Narrative:

We landed on runway 14, talking to tower on 118.1. On rollout, tower instructed us to take the first right turnoff on taxiway H1 and switch to apron on 121.85 (the airport chart shows 121.85 north of runway 28/10 and 121.75 south of runway 28/10). We were north of runway 28/10. We called apron when clear and were instructed to 'take taxiway D to taxiway F,' which required a hard 120 degree right turn around the north side of the new terminal. Taxiing south of taxiway F, we had not been told to hold short of runway 28/10. I pointed out that we were approaching the hold short for runway 28 and the captain acknowledged that, and we held short of runway 28. An MD11 was beginning its takeoff when we stopped. After the MD11 took off, I called apron on 121.85 and stated we need a clearance across runway 28. The controller answered immediately with 'hello air carrier X, cross runway 28 and take the inner, then taxiway east to parking.' we crossed runway 28 and verbalized in the cockpit the fact that we could see an aircraft moving toward runway 28. We were well clear of that aircraft, as he was just rolling onto the runway as we cleared runway 28. When we arrived at the gate, we were given an airport telephone number to call. The captain called and was told that the controller, who cleared us across runway 28, was not authority/authorized to do so, therefore, we had crossed without permission. Even though a light rain was falling, visibility was good and it was daylight. The runway 28 hold short and other taxiing aircraft were seen and discussed by both pilots. Clearance to cross runway 28 was requested, received and read back on the frequency assigned by zurich tower. 1) probably zurich north apron, which is separated from the south apron by runway 28, should have given us a frequency change prior to the hold short of runway 28. There is no mention of this on the airport information page (10-9). 2) when crossing clearance was requested from north apron, the controller should have instructed us to switch frequencys at that time. He should not have cleared us across runway 28. 3) the red stop bar at the hold short is very dim in the daylight. It is also recessed at an angle in the taxiway, so that when an aircraft is parked with its nose at the hold short, it is nearly impossible to see the color of the stop bar. Supplemental information from acn 564970: after an MD11 departed we asked for permission to cross runway 10/28. The controller immediately gave us clearance to cross and gave us the taxi instructions to our gate. After arriving at the gate, someone in an orange truck came to the ground service agent and gave him a phone number for him to give to us. I called the number and it seemed to be the tower supervisor. He thought we had crossed runway 10/28 without clearance. When I told him we had got clearance on 121.85, he said he was going to find out why that controller gave us the clearance. He said it was an internal problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LSZH GND CTL INCORRECTLY ISSUES RWY 28 XING CLRNC AS ANOTHER ACFT TAXIES ONTO THE RWY FOR DP. LSZH SUPVR ACKNOWLEDGES IT WAS THEIR ERROR.

Narrative: WE LANDED ON RWY 14, TALKING TO TWR ON 118.1. ON ROLLOUT, TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TAKE THE FIRST R TURNOFF ON TXWY H1 AND SWITCH TO APRON ON 121.85 (THE ARPT CHART SHOWS 121.85 N OF RWY 28/10 AND 121.75 S OF RWY 28/10). WE WERE N OF RWY 28/10. WE CALLED APRON WHEN CLR AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO 'TAKE TXWY D TO TXWY F,' WHICH REQUIRED A HARD 120 DEG R TURN AROUND THE N SIDE OF THE NEW TERMINAL. TAXIING S OF TXWY F, WE HAD NOT BEEN TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28/10. I POINTED OUT THAT WE WERE APCHING THE HOLD SHORT FOR RWY 28 AND THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, AND WE HELD SHORT OF RWY 28. AN MD11 WAS BEGINNING ITS TKOF WHEN WE STOPPED. AFTER THE MD11 TOOK OFF, I CALLED APRON ON 121.85 AND STATED WE NEED A CLRNC ACROSS RWY 28. THE CTLR ANSWERED IMMEDIATELY WITH 'HELLO ACR X, CROSS RWY 28 AND TAKE THE INNER, THEN TXWY E TO PARKING.' WE CROSSED RWY 28 AND VERBALIZED IN THE COCKPIT THE FACT THAT WE COULD SEE AN ACFT MOVING TOWARD RWY 28. WE WERE WELL CLR OF THAT ACFT, AS HE WAS JUST ROLLING ONTO THE RWY AS WE CLRED RWY 28. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE, WE WERE GIVEN AN ARPT TELEPHONE NUMBER TO CALL. THE CAPT CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CTLR, WHO CLRED US ACROSS RWY 28, WAS NOT AUTH TO DO SO, THEREFORE, WE HAD CROSSED WITHOUT PERMISSION. EVEN THOUGH A LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING, VISIBILITY WAS GOOD AND IT WAS DAYLIGHT. THE RWY 28 HOLD SHORT AND OTHER TAXIING ACFT WERE SEEN AND DISCUSSED BY BOTH PLTS. CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 28 WAS REQUESTED, RECEIVED AND READ BACK ON THE FREQ ASSIGNED BY ZURICH TWR. 1) PROBABLY ZURICH N APRON, WHICH IS SEPARATED FROM THE S APRON BY RWY 28, SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US A FREQ CHANGE PRIOR TO THE HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THIS ON THE ARPT INFO PAGE (10-9). 2) WHEN XING CLRNC WAS REQUESTED FROM N APRON, THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE INSTRUCTED US TO SWITCH FREQS AT THAT TIME. HE SHOULD NOT HAVE CLRED US ACROSS RWY 28. 3) THE RED STOP BAR AT THE HOLD SHORT IS VERY DIM IN THE DAYLIGHT. IT IS ALSO RECESSED AT AN ANGLE IN THE TXWY, SO THAT WHEN AN ACFT IS PARKED WITH ITS NOSE AT THE HOLD SHORT, IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THE COLOR OF THE STOP BAR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 564970: AFTER AN MD11 DEPARTED WE ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO CROSS RWY 10/28. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY GAVE US CLRNC TO CROSS AND GAVE US THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO OUR GATE. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE, SOMEONE IN AN ORANGE TRUCK CAME TO THE GND SVC AGENT AND GAVE HIM A PHONE NUMBER FOR HIM TO GIVE TO US. I CALLED THE NUMBER AND IT SEEMED TO BE THE TWR SUPVR. HE THOUGHT WE HAD CROSSED RWY 10/28 WITHOUT CLRNC. WHEN I TOLD HIM WE HAD GOT CLRNC ON 121.85, HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO FIND OUT WHY THAT CTLR GAVE US THE CLRNC. HE SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL PROB.

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.