Narrative:

I have decided to adopt a new policy on ground operations: 'do not move your airplane until you know exactly where you are going, and can visualize exactly how you are going to get there. Now, let me tell you how I came to adopt this maxim. I had flown into the medium sized international airport that morning to visit friends in the city. A check with flight service indicated that I probably had room to get out for a few hours, but things were going down hill time to go. So, out to the airplane. I got her gassed up a preflted. I made a second check to be extra sure none of the snow had decided to stick to my bird, and got everyone aboard. It's dark already. I planned to get a really good feel for the airport layout before my night takeoff. But, with the change in plans I was making an afternoon departure and skipped it. But, it wasn't afternoon here anymore. And I just love big unfamiliar airports at night. Time to break out the approach plate airport map. I reach for it as I tune ATIS. But wait! ATIS says the active runway is 19R, the same as this morning. Great! I crank up ground and ask for a progressive taxi (just to be safe). Ground replies just turn east and hold short of runway 25R. No problem, I turned east onto the taxiway and started looking ahead for hold short lines. Remember, I say to myself, the big boys play here so the lines will be set well back. 200' down the taxiway I begin to wonder how far it really is. Hm...off to my right...that's a jet transport...hm...it seems to be taxiing to the same spot I'm headed for...hm...I conclude that if we both get there, I lose, so I stop. 'Ground, I seem to be headed for the same spot as that jet.' 'you're on runway 25. You were told to hold short' he replies. 'I must have missed seeing the hold short lines, where would you like me to go?' I respond. 'Follow the medium large transport, contact tower on...when you're ready for takeoff.' wonderful! Now he's reading me frequencys. And this pavement is not marked like a runway, it's marked like a taxiway! As the medium large transport taxis by 300' ahead I pulled up the map. The airport map explains volumes. I'm not on runway 25, I'm on its overrun. It's not marked like a runway because it isn't a runway. I'll wager there are no hold short lines. When I got my taxi instructions I translated them to 'turn left and proceed to the hold short lines'. That's not what he said. And, that's not what he meant. I believe what he should have said was 'turn east and hold short of the runway 25 extension'. This would have clued me into the fact that my clearance limit would not look like a runway when I saw it. Nevertheless, while he may have omitted a word I committed a transgression. He expected me to know exactly where I was going and I didn't start my aircraft moving before I could visualize exactly how I was going to get there. I went searching for my clearance limit. I expected that the ground controller knew from my progressive taxi request that I was unfamiliar with the airport and would watch out for me. And that this somehow, excused me from knowing exactly where I was going. I was wrong.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA INADVERTANTLY CROSSES RWY DUE TO HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT, LACK OF AN ARPT CHART, AND HOLD LINES THAT WERE DIFFICULT TO SEE. HAS CONFLICT WITH A TAXIING ACR. HAPPENED AT MKE.

Narrative: I HAVE DECIDED TO ADOPT A NEW POLICY ON GND OPS: 'DO NOT MOVE YOUR AIRPLANE UNTIL YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE GOING, AND CAN VISUALIZE EXACTLY HOW YOU ARE GOING TO GET THERE. NOW, LET ME TELL YOU HOW I CAME TO ADOPT THIS MAXIM. I HAD FLOWN INTO THE MEDIUM SIZED INTL ARPT THAT MORNING TO VISIT FRIENDS IN THE CITY. A CHK WITH FLT SVC INDICATED THAT I PROBABLY HAD ROOM TO GET OUT FOR A FEW HRS, BUT THINGS WERE GOING DOWN HILL TIME TO GO. SO, OUT TO THE AIRPLANE. I GOT HER GASSED UP A PREFLTED. I MADE A SECOND CHK TO BE EXTRA SURE NONE OF THE SNOW HAD DECIDED TO STICK TO MY BIRD, AND GOT EVERYONE ABOARD. IT'S DARK ALREADY. I PLANNED TO GET A REALLY GOOD FEEL FOR THE ARPT LAYOUT BEFORE MY NIGHT TKOF. BUT, WITH THE CHANGE IN PLANS I WAS MAKING AN AFTERNOON DEP AND SKIPPED IT. BUT, IT WASN'T AFTERNOON HERE ANYMORE. AND I JUST LOVE BIG UNFAMILIAR ARPTS AT NIGHT. TIME TO BREAK OUT THE APCH PLATE ARPT MAP. I REACH FOR IT AS I TUNE ATIS. BUT WAIT! ATIS SAYS THE ACTIVE RWY IS 19R, THE SAME AS THIS MORNING. GREAT! I CRANK UP GND AND ASK FOR A PROGRESSIVE TAXI (JUST TO BE SAFE). GND REPLIES JUST TURN E AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 25R. NO PROB, I TURNED E ONTO THE TXWY AND STARTED LOOKING AHEAD FOR HOLD SHORT LINES. REMEMBER, I SAY TO MYSELF, THE BIG BOYS PLAY HERE SO THE LINES WILL BE SET WELL BACK. 200' DOWN THE TXWY I BEGIN TO WONDER HOW FAR IT REALLY IS. HM...OFF TO MY R...THAT'S A JET TRANSPORT...HM...IT SEEMS TO BE TAXIING TO THE SAME SPOT I'M HEADED FOR...HM...I CONCLUDE THAT IF WE BOTH GET THERE, I LOSE, SO I STOP. 'GND, I SEEM TO BE HEADED FOR THE SAME SPOT AS THAT JET.' 'YOU'RE ON RWY 25. YOU WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT' HE REPLIES. 'I MUST HAVE MISSED SEEING THE HOLD SHORT LINES, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO GO?' I RESPOND. 'FOLLOW THE MLG, CONTACT TWR ON...WHEN YOU'RE READY FOR TKOF.' WONDERFUL! NOW HE'S READING ME FREQS. AND THIS PAVEMENT IS NOT MARKED LIKE A RWY, IT'S MARKED LIKE A TXWY! AS THE MLG TAXIS BY 300' AHEAD I PULLED UP THE MAP. THE ARPT MAP EXPLAINS VOLUMES. I'M NOT ON RWY 25, I'M ON ITS OVERRUN. IT'S NOT MARKED LIKE A RWY BECAUSE IT ISN'T A RWY. I'LL WAGER THERE ARE NO HOLD SHORT LINES. WHEN I GOT MY TAXI INSTRUCTIONS I TRANSLATED THEM TO 'TURN L AND PROCEED TO THE HOLD SHORT LINES'. THAT'S NOT WHAT HE SAID. AND, THAT'S NOT WHAT HE MEANT. I BELIEVE WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE SAID WAS 'TURN E AND HOLD SHORT OF THE RWY 25 EXTENSION'. THIS WOULD HAVE CLUED ME INTO THE FACT THAT MY CLRNC LIMIT WOULD NOT LOOK LIKE A RWY WHEN I SAW IT. NEVERTHELESS, WHILE HE MAY HAVE OMITTED A WORD I COMMITTED A TRANSGRESSION. HE EXPECTED ME TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE I WAS GOING AND I DIDN'T START MY ACFT MOVING BEFORE I COULD VISUALIZE EXACTLY HOW I WAS GOING TO GET THERE. I WENT SEARCHING FOR MY CLRNC LIMIT. I EXPECTED THAT THE GND CTLR KNEW FROM MY PROGRESSIVE TAXI REQUEST THAT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND WOULD WATCH OUT FOR ME. AND THAT THIS SOMEHOW, EXCUSED ME FROM KNOWING EXACTLY WHERE I WAS GOING. I WAS WRONG.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.