Narrative:

Pilot, who has about 2500 hours flying time, turned off the runway to the left. There were patches of snow and ice on the runway which made the preferable turn off to the right more difficult. After clearing the runway, I (in the right seat) requested tower clearance across the active runway to the opp side of the field for overnight parking. The only word I heard over my headset, which had functioned properly the entire flight, was 'cleared.' pilot also heard only the work 'cleared.' the tower had made no mention of landing traffic behind us in its transmission to us. I glanced to the right, and seeing no aircraft, pilot began to taxi across the runway to the opp taxiway. Once we were in the middle of the runway, the tower operator screamed at us in an agitated voice to clear the runway. Pilot accelerated the aircraft across the remaining width of the runway, and shortly thereafter a landing light aircraft rolled by behind us at the end of its landing rollout. I called the tower operator who said that he had said, 'remain clear of the runway.' the tower tapes may verify that, but the only word pilot and I heard was 'cleared.' this potentially drastic situation could have been avoided if the tower operator had used standard terminology to which I have become accustomed in over 25 yrs of flying, to wit, 'hold short for landing traffic.' the use of the word 'clear' in a transmission restricting access to an active runway is fraught with disaster if only 1 word of the transmission is missed, as in the case, the word 'remain' clear of the runway. It is my firm conviction that standard phraseology should be used in all tower to aircraft xmissions to reduce the possibility of false interpretations of vital xmissions. The word 'clear' or 'cleared' should never be used except in authorizing aircraft movements, never for restricting aircraft movements.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA CROSSED ACTIVE RWY WITH ANOTHER SMA LNDG SAME RWY.

Narrative: PLT, WHO HAS ABOUT 2500 HRS FLYING TIME, TURNED OFF THE RWY TO THE LEFT. THERE WERE PATCHES OF SNOW AND ICE ON THE RWY WHICH MADE THE PREFERABLE TURN OFF TO THE RIGHT MORE DIFFICULT. AFTER CLRING THE RWY, I (IN THE RIGHT SEAT) REQUESTED TWR CLRNC ACROSS THE ACTIVE RWY TO THE OPP SIDE OF THE FIELD FOR OVERNIGHT PARKING. THE ONLY WORD I HEARD OVER MY HEADSET, WHICH HAD FUNCTIONED PROPERLY THE ENTIRE FLT, WAS 'CLRED.' PLT ALSO HEARD ONLY THE WORK 'CLRED.' THE TWR HAD MADE NO MENTION OF LNDG TFC BEHIND US IN ITS XMISSION TO US. I GLANCED TO THE RIGHT, AND SEEING NO ACFT, PLT BEGAN TO TAXI ACROSS THE RWY TO THE OPP TXWY. ONCE WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY, THE TWR OPERATOR SCREAMED AT US IN AN AGITATED VOICE TO CLR THE RWY. PLT ACCELERATED THE ACFT ACROSS THE REMAINING WIDTH OF THE RWY, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER A LNDG LIGHT ACFT ROLLED BY BEHIND US AT THE END OF ITS LNDG ROLLOUT. I CALLED THE TWR OPERATOR WHO SAID THAT HE HAD SAID, 'REMAIN CLR OF THE RWY.' THE TWR TAPES MAY VERIFY THAT, BUT THE ONLY WORD PLT AND I HEARD WAS 'CLRED.' THIS POTENTIALLY DRASTIC SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE TWR OPERATOR HAD USED STANDARD TERMINOLOGY TO WHICH I HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED IN OVER 25 YRS OF FLYING, TO WIT, 'HOLD SHORT FOR LNDG TFC.' THE USE OF THE WORD 'CLR' IN A XMISSION RESTRICTING ACCESS TO AN ACTIVE RWY IS FRAUGHT WITH DISASTER IF ONLY 1 WORD OF THE XMISSION IS MISSED, AS IN THE CASE, THE WORD 'REMAIN' CLR OF THE RWY. IT IS MY FIRM CONVICTION THAT STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY SHOULD BE USED IN ALL TWR TO ACFT XMISSIONS TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF FALSE INTERPRETATIONS OF VITAL XMISSIONS. THE WORD 'CLR' OR 'CLRED' SHOULD NEVER BE USED EXCEPT IN AUTHORIZING ACFT MOVEMENTS, NEVER FOR RESTRICTING ACFT MOVEMENTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.