Date: 201207
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: BOS.Airport, MA
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
ATC / advisory: Tower BOS
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Time Pressure; Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Ground Incursion Taxiway
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control; Person Flight Crew
When detected: Taxi
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Procedure; Environment - Non Weather Related
Primary problem: Procedure

Narrative: We landed on Runway 4R in Boston and took the high speed exit at Y.  As we were taking the exit and slowing below 60 knots; Tower very quickly gave us the following instructions all at once.  He said; 'Aircraft X exit Y to 33R and left on M; cross 33L and hold short 4L on Q.'  The left turn to Taxiway M is immediate and would have required us to be much slower at that point to make the left 145 degree turn.  As we missed it; we were told by Tower to stop.  We stopped short of 4L on Runway 33R slightly over the hold short line.  No traffic was taking off or landing on Runway 4L.  Tower then told us to turn left and taxi on Runway 4L and hold short of 33L.  We then followed instructions uneventfully the rest of the way to our gate.  We returned to Boston a second time that morning and received the exact approach and taxi instructions to the gate.  As we slowed down on the high speed exit at Y; we were given a much simpler taxi instruction that was easy to copy.  The instructions were progressive and not all given to us at a point of high work load exiting the runway.   It would have been helpful if the Tower Operator had told us to make an immediate left turn onto M after exiting the high speed off Runway 4R.  We found that the instructions we first received from the Tower were distracting and should have been given in stages.


Second narrative: Instructions were: 'Left turn Yankee; left on 33R; left turn Mike; cross 33L; hold short 4L on Quebec.'  I was heads down trying to copy this into the scratch pad of the FMC; so we had all these instructions.  At the taxi speed we were traveling; we missed taxiway Mike (this is an immediate left turn after entering 33R for taxi).  By the time we realized; we started to stop abruptly; as ATC also said 'stop stop stop.' Threats and Errors: Lots of taxi instructions in one sentence at a fast pace (I couldn't keep up with him putting them into the scratch pad of the FMC; or even writing them down).  We both had the airport diagram in view; but weren't looking at it at the exact moment of passing taxiway Mike.


Synopsis: While exiting BOS Runway 4R; an air carrier crew was given rapid fire after landing taxi instructions; which they could neither comprehend nor comply with.