Narrative:

Air carrier X, a heavy transport, was instructed to taxi to runway 5R for departure by ground control. Taxiway centerline lights were recently installed on txwys sierra, romeo, and hotel. The aircraft was assumed to use romeo intersection to join taxiway lima and taxi to the approach end of runway 5R. The aircraft mistakenly followed the taxiway centerline lights on taxiway romeo, went through taxiway lima and almost taxied onto runway 5R at intersection romeo before the aircraft was instructed to stop by ground control. No runway incursion occurred. The previous night the same mistake was made by an air carrier medium large transport following the same taxi route except it involved taxiway sierra. A solution to avoid this mistake from happening in the future, would be to have the lights shielded, so as not to be visible from the ramp or txwys in an outbnd direction, but would still be highly visible to aircraft exiting the runways.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DEVIATED FROM TAXI CLRNC DUE TO NEW TXWY CENTERLINE LIGHTS AND ALMOST ENTERED AN ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative: ACR X, A HVT, WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 5R FOR DEP BY GND CTL. TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS WERE RECENTLY INSTALLED ON TXWYS SIERRA, ROMEO, AND HOTEL. THE ACFT WAS ASSUMED TO USE ROMEO INTXN TO JOIN TXWY LIMA AND TAXI TO THE APCH END OF RWY 5R. THE ACFT MISTAKENLY FOLLOWED THE TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS ON TXWY ROMEO, WENT THROUGH TXWY LIMA AND ALMOST TAXIED ONTO RWY 5R AT INTXN ROMEO BEFORE THE ACFT WAS INSTRUCTED TO STOP BY GND CTL. NO RWY INCURSION OCCURRED. THE PREVIOUS NIGHT THE SAME MISTAKE WAS MADE BY AN ACR MLG FOLLOWING THE SAME TAXI RTE EXCEPT IT INVOLVED TXWY SIERRA. A SOLUTION TO AVOID THIS MISTAKE FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE, WOULD BE TO HAVE THE LIGHTS SHIELDED, SO AS NOT TO BE VISIBLE FROM THE RAMP OR TXWYS IN AN OUTBND DIRECTION, BUT WOULD STILL BE HIGHLY VISIBLE TO ACFT EXITING THE RWYS.

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.