Narrative:

Following a light weight landing at richmond international from a visual approach to runway 16, the aircraft was slowed sufficiently to anticipate tower offering an exit on runway 7/25. After passing M2 intersection, tower made an extremely garbled transmission accompanied by a heavy side tone. A few of the words we were able to discern were, 'runway 25...right turn.' at this point, we were abeam the intersection of runway 7/25 and almost slowed to a stop with the captain in control of the aircraft. Not wanting to come to a complete stop on the active runway in order to query the controller, and realizing he had seen our deceleration, we assumed they had cleared us for a right turn onto runway 7/25. I responded to the tower's garbled transmission as the captain turned the aircraft onto runway 7/25 to exit runway 16. Tower then made another garbled transmission followed immediately by a discernible one. He stated he did not want us to turn off on runway 7/25 and instead needed us to clear runway 16 at the end. There was an aircraft on a circling approach to runway 25 -- it was sent around. During our taxi to the ramp area, we encountered the same problems with transmission quality from ground control as also did 1 airport vehicle who was crossing the txwys. I questioned the ground controller about the quality of both tower's and his xmissions. He said there had been several complaints from air crews regarding the quality of their xmissions and seemed to think it was due to the brand of head set they had recently been issued. While never assuming I can use a runway intersection as a turnoff, I will never use one again unless the communication/authority/authorized from the controller is crystal clear.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-800 FLC MISTAKENLY TURNED OFF ON ANOTHER RWY INTXN INSTEAD OF GOING TO END OF RWY DUE TO THE GARBLED XMISSION FROM TWR.

Narrative: FOLLOWING A LIGHT WT LNDG AT RICHMOND INTL FROM A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 16, THE ACFT WAS SLOWED SUFFICIENTLY TO ANTICIPATE TWR OFFERING AN EXIT ON RWY 7/25. AFTER PASSING M2 INTXN, TWR MADE AN EXTREMELY GARBLED XMISSION ACCOMPANIED BY A HVY SIDE TONE. A FEW OF THE WORDS WE WERE ABLE TO DISCERN WERE, 'RWY 25...R TURN.' AT THIS POINT, WE WERE ABEAM THE INTXN OF RWY 7/25 AND ALMOST SLOWED TO A STOP WITH THE CAPT IN CTL OF THE ACFT. NOT WANTING TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE ACTIVE RWY IN ORDER TO QUERY THE CTLR, AND REALIZING HE HAD SEEN OUR DECELERATION, WE ASSUMED THEY HAD CLRED US FOR A R TURN ONTO RWY 7/25. I RESPONDED TO THE TWR'S GARBLED XMISSION AS THE CAPT TURNED THE ACFT ONTO RWY 7/25 TO EXIT RWY 16. TWR THEN MADE ANOTHER GARBLED XMISSION FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A DISCERNIBLE ONE. HE STATED HE DID NOT WANT US TO TURN OFF ON RWY 7/25 AND INSTEAD NEEDED US TO CLR RWY 16 AT THE END. THERE WAS AN ACFT ON A CIRCLING APCH TO RWY 25 -- IT WAS SENT AROUND. DURING OUR TAXI TO THE RAMP AREA, WE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBS WITH XMISSION QUALITY FROM GND CTL AS ALSO DID 1 ARPT VEHICLE WHO WAS CROSSING THE TXWYS. I QUESTIONED THE GND CTLR ABOUT THE QUALITY OF BOTH TWR'S AND HIS XMISSIONS. HE SAID THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM AIR CREWS REGARDING THE QUALITY OF THEIR XMISSIONS AND SEEMED TO THINK IT WAS DUE TO THE BRAND OF HEAD SET THEY HAD RECENTLY BEEN ISSUED. WHILE NEVER ASSUMING I CAN USE A RWY INTXN AS A TURNOFF, I WILL NEVER USE ONE AGAIN UNLESS THE COM/AUTH FROM THE CTLR IS CRYSTAL CLR.

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.