Narrative:

I was landing at ord on runway 27R when the subject for the event happened. On check-in with ord tower, he informed us of a similar xx call sign and a similar yy call sign on frequency. Landing was uneventful, but during rollout the tower controller asked us (yyxxx), 'can you make high speed taxiway C, yyxxx?' he called us the wrong call sign. We did not respond as we were still at high speed and my first officer did not have the time to answer as the pilot on yyxxx did answer, and in the affirmative too. I passed taxiway C at that moment then heard again from the ord tower, 'yyxxx expedite off the runway.' I slowed and he was broken as yyxxx once again answered in the affirmative! I was now slow and could comply to his request but was unsure of what he wanted. I then heard again, 'yyxxx expedite off the runway,' and I immediately turned left into the remaining end of runway 22R. I then heard as I was committed to exit, 'to get off at taxiway east, yyxxx.' tower then said, 'ok, I see you're on the runway, exit at taxiway right quickly and contact ground.' I was on the end of runway 22R for less than 15-20 seconds and cleared the runway at taxiway right. My first officer never responded to any call, I never heard taxiway east until I was nose on runway 22R and then he said it and we were never given a correct call sign. I do know he intended it to be for us, but he did not call us the right call sign during this event. Also yyxxx did respond to each call, even though he was airborne on short final. Yyxxx was also on a lahso operations on runway 22R and we had full length on runway 27R, so I am not sure that runway 22R was technically open to his landing, and therefore open to exiting aircraft. I did not hear exit at taxiway east until on runway 22R, as the tower controller was non stop talking and talking fast and he was broken up once by other calls from another aircraft on long final. I only heard expedite 3 times and his voice inflection seemed to mean he needed us off as soon as possible. So I made a decision to get off on the next open exit at slow enough speed. That was the end of runway 22R. The tower controller did not seem to think it a big deal as I cleared it quickly and in no time was yyxxx in jeopardy of going around. 1 of 2 aircraft on the runway at the same time. No conflict arose and he was still 1 mi out on final as I cleared. If he (tower) had said nothing I would have gotten off at taxiway east, or if he had asked while on short final, I could have made taxiway C easily. His clrncs were incorrect and he did not have to input, but he did and he confused the situation to myself and my first officer. I knew where I was at all times and we had briefed the turn off, too, prior to the approach but his inflection and his 3 calls made me think I had to get off now, so I did. I am not sure that this is even an issue with the tower controller but, to be safe and since it upset my first officer as to the confusion, we decided to send this in just in case. I think there was no conflict but the only question was, was runway 22R an active runway and should I not have turned with the call we received? I only know I cleared to help the tower out and we cleared runway 22R quickly never stopping on the runway to exit to taxiway right.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD83 CREW LANDED ORD AND WAS ADVISED SIMILAR CALL SIGNS ON FREQ CAUSING THE TWR TO USE THE INCORRECT CALL SIGN AND THE WRONG ACFT TO ACKNOWLEDGE.

