Narrative:

Located on the north ramp, the aircraft was cleared to runway 19 to hold short of 29. As we approached the exit to the north ramp, both the first officer and myself observed the yellow taxi line I was following curve to the right and disappear into the darkness, appearing to curve back into an unlighted corner of the air carrier north ramp. We both commented to one another that it almost looked like the taxiway. There were no taxi lights to our right and the only blue taxi lights observed were to our right and left front with a black area straight ahead. There is a considerable amount of construction ongoing at sdf and the entrances/exits to the air carrier ramps have changed on a frequent basis. The taxi lighting illuminating the entrances/exits to these ramps has also changed frequently over the last 3 or 4 months. I taxied straight ahead and when it appeared I had reached what is known as the throat to the north ramp, I turned the aircraft to the right. It was at this time I realized I had evidently missed the turn to taxiway G and had taxied onto runway 19. I stopped the aircraft, and we contacted ground control. We told him of our situation, and he cleared us to taxi north on runway 19 to the first taxiway to our right and exit the runway. Ground control also asked if we had difficulty in locating the correct taxiway. Per my direction, the first officer advised ground control that the lighting, or lack of it, at the throat to the north ramp was very confusing and we were unable to find taxiway G and ended up on runway 19. Ground control said that we were the second air carrier aircraft in the last few days that had done this at night, and the other aircraft taxied onto runway 19 when another aircraft was moving into position for takeoff at the departure end of the runway. Ground control stated he would contact someone from the airport authority/authorized to install some better lighting at the intersection of the air carrier north ramp and taxiway G. The lack of proper lighting was the cause of this runway incursion. Instead of proper taxiway lights illuminating the exit from the air carrier north ramp, there are rod-type sticks. Approximately 2 inches in diameter, and about 2 ft high stuck in the concrete delineating the exit from the ramp. The rods are not illuminated and do not have any reflectors which were visible. These rods are visible during daylight hours but are extremely hard to see at night. Adding to the problem of lighting is the uncertainty of the physical ramp confign because of the construction going on at the airport. As a pilot, you are never sure, from 1 day to the other, what the entrance/exit to a given ramp looks like. Both the first officer and myself operate from sdf on a regular basis and are usually familiar with the layout of the airport. Better illumination of the txwys and correct maps highlighting any changes to ramp/taxiway configns should be issued to the pilots with their flight papers. If this was an isolated occurrence, I would just be embarrassed. This evidently was the second incursion in a less than a week, caused by the same confusing situation at the exit to the air carrier north ramp, which is not only embarrassing to the flcs involved, but is concerning because of the potential for an accident of disastrous proportions on runway 19. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the throat from the north ramp to 'G' at 'O' has been widened to encompass the entire north and west ramps. This huge expanse of concrete will generate more problems. The airport manager himself, while driving a car, was on 'G' before he realized it. He thinks the new signs will prevent aircraft making this mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CARGO JET DEPARTING RAMP OVERSHOT TXWY 'G' AND TAXIED ONTO RWY 1.

