Narrative:

Landed on runway 9L. Tower instructed us to turn right onto taxiway P; then right on alpha bridge. He then said to disregard and instead turn right onto runway 14L/32R and then right on taxiway a. On taxiway a; we saw conflicting traffic coming across alpha bridge opposite direction and stopped. I queried ground and he said to now taxi via txwys P; H; and a. He assumed I understood left on taxiway H; which would have taken us counterclockwise around the terminal. What I and the captain understood was a right on taxiway P; right on taxiway H (cross runways 14L/32R); and right on taxiway a. When he (ground) saw us turn right onto taxiway H he asked how we expected to get to taxiway a from there. By this time the traffic conflict had cleared and ground cleared us back onto taxiway a and across the alpha bridge to the ramp. What we found out later was that what we thought was taxiway a was actually taxiway H2. Bottom line: the ord 20-9 page needs to be more clear that the section of pavement between taxiway H and the approach end of runway 32R is taxiway H2 and not taxiway a. (Taxiway a actually starts on the south side of runway 32R.) supplemental information from acn 701514: we switched to ground control and they instructed us to turn right on taxiway P; taxiway H; taxiway a. We turned right on taxiway P; right on taxiway H; and held short of runway 14L. Ground had wanted us to turn left on taxiway H.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MD88 FLT CREW HAS A TXWY INCURSION AT ORD.

Narrative: LANDED ON RWY 9L. TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TURN R ONTO TXWY P; THEN R ON ALPHA BRIDGE. HE THEN SAID TO DISREGARD AND INSTEAD TURN R ONTO RWY 14L/32R AND THEN R ON TXWY A. ON TXWY A; WE SAW CONFLICTING TFC COMING ACROSS ALPHA BRIDGE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND STOPPED. I QUERIED GND AND HE SAID TO NOW TAXI VIA TXWYS P; H; AND A. HE ASSUMED I UNDERSTOOD L ON TXWY H; WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN US COUNTERCLOCKWISE AROUND THE TERMINAL. WHAT I AND THE CAPT UNDERSTOOD WAS A R ON TXWY P; R ON TXWY H (CROSS RWYS 14L/32R); AND R ON TXWY A. WHEN HE (GND) SAW US TURN R ONTO TXWY H HE ASKED HOW WE EXPECTED TO GET TO TXWY A FROM THERE. BY THIS TIME THE TFC CONFLICT HAD CLRED AND GND CLRED US BACK ONTO TXWY A AND ACROSS THE ALPHA BRIDGE TO THE RAMP. WHAT WE FOUND OUT LATER WAS THAT WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS TXWY A WAS ACTUALLY TXWY H2. BOTTOM LINE: THE ORD 20-9 PAGE NEEDS TO BE MORE CLR THAT THE SECTION OF PAVEMENT BTWN TXWY H AND THE APCH END OF RWY 32R IS TXWY H2 AND NOT TXWY A. (TXWY A ACTUALLY STARTS ON THE S SIDE OF RWY 32R.) SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 701514: WE SWITCHED TO GND CTL AND THEY INSTRUCTED US TO TURN R ON TXWY P; TXWY H; TXWY A. WE TURNED R ON TXWY P; R ON TXWY H; AND HELD SHORT OF RWY 14L. GND HAD WANTED US TO TURN L ON TXWY H.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.