published on the subject.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B727 FLC LANDED ON RWY 22L AT BOS AND FOUND A SMALL ACFT ON THE RWY AT THE LAHSO LIGHTS. THE LNDG B727 WAS NOT GIVEN A LAHSO HOLD SHORT CLRNC.

Narrative: B727 TO BOS, SECOND NIGHT OF TRIP. CAPT RETURNING FROM 10 WKS OFF FOR SURGERY. FO AND SO RETURNING FROM VACATION. SO ALSO CONDUCTING IOE WITH NEW CREW MEMBER. ATIS RPTING LAHSO IN USE RWY 22L. I CHKED IN TWICE WITH TWR BEFORE BEING CLRED TO LAND (NO LAHSO CLRNC ISSUED). WE APPEARED TO BE THE ONLY ACFT ARRIVING BECAUSE OUR CLRNC WAS THE ONLY COM BROADCAST UNTIL AFTER LNDG. LAHSO LIGHTS WERE ON, AND DIDN'T SEEM UNIFORM ACROSS THE RWY. AT APPROX 400 FT I TOLD THE CAPT I THOUGHT THERE WAS AN AIRPLANE ON THE RWY. HE DISMISSED ME AND CONTINUED FLYING INBOUND. AGAIN AT APPROX 200 FT I SAID I THOUGHT I SAW AN AIRPLANE AT THE LAHSO LIGHTS. HE SAID 'NO THERE'S NOT -- YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME!' IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE GAR OR CALLED THE TWR, BUT I WASN'T GETTING ANY INPUT FROM THE OTHER 2 PLTS AND THOUGHT I MUST BE MISTAKEN. WE LANDED AND UPON ROLLOUT DISCOVERED A SMALL ACFT BARELY TAXIING ON THE RWY BEYOND THE LAHSO LIGHTS, APPARENTLY LOST. THE CTLR MUST HAVE SEEN THIS AS WELL WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO GIVE US EXIT AND TAXI INSTRUCTIONS, BECAUSE HE SOUNDED INCREDULOUS THAT THIS GUY WAS SOMEHOW STILL THERE AND ISSUED FIRM TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO HIM. THE PLT OF THE LIGHT ACFT HAD A FOREIGN ACCENT AND MUST HAVE BEEN CONFUSED WITH THE LAHSO LIGHTS AND PARKED HIMSELF THERE MAYBE THINKING HE HAD GONE OFF THE END. OUR FE'S HAD NEVER SEEN LAHSO LIGHTS BEFORE, AND THE OTHER PLANE'S WEAK STROBE BLENDED IN WITH THEM. TALKING WITH BOTH FE'S AFTER THE FLT, THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T HEAR ME QUESTIONING THE CAPT WITH THE NOISE OF THE JET. I THINK PLTS AND CTLRS ALIKE ARE IN A LEARNING PHASE OF LAHSO PROCS. IN THIS INSTANCE, THE LIGHTS WERE DISTRACTING AND THE OTHER ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE WITHOUT THEM. I'VE LEARNED IF SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL QUITE RIGHT, IT PROBABLY ISN'T. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT IN WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CREW WAS FLYING A B727-200 ACFT. SHE STATED THERE IS NO INFO IN THE COMPANY FOM REGARDING HOLD SHORT LIGHTING OR SIGNS. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE CREW HAD SEEN THE HOLD SHORT LIGHTING ILLUMINATED. SINCE IT WAS NIGHTTIME, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE THE SMALL ACFT AGAINST THE HOLD SHORT LIGHTING. THE CAPT WAS DESCRIBED AS A 'COWBOY' IN HIS STYLE OF FLYING. HIS ADHERENCE TO SOP OP LEFT A LOT TO BE DESIRED. RPTR THINKS THAT A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF HOLD SHORT OP IS NEEDED ALONG WITH A DETAILED PICTURE OF HOLD SHORT LIGHTING AND SIGNAGE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THE HOLD SHORT LIGHTING IS ILLUMINATED, BUT NO HOLD SHORT CLRNC IS GIVEN? ON CALLBACK WITH THE FLT INFO DESIGN SPECIALIST WITH THE COMMERCIAL CHART PUBLISHER, IT WAS INDICATED THE LAHSO BRIEFING BULLETIN HAS BEEN REMOVED AND IS NO LONGER CURRENT. THE ANALYST STATED HE ATTENDED A MEETING WITH THE FAA TO REVISE THE LAHSO INFO. AT THE END OF THE MEETING, THE FAA REPRESENTATIVE TOLD THE ATTENDEES THAT EVERYTHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED WAS NOW WITHDRAWN. THE COMMERCIAL CHARTING PUBLISHER HAS NO CURRENT INFO PUBLISHED ON THE SUBJECT.

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.