Narrative:

I was coming out of FBO ramp on the south taxiway when I contacted westchester ground and was told to 'taxi to runway 34, full length, via taxiway charlie.' the route made perfect sense to me at the time, so I acknowledged without hesitation,' roger, sundowner, taxi to runway 34, full length, via charlie.' just 15 min earlier, I had landed on runway 34, exited off to the right on hotel, and was cleared to taxi via alfa and delta to FBO ramp. This route brought me across the active runway 34 without incident, so when I accepted my later clearance to taxi to runway 34 via charlie I understood it to mean that I was to again cross runway 34, although this time via charlie instead of delta, and then continue to runway 34 full length. The first time I realized that something wasn't quite right was as I was crossing runway 34, eastbound on charlie. I glanced to my right, toward the approach end of runway 34, and just at that moment, saw what I think was a twin-engine commuter aircraft lifting off the ground on its takeoff roll from runway 34. The airplane was well established in its climb when it flew over me at roughly 500 ft. I scurried on my way across runway 34 past the hold short lines on taxiway charlie before catching my breath in disbelief and contacting ground again in an attempt to resolve an apparent case of miscom. I told ground who I was (sundowner), where I was, and that it was my assumption that they wanted me to cross runway 34. There was a very brief moment of silence on the controller's end before he very calmly, and with no sense of urgency whatsoever, told me to continue on my way to runway 34, full length, via alfa. A moment later this was amended to runway 29 via alfa then juliet. I departed runway 29 without incident and flew back to home base, still puzzled at what exactly had transpired on the ground at westchester county airport. In the several days since the occurrence, I've had time to situation down and think about what occurred, and have come to several conclusions. There was a small 'auxiliary' taxiway that could have been used to get from FBO to taxiway charlie without crossing runway 34 in the process. The particular diagram I enclosed with this report was not in my possession at the time of the occurrence. The diagram I had in my possession at the time of the occurrence. The diagram I had in my possession was very unclr in its depiction of the 'auxiliary' taxiway. My inability to see the auxiliary taxiway at the time of the occurrence was compounded by additional factors. First, it was dark, and I was unfamiliar with this particular area of the airport. Second, my taxi light on the sundowner is located on the outboard left wing. I had no visual hint whatsoever that a taxiway even existed off my right wing. So, in my mind, at the time, there was only 1 logical route from where I was to runway 34 via charlie. 2) my initial clearance from ground to 'taxi to runway 34, full length, via charlie' was incomplete, and I should have requested clarification from ground. Looking at the diagram later, it is evident that taxiway charlie alone will not get me to runway 34 full length. A more complete taxi clearance would have alerted me to the proper route. I should not have assumed that I was to taxi via charlie, then alfa, to runway 34. 3) I think ground intended for me to stay on the west side of runway 34 and taxi from FBO via the 'auxiliary,' then charlie, then kilo and lima to runway 34. I definitely do not remember hearing the words kilo, lima, or auxiliary, so I took the route I was expecting to hear from ground, which was to cross runway 34 via charlie, then taxi south on alfa to runway 34.