Narrative:

Encountered gate hold of approximately 15 mins. Considerable confusion existed concerning departures, delays, routes and advice times. Ground controller seemed harried as he continually switched aircraft back and forth between himself--clearance--and gate hold. When we received clearance we were cleared to 'runway 22R, RA to outer to romeo short of microphone, remain with me.' when reaching microphone, where approximately #4 or 5, ground asked us, 'can you accept intersection departure from microphone?' when we advised we could, we were told or heard, 'taxi into position and hold. Contact tower 118.3.' I started down microphone toward runway while first officer tuned radio to tower frequency. At that time I noticed an air carrier going into position at the end of the runway. Then it dawned on me that ground control had issued the clearance into position, not the local, so I stopped short of the runway, but well beyond the hold line. Once contact with tower (local) was made, he expressed concern re: our holding short beyond the hold line. We relayed the above events to him. He uttered an unintelligible comment. All 3 flight deck crew members agree that we all heard ground clear us into position and hold. If by chance he said something different, his terminology had to be non standard and very close to 'position and hold' for all of us to have believed we heard the same clearance. I believe he should have said 'hold short of runway 22R on taxiway microphone. Contact tower 118.3.'

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT THOUGHT THE GND CTLR CLEARED HIM INTO POSITION AND HOLD ON THE ACTIVE RWY AND THEN CHANGED HIM TO LCL FREQ. LCL CTLR UPSET BECAUSE THE LGT CROSSED THE HOLD LINE WHEN ANOTHER ACR WAS READY FOR TKOF AT THE END OF THE RWY.

Narrative: ENCOUNTERED GATE HOLD OF APPROX 15 MINS. CONSIDERABLE CONFUSION EXISTED CONCERNING DEPS, DELAYS, ROUTES AND ADVICE TIMES. GND CTLR SEEMED HARRIED AS HE CONTINUALLY SWITCHED ACFT BACK AND FORTH BTWN HIMSELF--CLRNC--AND GATE HOLD. WHEN WE RECEIVED CLRNC WE WERE CLRED TO 'RWY 22R, RA TO OUTER TO ROMEO SHORT OF MIKE, REMAIN WITH ME.' WHEN REACHING MIKE, WHERE APPROX #4 OR 5, GND ASKED US, 'CAN YOU ACCEPT INTXN DEP FROM MIKE?' WHEN WE ADVISED WE COULD, WE WERE TOLD OR HEARD, 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. CONTACT TWR 118.3.' I STARTED DOWN MIKE TOWARD RWY WHILE F/O TUNED RADIO TO TWR FREQ. AT THAT TIME I NOTICED AN ACR GOING INTO POS AT THE END OF THE RWY. THEN IT DAWNED ON ME THAT GND CTL HAD ISSUED THE CLRNC INTO POS, NOT THE LCL, SO I STOPPED SHORT OF THE RWY, BUT WELL BEYOND THE HOLD LINE. ONCE CONTACT WITH TWR (LCL) WAS MADE, HE EXPRESSED CONCERN RE: OUR HOLDING SHORT BEYOND THE HOLD LINE. WE RELAYED THE ABOVE EVENTS TO HIM. HE UTTERED AN UNINTELLIGIBLE COMMENT. ALL 3 FLT DECK CREW MEMBERS AGREE THAT WE ALL HEARD GND CLR US INTO POS AND HOLD. IF BY CHANCE HE SAID SOMETHING DIFFERENT, HIS TERMINOLOGY HAD TO BE NON STANDARD AND VERY CLOSE TO 'POS AND HOLD' FOR ALL OF US TO HAVE BELIEVED WE HEARD THE SAME CLRNC. I BELIEVE HE SHOULD HAVE SAID 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 22R ON TXWY MIKE. CONTACT TWR 118.3.'

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.