Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Taxiway
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Airport; Procedure; Chart Or Publication
I was the PF (Pilot Flying). I was receiving my annual line check from LCA (Line Check Airman) Captain. The flight up to this point had proceeded without incident. We were cleared for the visual approach 24R at LAX. Touchdown was within the touchdown zone with a fairly gusty right crosswind. During the rollout phase; with the reversers out; we were instructed to 'roll to the end BB; I'll call your turn off the runway.' To which my FO (First Officer) replied; 'Roll to BB.' We then continued past Z and AA and turned off on BB. It was only after making the turn at BB did I notice Super departing 24L in his rotation phase between Z and AA. We held short of 24L on BB. After the A380 had departed; we were cleared to cross 24L and contacted North Ground. North Ground instructed us to taxi via the Bridge route. After switching to South Ground we were told to copy a phone number for a possible pilot deviation. We blocked into gate and shut down. At that point I asked [Check Captain] if he heard or seen anything that we could have possibly done wrong. An observer; with a bird's eye view; often sees trends and developments that pilots don't notice. In this case; [he] didn't see any safety; procedural or ATC concerns. [ATC was] researching whether we had deviated ATC instructions during the landing roll out. [ATC stated] that with an A380 departing 24L; the tower controllers must maintain a safety area. They cannot have any aircraft holding in between 24L and 24R. With that in mind we should have not turned onto BB. Essentially; the Tower Controller gave me a non-standard; improvised LASHO clearance during a critical phase of flight while I was managing the decelerating energy of our aircraft in gusty crosswind conditions. These instructions were given while we were using max reverse causing added noise to clearly hear ATC's unusual hold short instructions. All I heard was 'roll down to BB.' No problem. Not sure why I needed to pass up Z or AA as those are no longer full; but I will comply with the controller's request. When I heard; 'BB' that to me meant; turn off on BB. Why would it not? On final; had the controller said something specific like: Head's up; Aircraft X; departing Super on 24L; plan on rolling to the end and hold short of BB on 24R.' Even better; the controller could have delayed [A380's] departure for 20 more seconds and allowed us to clear 24L behind [another aircraft]. At that point; 24R and the safety zone would have been clear. As pilots we get nervous when we spend too much time on the runway after landing. It is not intuitive to roll down to an available taxiway; stop the aircraft and stay ON the runway. I always assume traffic is landing behind us and I felt uneasy as it was to roll past AA. Now I was supposed to STAY ON THE RUNWAY?! Nowhere in the LAX reference charts; taxi charts or [Company] 10-7 plates does it mention the ATC safety area for A380's departing 24L. At 100 knots on landing; how are we to interpret that a controllers comment; 'I'll call your turn off the runway;' means that if a Super were to abort its takeoff; its right wingtip would strike your airplane if were holding between the runways. As he was behind us; we didn't realize a Super was departing the inbound runway until we turned the aircraft onto BB. In the dozens of times I've reviewed this scenario in my mind; based on the split second information I had at the time; at 100 knots; I would have done the same thing again. However; based on this new information from the Tower; I now have the inside knowledge of the Airbus A380 safety zone and the controllers cryptic; 'I'll call your turn off the runway;' now makes sense and I'd know for next time. But how do you convey all that information to a pilot during the landing phase. Quite simply; you don't. It needs to be briefed ahead of time; through safety bulletins and notes in the Jeppesen plates. [Company] Flight Ops needs to get this information out to all [company] pilots. Wecan't just rely on tribal knowledge that a clearance like this may occur and why. It makes sense now that it's been explained to me; but such non-standard phraseology in our case wasn't clear at the time. I also encourage LAX to put something on the page about the safety zone for departing A380's. In 7 years of being based in LAX; I had no idea the 'Super A380 safety zone' existed. I knew there were in-trail separation requirements; but had no idea there were also lateral requirements unique to the north complex at LAX. That needs to change. This information needs to be shared to all pilots operating in/out of LAX.
Air carrier pilot reported a taxiway incursion at LAX airport. Reporter cited non-standard phraseology as a contributing factor.