Narrative: LOCATED ON THE N RAMP, THE ACFT WAS CLRED TO RWY 19 TO HOLD SHORT OF 29. AS WE APCHED THE EXIT TO THE N RAMP, BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF OBSERVED THE YELLOW TAXI LINE I WAS FOLLOWING CURVE TO THE R AND DISAPPEAR INTO THE DARKNESS, APPEARING TO CURVE BACK INTO AN UNLIGHTED CORNER OF THE ACR N RAMP. WE BOTH COMMENTED TO ONE ANOTHER THAT IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE THE TXWY. THERE WERE NO TAXI LIGHTS TO OUR R AND THE ONLY BLUE TAXI LIGHTS OBSERVED WERE TO OUR R AND L FRONT WITH A BLACK AREA STRAIGHT AHEAD. THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF CONSTRUCTION ONGOING AT SDF AND THE ENTRANCES/EXITS TO THE ACR RAMPS HAVE CHANGED ON A FREQUENT BASIS. THE TAXI LIGHTING ILLUMINATING THE ENTRANCES/EXITS TO THESE RAMPS HAS ALSO CHANGED FREQUENTLY OVER THE LAST 3 OR 4 MONTHS. I TAXIED STRAIGHT AHEAD AND WHEN IT APPEARED I HAD REACHED WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE THROAT TO THE N RAMP, I TURNED THE ACFT TO THE R. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I REALIZED I HAD EVIDENTLY MISSED THE TURN TO TXWY G AND HAD TAXIED ONTO RWY 19. I STOPPED THE ACFT, AND WE CONTACTED GND CTL. WE TOLD HIM OF OUR SIT, AND HE CLRED US TO TAXI N ON RWY 19 TO THE FIRST TXWY TO OUR R AND EXIT THE RWY. GND CTL ALSO ASKED IF WE HAD DIFFICULTY IN LOCATING THE CORRECT TXWY. PER MY DIRECTION, THE FO ADVISED GND CTL THAT THE LIGHTING, OR LACK OF IT, AT THE THROAT TO THE N RAMP WAS VERY CONFUSING AND WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND TXWY G AND ENDED UP ON RWY 19. GND CTL SAID THAT WE WERE THE SECOND ACR ACFT IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THAT HAD DONE THIS AT NIGHT, AND THE OTHER ACFT TAXIED ONTO RWY 19 WHEN ANOTHER ACFT WAS MOVING INTO POS FOR TKOF AT THE DEP END OF THE RWY. GND CTL STATED HE WOULD CONTACT SOMEONE FROM THE ARPT AUTH TO INSTALL SOME BETTER LIGHTING AT THE INTXN OF THE ACR N RAMP AND TXWY G. THE LACK OF PROPER LIGHTING WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS RWY INCURSION. INSTEAD OF PROPER TXWY LIGHTS ILLUMINATING THE EXIT FROM THE ACR N RAMP, THERE ARE ROD-TYPE STICKS. APPROX 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER, AND ABOUT 2 FT HIGH STUCK IN THE CONCRETE DELINEATING THE EXIT FROM THE RAMP. THE RODS ARE NOT ILLUMINATED AND DO NOT HAVE ANY REFLECTORS WHICH WERE VISIBLE. THESE RODS ARE VISIBLE DURING DAYLIGHT HRS BUT ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT. ADDING TO THE PROB OF LIGHTING IS THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE PHYSICAL RAMP CONFIGN BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION GOING ON AT THE ARPT. AS A PLT, YOU ARE NEVER SURE, FROM 1 DAY TO THE OTHER, WHAT THE ENTRANCE/EXIT TO A GIVEN RAMP LOOKS LIKE. BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF OPERATE FROM SDF ON A REGULAR BASIS AND ARE USUALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE LAYOUT OF THE ARPT. BETTER ILLUMINATION OF THE TXWYS AND CORRECT MAPS HIGHLIGHTING ANY CHANGES TO RAMP/TXWY CONFIGNS SHOULD BE ISSUED TO THE PLTS WITH THEIR FLT PAPERS. IF THIS WAS AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE, I WOULD JUST BE EMBARRASSED. THIS EVIDENTLY WAS THE SECOND INCURSION IN A LESS THAN A WK, CAUSED BY THE SAME CONFUSING SIT AT THE EXIT TO THE ACR N RAMP, WHICH IS NOT ONLY EMBARRASSING TO THE FLCS INVOLVED, BUT IS CONCERNING BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT OF DISASTROUS PROPORTIONS ON RWY 19. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE THROAT FROM THE N RAMP TO 'G' AT 'O' HAS BEEN WIDENED TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE N AND W RAMPS. THIS HUGE EXPANSE OF CONCRETE WILL GENERATE MORE PROBS. THE ARPT MGR HIMSELF, WHILE DRIVING A CAR, WAS ON 'G' BEFORE HE REALIZED IT. HE THINKS THE NEW SIGNS WILL PREVENT ACFT MAKING THIS MISTAKE.

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.