Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airport; Human Factors; Procedure
I was PIC for our flight from HPN. HPN was departing Runway 34. We had an issue while taxiing. Due to construction at the airline terminal; parts of Taxiway A were closed requiring departures to taxi across Runway 34 to taxiway L. We were assigned to hold short of 34 at Taxiway E; which we did. After holding we were told to cross 34 on E to L and hold short of 29. My [First Officer] read back the instructions and we began to taxi. Ground repeated the instructions and my [First Officer] read it back again. At this point we were rolling but not across the hold short line as to be on Runway 34. We both had been paying attention to the traffic and saw nothing when we entered the runway. When she called us the third time; we were on the runway; and again my [First Officer] read back the entire clearance; including the hold short instructions like he did the previous two times. The last two times he did so; I saw the 'TX' annunciator on RMU 1 and heard his voice over the radio. I queried the controller asking if she was hearing us as we readback the clearances. She said she didn't hear the readbacks. There was no traffic conflict or safety issue. It seems she didn't hear our readback even though we read it back each time. However I could understand her concern if we were crossing a runway without having readback he clearance. We could tell things were busy in the tower and there was lots of traffic at HPN that day. We had no other issues that day with the radio over three flights.
Business jet Captain reported the First Officer read back their taxi clearance; but Ground was not receiving. After repeating the clearance three times; the Captain queried Ground who said they were not receiving the First Officer's transmissions.