Date: 201702
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: DCA.Airport, DC
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
ATC / advisory: Ground DCA
Second aircraft: Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Physiological - Other; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Taxiway
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: Taxi
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Cleared to taxi on taxiway K-K1 to J in DCA with instructions to give way to a CRJ. After the CRJ passed by we continued on K1 towards J.  We had the morning sun directly in our eyes with the side sunshade and Visor down and in place.  The next thing we heard was [callsign] STOP.  Apparently DC Ground had asked us to give way to a second CRJ on N/J; a command that neither of us heard.  We were at idle thrust and less than 10 kts.  Immediately after hearing the command to STOP we saw the CRJ approaching from the left and stopped.  From there we continued to RW 33 and took off.  It was difficult to see with the bright sun in our eyes but the bottom line is we did not hear the command to yield.  Complacency? Distraction from the sun?  Both?  We simply need to pay more attention to the radio and the traffic around us.  If ATC asked us to yield (and I'm not denying they did) we certainly did not read back the command. In this case the CRJ may have been going too fast and/or didn't try to slow down if they saw us coming.  I'm sure most of us are guilty of sometimes expecting the other aircraft to stop and not slowing down.  There was still plenty of room between the two aircraft after we both stopped.


Second narrative: After push back we requested clearance to taxi; and the instruction was to taxi to Runway 33 via N F and hold short to Runway 01 and give way to a CRJ from left to right as we did. After we saw the CRJ passing; we slowly started to taxi. Shortly after we started taxiing we heard the Controller giving another instruction to give way to a CRJ from left to right. What happened is that we missed the first call and then the controller repeated the instruction for a second time so we see another CRJ coming from our left. At this time the captain stopped at an adequate distance from the other aircraft; but our plane was partially onto the taxiway; so there was no wingtip clearance for the other aircraft to pass and the controller told us to continue taxi. My concern is that the other pilot stated that he had to step on the brakes to stop. There was no need for that because we had plenty of distance. As a result he said that the Flight Attendant got hurt so he had to go back to the gate. Better monitoring of the frequency; better communication between crew and confirmation/clarification of an ATC instruction.


Synopsis: ERJ-175 flight crew reported a taxiway incursion that resulted from a taxi clearance misunderstanding. The incursion led to an abrupt stop by another aircraft that resulted in a Flight Attendant injury.