Small aircraft tail dragger crosses from ramp to taxiway without contacting ground.

Attributes
ACN	279062
Time
Date	199408
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : arb
State Reference	MI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Cessna 140
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 1350 flight time type : 620
ASRS Report	279062
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Airport
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

No yellow lines separating taxiway and hangars. Airport in dilapidated condition. I was taxiing from hangar and went onto taxiway by 3 ft and then called ground. They need yellow lines. Ann arbor needs yellow lines on ramp and txwys! Reporter states he flies a cessna 140A which is a tail dragger. It is difficult to see when taxiing and he crossed over the ramp area onto the taxiway prior to contacting ground control. He would like to see a double yellow hold line to identify the beginning of the taxiway. Even yellow lines at the side boundary of the txwys would help. The tower cannot see aircraft at this spot due to a large tree which needs to be cut down for visibility. No one saw him cross this area but he is taking no chances. The taxiway has great holes in it, the airport management had to place large metal pieces over the threshold of the taxiway/runway intersection as aircraft were sinking into the surface. There is a concentrated effort by local political groups to assure the airport will be shut down by 2003 and the city has refused both federal and state funding to help maintain the airport. Reporter believes that the snow removal equipment may scrape away the paint when removing the snow. He is quite upset as are many other pilots.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA TAIL DRAGGER CROSSES FROM RAMP TO TXWY WITHOUT CONTACTING GND.

Narrative: NO YELLOW LINES SEPARATING TXWY AND HANGARS. ARPT IN DILAPIDATED CONDITION. I WAS TAXIING FROM HANGAR AND WENT ONTO TXWY BY 3 FT AND THEN CALLED GND. THEY NEED YELLOW LINES. ANN ARBOR NEEDS YELLOW LINES ON RAMP AND TXWYS! RPTR STATES HE FLIES A CESSNA 140A WHICH IS A TAIL DRAGGER. IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE WHEN TAXIING AND HE CROSSED OVER THE RAMP AREA ONTO THE TXWY PRIOR TO CONTACTING GND CTL. HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A DOUBLE YELLOW HOLD LINE TO IDENT THE BEGINNING OF THE TXWY. EVEN YELLOW LINES AT THE SIDE BOUNDARY OF THE TXWYS WOULD HELP. THE TWR CANNOT SEE ACFT AT THIS SPOT DUE TO A LARGE TREE WHICH NEEDS TO BE CUT DOWN FOR VISIBILITY. NO ONE SAW HIM CROSS THIS AREA BUT HE IS TAKING NO CHANCES. THE TXWY HAS GREAT HOLES IN IT, THE ARPT MGMNT HAD TO PLACE LARGE METAL PIECES OVER THE THRESHOLD OF THE TXWY/RWY INTXN AS ACFT WERE SINKING INTO THE SURFACE. THERE IS A CONCENTRATED EFFORT BY LCL POLITICAL GROUPS TO ASSURE THE ARPT WILL BE SHUT DOWN BY 2003 AND THE CITY HAS REFUSED BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING TO HELP MAINTAIN THE ARPT. RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP MAY SCRAPE AWAY THE PAINT WHEN REMOVING THE SNOW. HE IS QUITE UPSET AS ARE MANY OTHER PLTS.

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.