Narrative:

Upon clearing runway 21R at the Y3 turnoff, ground control instructed the crew to 'hold short of uniform and advise if your gate is open.' ramp control advised our gate would be occupied for at least an additional 10 mins. Ground control issued a clearance to make a right turn into the uniform holding pad. The aircraft was positioned on the far west end of the uniform pad, south of taxiway uniform on a 350 degree magnetic heading. Operations advised that our gate would soon become available. Ground control issued a clearance to 'turn right onto yankee and hold short of runway 9/27.' upon turning out of the uniform pad, I became confused as to the identify of the taxiway. I advised the captain that 'I don't think this is it.' I questioned ground control 'what taxiway are we on now?' ground control advised 'you are on wolf, hold short of runway 9/27.' ground control issued a clearance to 'cross runway 9/27 and transition to the outer north of runway 9/27, hold short of yankee 7.' I have operated from this airport continuously for more than 15 yrs as captain and first officer serving 3 airlines. I am familiar with ongoing problems with taxiway markings in this specific area. When we initiated the turn onto taxiway wolf, it didn't feel right. I immediately attempted to reconcile our position with the taxi chart. With existing signage, it is impossible to reconcile position, in fact, existing signage would lead one to believe that we were on taxiway yankee when in fact we were on taxiway wolf. I'm angered at the fact that, even though one knows the location of booby traps at this airport (there are many), it is still possible to trip a wire. Good crew coordination allowed us to stop the aircraft and reconcile our position with ATC. While parked in the uniform holding pad, the one and only sign identing taxiway wolf is not visible to the captain or first officer. Even if the signage were visible to the first officer, in the first 50 yards of the taxi sequence, the aircraft turns 30 degrees to the right, 90 degrees to the left, and again 120 degrees to the right while this crew member is simultaneously communicating with ATC, company operations, and constantly moving the head up and down from the taxi chart in an attempt to follow the taxi route. Many times the first officer is too task loaded, disoriented from constant turning and up and down head movement, or both, to identify an error. From the captain's position, the first and only sign identing taxiway yankee is the black and yellow new style taxiway sign north of taxiway uniform between taxiway wolf and taxiway yankee. Arter turning onto taxiway wolf, this sign is conveniently located at about the 10 O'clock position to falsely reinforce to the crew that the aircraft is on taxiway yankee. In this scenario, the captain believed the controller wanted the aircraft to make the first turn out of the taxiway uniform holding area to avoid traffic clearing runway 21R at taxiway Y4. Taxi signs should immediately be installed south of taxiway uniform at taxiway wolf to identify taxiway wolf from the captain's position when exiting the taxiway uniform holding area. The taxiway wolf sign north of taxiway uniform faces perpendicular to taxiway uniform and is unreadable to aircraft heading 350 degrees at the west end of the taxiway uniform holding pad. This sign should be identifiable and readable to any aircraft exiting the pad. The present taxiway yankee sign north of uniform should be relocated south of uniform and proper signs identing uniform taxiway should be located on taxiway wolf north of uniform to clearly identify that taxiway when turning from uniform. In-pavement centerline taxi lights should be installed from taxiway uniform to taxiway wolf and taxiway uniform to taxiway yankee to more clearly differentiate and identify these txwys. Taxiway wolf is easily missed at night and during low visibility periods given the above scenario.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG GOT LOST IN THE MAZE OF TXWY SIGNS AT DTW.

