Narrative:

Aircraft was landed on taxiway on right side of runway 15L. This was a result of a combination of many accumulating factors. The pilot had not landed at the runway before, being based in pao. The pilot had studied the runway description in the current flight guide. It showed a runway (15L) with one taxiway on the left, therefore the pilot was anticipating the runway being on the left. The sun was a few degrees above the horizon but storm clouds to the west caused it to be quite dark. The runway was difficult to find, because of darkness, the runway and taxiway lights had not been turned on, and the single tower controller was unavailable for direction because an airliner had taxied onto another runway and the controller was trying to get it to move off the active runway. In the meantime, the private aircraft had lined up with the taxiway alongside runway 15L. When that aircraft was low enough to allow the taxiway to be illuminated with the landing lights, it was obvious there were no runway markings and full power was applied to conduct a missed approach. However, at the same time an approaching aircraft on another runway had to perform a missed approach because of the airliner on the runway. Because of this factor the private pilot believed the best course of action was to go ahead and land on the taxiway because there were no other aircraft taxiing on or toward the taxiway. This was done west/O incident. This incident was a result of many factors: unofficial airport diagrams cannot be relied on; runway lighting should be controled in some automatic fashion at busy terminals; communications by verbal means is archaic today (too often information cannot be conveyed accurately and in a timely way with the current system. Most modern private aircraft can communicate their coordinates, altitude track and speed to the ground, and navigation or communication receivers can receive burst communications with only an additional demodulator and display); simultaneous approach problems on different runways at the same airport need specific procedures disseminated to all pilots--then the controller could with a general statement inform all pilots in the area that a specific approach and departure condition was in effect.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA LANDED ON A TXWY AT BWI.

Narrative: ACFT WAS LANDED ON TXWY ON RIGHT SIDE OF RWY 15L. THIS WAS A RESULT OF A COMBINATION OF MANY ACCUMULATING FACTORS. THE PLT HAD NOT LANDED AT THE RWY BEFORE, BEING BASED IN PAO. THE PLT HAD STUDIED THE RWY DESCRIPTION IN THE CURRENT FLT GUIDE. IT SHOWED A RWY (15L) WITH ONE TXWY ON THE LEFT, THEREFORE THE PLT WAS ANTICIPATING THE RWY BEING ON THE LEFT. THE SUN WAS A FEW DEGS ABOVE THE HORIZON BUT STORM CLOUDS TO THE W CAUSED IT TO BE QUITE DARK. THE RWY WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND, BECAUSE OF DARKNESS, THE RWY AND TXWY LIGHTS HAD NOT BEEN TURNED ON, AND THE SINGLE TWR CTLR WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR DIRECTION BECAUSE AN AIRLINER HAD TAXIED ONTO ANOTHER RWY AND THE CTLR WAS TRYING TO GET IT TO MOVE OFF THE ACTIVE RWY. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PVT ACFT HAD LINED UP WITH THE TXWY ALONGSIDE RWY 15L. WHEN THAT ACFT WAS LOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE TXWY TO BE ILLUMINATED WITH THE LNDG LIGHTS, IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WERE NO RWY MARKINGS AND FULL PWR WAS APPLIED TO CONDUCT A MISSED APCH. HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME AN APCHING ACFT ON ANOTHER RWY HAD TO PERFORM A MISSED APCH BECAUSE OF THE AIRLINER ON THE RWY. BECAUSE OF THIS FACTOR THE PVT PLT BELIEVED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO GO AHEAD AND LAND ON THE TXWY BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT TAXIING ON OR TOWARD THE TXWY. THIS WAS DONE W/O INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF MANY FACTORS: UNOFFICIAL ARPT DIAGRAMS CANNOT BE RELIED ON; RWY LIGHTING SHOULD BE CTLED IN SOME AUTOMATIC FASHION AT BUSY TERMINALS; COMS BY VERBAL MEANS IS ARCHAIC TODAY (TOO OFTEN INFO CANNOT BE CONVEYED ACCURATELY AND IN A TIMELY WAY WITH THE CURRENT SYS. MOST MODERN PVT ACFT CAN COMMUNICATE THEIR COORDINATES, ALT TRACK AND SPD TO THE GND, AND NAV OR COM RECEIVERS CAN RECEIVE BURST COMS WITH ONLY AN ADDITIONAL DEMODULATOR AND DISPLAY); SIMULTANEOUS APCH PROBS ON DIFFERENT RWYS AT THE SAME ARPT NEED SPECIFIC PROCS DISSEMINATED TO ALL PLTS--THEN THE CTLR COULD WITH A GENERAL STATEMENT INFORM ALL PLTS IN THE AREA THAT A SPECIFIC APCH AND DEP CONDITION WAS IN EFFECT.

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.