Narrative: I WAS LNDG AT ORD ON RWY 27R WHEN THE SUBJECT FOR THE EVENT HAPPENED. ON CHK-IN WITH ORD TWR, HE INFORMED US OF A SIMILAR XX CALL SIGN AND A SIMILAR YY CALL SIGN ON FREQ. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL, BUT DURING ROLLOUT THE TWR CTLR ASKED US (YYXXX), 'CAN YOU MAKE HIGH SPD TXWY C, YYXXX?' HE CALLED US THE WRONG CALL SIGN. WE DID NOT RESPOND AS WE WERE STILL AT HIGH SPD AND MY FO DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO ANSWER AS THE PLT ON YYXXX DID ANSWER, AND IN THE AFFIRMATIVE TOO. I PASSED TXWY C AT THAT MOMENT THEN HEARD AGAIN FROM THE ORD TWR, 'YYXXX EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY.' I SLOWED AND HE WAS BROKEN AS YYXXX ONCE AGAIN ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE! I WAS NOW SLOW AND COULD COMPLY TO HIS REQUEST BUT WAS UNSURE OF WHAT HE WANTED. I THEN HEARD AGAIN, 'YYXXX EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY,' AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L INTO THE REMAINING END OF RWY 22R. I THEN HEARD AS I WAS COMMITTED TO EXIT, 'TO GET OFF AT TXWY E, YYXXX.' TWR THEN SAID, 'OK, I SEE YOU'RE ON THE RWY, EXIT AT TXWY R QUICKLY AND CONTACT GND.' I WAS ON THE END OF RWY 22R FOR LESS THAN 15-20 SECONDS AND CLRED THE RWY AT TXWY R. MY FO NEVER RESPONDED TO ANY CALL, I NEVER HEARD TXWY E UNTIL I WAS NOSE ON RWY 22R AND THEN HE SAID IT AND WE WERE NEVER GIVEN A CORRECT CALL SIGN. I DO KNOW HE INTENDED IT TO BE FOR US, BUT HE DID NOT CALL US THE RIGHT CALL SIGN DURING THIS EVENT. ALSO YYXXX DID RESPOND TO EACH CALL, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS AIRBORNE ON SHORT FINAL. YYXXX WAS ALSO ON A LAHSO OPS ON RWY 22R AND WE HAD FULL LENGTH ON RWY 27R, SO I AM NOT SURE THAT RWY 22R WAS TECHNICALLY OPEN TO HIS LNDG, AND THEREFORE OPEN TO EXITING ACFT. I DID NOT HEAR EXIT AT TXWY E UNTIL ON RWY 22R, AS THE TWR CTLR WAS NON STOP TALKING AND TALKING FAST AND HE WAS BROKEN UP ONCE BY OTHER CALLS FROM ANOTHER ACFT ON LONG FINAL. I ONLY HEARD EXPEDITE 3 TIMES AND HIS VOICE INFLECTION SEEMED TO MEAN HE NEEDED US OFF ASAP. SO I MADE A DECISION TO GET OFF ON THE NEXT OPEN EXIT AT SLOW ENOUGH SPD. THAT WAS THE END OF RWY 22R. THE TWR CTLR DID NOT SEEM TO THINK IT A BIG DEAL AS I CLRED IT QUICKLY AND IN NO TIME WAS YYXXX IN JEOPARDY OF GOING AROUND. 1 OF 2 ACFT ON THE RWY AT THE SAME TIME. NO CONFLICT AROSE AND HE WAS STILL 1 MI OUT ON FINAL AS I CLRED. IF HE (TWR) HAD SAID NOTHING I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OFF AT TXWY E, OR IF HE HAD ASKED WHILE ON SHORT FINAL, I COULD HAVE MADE TXWY C EASILY. HIS CLRNCS WERE INCORRECT AND HE DID NOT HAVE TO INPUT, BUT HE DID AND HE CONFUSED THE SIT TO MYSELF AND MY FO. I KNEW WHERE I WAS AT ALL TIMES AND WE HAD BRIEFED THE TURN OFF, TOO, PRIOR TO THE APCH BUT HIS INFLECTION AND HIS 3 CALLS MADE ME THINK I HAD TO GET OFF NOW, SO I DID. I AM NOT SURE THAT THIS IS EVEN AN ISSUE WITH THE TWR CTLR BUT, TO BE SAFE AND SINCE IT UPSET MY FO AS TO THE CONFUSION, WE DECIDED TO SEND THIS IN JUST IN CASE. I THINK THERE WAS NO CONFLICT BUT THE ONLY QUESTION WAS, WAS RWY 22R AN ACTIVE RWY AND SHOULD I NOT HAVE TURNED WITH THE CALL WE RECEIVED? I ONLY KNOW I CLRED TO HELP THE TWR OUT AND WE CLRED RWY 22R QUICKLY NEVER STOPPING ON THE RWY TO EXIT TO TXWY R.

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.