GA small transport missed a turn on an unlighted taxiway at night in the fog and went into the ditch...

Attributes
ACN	171091
Time
Date	199102
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bwi
State Reference	MD
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : fwa
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Recip Eng
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 1650 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	171091
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Distance from where the turn began to the ditch was approximately 15'. Employees at the FBO adjacent to the ramp said they had been waiting for such an occurrence. The ditch was not visible to me or my observation pilot anyway due to the improper lighting. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. The incident happened at bwi on a relatively newly constructed taxiway. The pilot was not familiar with this taxiway and had looked away as he approached the bend to turn on his window defroster as the windshield had started to fog over. The FAA investigated the incident but did not file charges and the airport has installed reflectors along the taxiway and plans to put in taxiway lights. The reporter also said he was using his taxi light instead of his landing lights that night or he might have seen the turn in the taxiway in spite of the inadequate markings/lighting. He was following a centerline but looked away at the wrong time.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMT MISSED A TURN ON AN UNLIGHTED TXWY AT NIGHT IN THE FOG AND WENT INTO THE DITCH.

Narrative: DISTANCE FROM WHERE THE TURN BEGAN TO THE DITCH WAS APPROX 15'. EMPLOYEES AT THE FBO ADJACENT TO THE RAMP SAID THEY HAD BEEN WAITING FOR SUCH AN OCCURRENCE. THE DITCH WAS NOT VISIBLE TO ME OR MY OBSERVATION PLT ANYWAY DUE TO THE IMPROPER LIGHTING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AT BWI ON A RELATIVELY NEWLY CONSTRUCTED TXWY. THE PLT WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS TXWY AND HAD LOOKED AWAY AS HE APCHED THE BEND TO TURN ON HIS WINDOW DEFROSTER AS THE WINDSHIELD HAD STARTED TO FOG OVER. THE FAA INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT BUT DID NOT FILE CHARGES AND THE ARPT HAS INSTALLED REFLECTORS ALONG THE TXWY AND PLANS TO PUT IN TXWY LIGHTS. THE REPORTER ALSO SAID HE WAS USING HIS TAXI LIGHT INSTEAD OF HIS LNDG LIGHTS THAT NIGHT OR HE MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE TURN IN THE TXWY IN SPITE OF THE INADEQUATE MARKINGS/LIGHTING. HE WAS FOLLOWING A CTRLINE BUT LOOKED AWAY AT THE WRONG TIME.

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.