Narrative:

I did all my training and do most of my flying from sna. A common taxi clearance upon clearing the runway after landing is to taxi to the southeast runup area and hold. Often; while in this area; you'll observe one or more large air carriers taxi in-front of you; and then be told that you can continue your taxi to parking once they clear. Sometimes the additional taxi clearance comes after the air carrier passes; and other times; it's before ('hold in the southeast runup area; after the air carrier passes by; taxi to parking' or something along those lines). On this particular instance; I was told to taxi to the southeast runup area and hold. I did so as instructed; and after observing a large air carrier taxi in front of me; I proceeded to taxi to parking (which; incidentally; is immediately across the taxiway from the southeast runup area requiring only about 10 seconds on the taxiway). However; right as I shutdown the airplane; I realized that I never received the additional taxi clearance to continue. In my mind; I had understood the original clearance as an instruction to wait for the air carrier and then go to parking. However; in reflecting on what was actually said on the radio; I believe the instruction was just to go to southeast runup and hold. I may have taxied to parking without the additional clearance to continue. In this case; there was no conflict; as the taxiway was completely clear; but it was obviously inappropriate to taxi without a clearance. The lesson learned for me is that operations at airports with which you are very familiar pose a unique set of risks -- that is; we expect a certain clearance or routing; and our minds/memory may think we got that; even if we didn't. It's easy to be too relaxed at your home airport; and this very simple scenario is a good example of why the same diligence you'd use at an unfamiliar airport is required at your home airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: General aviation pilot reports being instructed to hold in the southeast runup area after landing at SNA. Expectation bias leads the reporter to taxi to parking without clearance after an air carrier jet passes by.

Narrative: I did all my training and do most of my flying from SNA. A common taxi clearance upon clearing the runway after landing is to taxi to the southeast runup area and hold. Often; while in this area; you'll observe one or more large air carriers taxi in-front of you; and then be told that you can continue your taxi to parking once they clear. Sometimes the additional taxi clearance comes after the air carrier passes; and other times; it's before ('hold in the southeast runup area; after the air carrier passes by; taxi to parking' or something along those lines). On this particular instance; I was told to taxi to the southeast runup area and hold. I did so as instructed; and after observing a large air carrier taxi in front of me; I proceeded to taxi to parking (which; incidentally; is immediately across the taxiway from the southeast runup area requiring only about 10 seconds on the taxiway). However; right as I shutdown the airplane; I realized that I never received the additional taxi clearance to continue. In my mind; I had understood the original clearance as an instruction to wait for the air carrier and then go to parking. However; in reflecting on what was actually said on the radio; I believe the instruction was just to go to southeast runup and hold. I may have taxied to parking without the additional clearance to continue. In this case; there was no conflict; as the taxiway was completely clear; but it was obviously inappropriate to taxi without a clearance. The lesson learned for me is that operations at airports with which you are very familiar pose a unique set of risks -- that is; we expect a certain clearance or routing; and our minds/memory may think we got that; even if we didn't. It's easy to be too relaxed at your home airport; and this very simple scenario is a good example of why the same diligence you'd use at an unfamiliar airport is required at your home airport.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.