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CONFUSED BY ARPT DIAGRAM, RPTR CROSSES ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative: I WAS COMING OUT OF FBO RAMP ON THE S TXWY WHEN I CONTACTED WESTCHESTER GND AND WAS TOLD TO 'TAXI TO RWY 34, FULL LENGTH, VIA TXWY CHARLIE.' THE RTE MADE PERFECT SENSE TO ME AT THE TIME, SO I ACKNOWLEDGED WITHOUT HESITATION,' ROGER, SUNDOWNER, TAXI TO RWY 34, FULL LENGTH, VIA CHARLIE.' JUST 15 MIN EARLIER, I HAD LANDED ON RWY 34, EXITED OFF TO THE R ON HOTEL, AND WAS CLRED TO TAXI VIA ALFA AND DELTA TO FBO RAMP. THIS RTE BROUGHT ME ACROSS THE ACTIVE RWY 34 WITHOUT INCIDENT, SO WHEN I ACCEPTED MY LATER CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 34 VIA CHARLIE I UNDERSTOOD IT TO MEAN THAT I WAS TO AGAIN CROSS RWY 34, ALTHOUGH THIS TIME VIA CHARLIE INSTEAD OF DELTA, AND THEN CONTINUE TO RWY 34 FULL LENGTH. THE FIRST TIME I REALIZED THAT SOMETHING WASN'T QUITE RIGHT WAS AS I WAS XING RWY 34, EBOUND ON CHARLIE. I GLANCED TO MY R, TOWARD THE APCH END OF RWY 34, AND JUST AT THAT MOMENT, SAW WHAT I THINK WAS A TWIN-ENG COMMUTER ACFT LIFTING OFF THE GND ON ITS TKOF ROLL FROM RWY 34. THE AIRPLANE WAS WELL ESTABLISHED IN ITS CLB WHEN IT FLEW OVER ME AT ROUGHLY 500 FT. I SCURRIED ON MY WAY ACROSS RWY 34 PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINES ON TXWY CHARLIE BEFORE CATCHING MY BREATH IN DISBELIEF AND CONTACTING GND AGAIN IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE AN APPARENT CASE OF MISCOM. I TOLD GND WHO I WAS (SUNDOWNER), WHERE I WAS, AND THAT IT WAS MY ASSUMPTION THAT THEY WANTED ME TO CROSS RWY 34. THERE WAS A VERY BRIEF MOMENT OF SILENCE ON THE CTLR'S END BEFORE HE VERY CALMLY, AND WITH NO SENSE OF URGENCY WHATSOEVER, TOLD ME TO CONTINUE ON MY WAY TO RWY 34, FULL LENGTH, VIA ALFA. A MOMENT LATER THIS WAS AMENDED TO RWY 29 VIA ALFA THEN JULIET. I DEPARTED RWY 29 WITHOUT INCIDENT AND FLEW BACK TO HOME BASE, STILL PUZZLED AT WHAT EXACTLY HAD TRANSPIRED ON THE GND AT WESTCHESTER COUNTY ARPT. IN THE SEVERAL DAYS SINCE THE OCCURRENCE, I'VE HAD TIME TO SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED, AND HAVE COME TO SEVERAL CONCLUSIONS. THERE WAS A SMALL 'AUX' TXWY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO GET FROM FBO TO TXWY CHARLIE WITHOUT XING RWY 34 IN THE PROCESS. THE PARTICULAR DIAGRAM I ENCLOSED WITH THIS RPT WAS NOT IN MY POSSESSION AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. THE DIAGRAM I HAD IN MY POSSESSION AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. THE DIAGRAM I HAD IN MY POSSESSION WAS VERY UNCLR IN ITS DEPICTION OF THE 'AUX' TXWY. MY INABILITY TO SEE THE AUX TXWY AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE WAS COMPOUNDED BY ADDITIONAL FACTORS. FIRST, IT WAS DARK, AND I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF THE ARPT. SECOND, MY TAXI LIGHT ON THE SUNDOWNER IS LOCATED ON THE OUTBOARD L WING. I HAD NO VISUAL HINT WHATSOEVER THAT A TXWY EVEN EXISTED OFF MY R WING. SO, IN MY MIND, AT THE TIME, THERE WAS ONLY 1 LOGICAL RTE FROM WHERE I WAS TO RWY 34 VIA CHARLIE. 2) MY INITIAL CLRNC FROM GND TO 'TAXI TO RWY 34, FULL LENGTH, VIA CHARLIE' WAS INCOMPLETE, AND I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED CLARIFICATION FROM GND. LOOKING AT THE DIAGRAM LATER, IT IS EVIDENT THAT TXWY CHARLIE ALONE WILL NOT GET ME TO RWY 34 FULL LENGTH. A MORE COMPLETE TAXI CLRNC WOULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE PROPER RTE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE ASSUMED THAT I WAS TO TAXI VIA CHARLIE, THEN ALFA, TO RWY 34. 3) I THINK GND INTENDED FOR ME TO STAY ON THE W SIDE OF RWY 34 AND TAXI FROM FBO VIA THE 'AUX,' THEN CHARLIE, THEN KILO AND LIMA TO RWY 34. I DEFINITELY DO NOT REMEMBER HEARING THE WORDS KILO, LIMA, OR AUX, SO I TOOK THE RTE I WAS EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM GND, WHICH WAS TO CROSS RWY 34 VIA CHARLIE, THEN TAXI S ON ALFA TO RWY 34.

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.