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On Tuesday, September 15, a Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-900 may have incurred a pilot deviation after the crew proceeded to line up and wait on the runway without receiving takeoff clearance. The audio, shared by You Can See ATC, shows the aircraft taxiing after the controller announced they were next for departure.
Crucially, the tower did not clear them for takeoff but rather only informed them of the runway of 
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and requested the pilots confirm the plane was ready to depart. Moreover, after the plane had taxied onto the active runway, they responded to the tower saying that they required “30 seconds” before beginning to takeoff roll.
A Late Departure For Istanbul
One Mile at a Time transcribed the conversation between the Newark controller and the 
Turkish Airlines aircrew. The point of confusion appears to have occurred when the pilots stopped their taxi before reaching the Hold Short Line. At that point, the controller said, “Turkish 4YT Heavy, are you able to continue for the runway?” which the aircrew confirmed.
The follow-up instruction that came from the tower was “Okay, continue for the runway,” to which the Turkish pilot responded, “Continue for runway, Turkish 4YT.” Shortly after this moment, the controller called the plane to inform them that they were on runway 4L. The pilots confirmed and did not give any indication that they were aware of the mistake.
The controller instructed the pilots to taxi off of the runway and stand by. Newark Tower also made the dreaded call that comes when a potential pilot deviation has happened. According to One Mile at a Time, the controller said:
“Okay, I’m gonna have to give you a phone number here because you were not cleared onto runway 4L.”
The Need To Leave No Room For Ambiguity On The Flight Deck
There is a point of contention in this interaction that clearly shows why the aircrew were confused.The controller’s choice of phrasing to prompt the pilots to taxi up to the Hold Short Line made it sound as if they should line up on the runway. ATC stated “continue to the runway” instead of saying “continue your taxi” or “continue your taxi, hold short of runway 4L.” This was apparently interpreted by the Turkish pilots as clearance to line up and wait for takeoff.
On the other hand, in aviation communication, it is required to be absolutely clear on any ATC instructions before taking critical actions such as lining up on the runway. Especially at an extremely busy airport like Newark, the responsibility falls upon the aircrew to confirm that they understand what they have been told to do by the tower. Thus, if the pilots had not yet received takeoff clearance and they now believed that was the case, they should have directly asked the tower to confirm.
The Dreaded Phone Number
Unfortunately for the pilots of Turkish Flight TK30 to Istanbul International Airport (IST) last Tuesday, the mistake that they made was severe enough to warrant an official warning. The tower told the pilots to copy down a phone number after they were clear of the active runway. Once they are safely on the ground after the flight is completed, they will call to speak with the ATC facility supervisor or operations manager at Newark.
Whether or not the aircrew receive a pilot deviation will not be made public knowledge following the conversation that comes after the aircrew call the phone number issued to them by the tower. The conversation can result in either a simple review and professional discussion of the event, or it can lead to action by the Federal Aviation Administration.
If the severity of the violation is so great that the ATC determines they need to refer it to the FAA, then there will be an official investigation conducted into the incident. This can lead to fines or license suspension in the worst-case scenario.
Pilots do have the ability to protect their certification by filing a report to NASA through the Aviation Safety Reporting System within 10 days of the event. If the pilots did not make a mistake that was completely accidental, criminal, or a result of incompetence, then they may be protected from punitive measures by the FAA. If the pilot files with ASRS, they’re only protected for five years, and if another incident happens, the FAA has full authority.