Narrative: UPON CLRING RWY 21R AT THE Y3 TURNOFF, GND CTL INSTRUCTED THE CREW TO 'HOLD SHORT OF UNIFORM AND ADVISE IF YOUR GATE IS OPEN.' RAMP CTL ADVISED OUR GATE WOULD BE OCCUPIED FOR AT LEAST AN ADDITIONAL 10 MINS. GND CTL ISSUED A CLRNC TO MAKE A R TURN INTO THE UNIFORM HOLDING PAD. THE ACFT WAS POSITIONED ON THE FAR W END OF THE UNIFORM PAD, S OF TXWY UNIFORM ON A 350 DEG MAGNETIC HDG. OPS ADVISED THAT OUR GATE WOULD SOON BECOME AVAILABLE. GND CTL ISSUED A CLRNC TO 'TURN R ONTO YANKEE AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9/27.' UPON TURNING OUT OF THE UNIFORM PAD, I BECAME CONFUSED AS TO THE IDENT OF THE TXWY. I ADVISED THE CAPT THAT 'I DON'T THINK THIS IS IT.' I QUESTIONED GND CTL 'WHAT TXWY ARE WE ON NOW?' GND CTL ADVISED 'YOU ARE ON WOLF, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 9/27.' GND CTL ISSUED A CLRNC TO 'CROSS RWY 9/27 AND TRANSITION TO THE OUTER N OF RWY 9/27, HOLD SHORT OF YANKEE 7.' I HAVE OPERATED FROM THIS ARPT CONTINUOUSLY FOR MORE THAN 15 YRS AS CAPT AND FO SERVING 3 AIRLINES. I AM FAMILIAR WITH ONGOING PROBS WITH TXWY MARKINGS IN THIS SPECIFIC AREA. WHEN WE INITIATED THE TURN ONTO TXWY WOLF, IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO RECONCILE OUR POS WITH THE TAXI CHART. WITH EXISTING SIGNAGE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RECONCILE POS, IN FACT, EXISTING SIGNAGE WOULD LEAD ONE TO BELIEVE THAT WE WERE ON TXWY YANKEE WHEN IN FACT WE WERE ON TXWY WOLF. I'M ANGERED AT THE FACT THAT, EVEN THOUGH ONE KNOWS THE LOCATION OF BOOBY TRAPS AT THIS ARPT (THERE ARE MANY), IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO TRIP A WIRE. GOOD CREW COORD ALLOWED US TO STOP THE ACFT AND RECONCILE OUR POS WITH ATC. WHILE PARKED IN THE UNIFORM HOLDING PAD, THE ONE AND ONLY SIGN IDENTING TXWY WOLF IS NOT VISIBLE TO THE CAPT OR FO. EVEN IF THE SIGNAGE WERE VISIBLE TO THE FO, IN THE FIRST 50 YARDS OF THE TAXI SEQUENCE, THE ACFT TURNS 30 DEGS TO THE R, 90 DEGS TO THE L, AND AGAIN 120 DEGS TO THE R WHILE THIS CREW MEMBER IS SIMULTANEOUSLY COMMUNICATING WITH ATC, COMPANY OPS, AND CONSTANTLY MOVING THE HEAD UP AND DOWN FROM THE TAXI CHART IN AN ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW THE TAXI RTE. MANY TIMES THE FO IS TOO TASK LOADED, DISORIENTED FROM CONSTANT TURNING AND UP AND DOWN HEAD MOVEMENT, OR BOTH, TO IDENT AN ERROR. FROM THE CAPT'S POS, THE FIRST AND ONLY SIGN IDENTING TXWY YANKEE IS THE BLACK AND YELLOW NEW STYLE TXWY SIGN N OF TXWY UNIFORM BTWN TXWY WOLF AND TXWY YANKEE. ARTER TURNING ONTO TXWY WOLF, THIS SIGN IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT ABOUT THE 10 O'CLOCK POS TO FALSELY REINFORCE TO THE CREW THAT THE ACFT IS ON TXWY YANKEE. IN THIS SCENARIO, THE CAPT BELIEVED THE CTLR WANTED THE ACFT TO MAKE THE FIRST TURN OUT OF THE TXWY UNIFORM HOLDING AREA TO AVOID TFC CLRING RWY 21R AT TXWY Y4. TAXI SIGNS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE INSTALLED S OF TXWY UNIFORM AT TXWY WOLF TO IDENT TXWY WOLF FROM THE CAPT'S POS WHEN EXITING THE TXWY UNIFORM HOLDING AREA. THE TXWY WOLF SIGN N OF TXWY UNIFORM FACES PERPENDICULAR TO TXWY UNIFORM AND IS UNREADABLE TO ACFT HDG 350 DEGS AT THE W END OF THE TXWY UNIFORM HOLDING PAD. THIS SIGN SHOULD BE IDENTIFIABLE AND READABLE TO ANY ACFT EXITING THE PAD. THE PRESENT TXWY YANKEE SIGN N OF UNIFORM SHOULD BE RELOCATED S OF UNIFORM AND PROPER SIGNS IDENTING UNIFORM TXWY SHOULD BE LOCATED ON TXWY WOLF N OF UNIFORM TO CLRLY IDENT THAT TXWY WHEN TURNING FROM UNIFORM. IN-PAVEMENT CTRLINE TAXI LIGHTS SHOULD BE INSTALLED FROM TXWY UNIFORM TO TXWY WOLF AND TXWY UNIFORM TO TXWY YANKEE TO MORE CLRLY DIFFERENTIATE AND IDENT THESE TXWYS. TXWY WOLF IS EASILY MISSED AT NIGHT AND DURING LOW VISIBILITY PERIODS GIVEN THE ABOVE SCENARIO.

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.