Narrative:

After landing at jfk at PM27 local on runway 13L we were cleared to taxi to our building via outer (O) and sierra (south) txwys. The captain was using his wheel to control aircraft. I (first officer) was looking in my chart when I heard the captain say 'was that sierra we just passed?' he started to slow and I tried to look for taxi signs. I finally spotted a romeo (right) taxi sign, but we were already past it. The captain stopped the aircraft and told ground control we were lost and needed help. He (ground controller) asked where we were, so we told him 'on the outer, just past romeo.' he said, 'are you abeam an airbus on the inner ramp?' we (captain) said 'can't tell what kind of aircraft' (too dark). He said he could see us and to 'turn right onto romeo.' we said 'we were already past romeo.' he said, (very testy) to 'turn right on romeo.' we said, 'it's another air carrier ramp there.' he said (very testy) to turn right, so we did. We ended up in the other air carrier ramp for hangar 'B.' we notified ground control of this and requested help from ground to get back to 'sierra' taxiway. He said, 'I don't have control of ramp areas.' we pressed him and finally he said do a 180 and turn left on romeo (we later discovered that from that ramp area you have to taxi to the outer or inner to get to romeo). I noticed that the only taxiway lights lighted were the 'outer' center lights. There was no light for right or south until about 100-200 yards onto the taxiway. Also, the taxiway identifier lights were extinguished. The captain turned left as a 747 approached from the outer opposite direction. They stopped as we turned onto an access road! We could not back up and our tail blocked the 747. After about 40 mins, we finally were pushed back into the ramp again and the 747 went by. The ground controller (now a female) then told us to 'turn left on romeo' which would have put us back on the access road!!? We refused and asked for the 'outer' to 'sierra' which we finally got! Ground controllers at jfk are not familiar enough with cargo area to lend assistance when needed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter, the first officer, stated that the situation was very confusing and started when the turnoff lights identing sierra and romeo were not readily seen. There may have been a light outage on the first officer's side of the taxiway. The blue centerline taxiway lights for txwys sierra and romeo were also out from that point for approximately 100 to 200 yards into the freight ramp area. There were operative green centerline lights on the outer taxiway, however. The confusing ground controller instructions given in an increasingly irritated manner occurred because the controller did not nor could not discern the reporter's aircraft's still east of taxiway sierra. That's when they went into hangar 8 ramp area on direction of the controller. After the 180 on the ramp the controller advised the flight to take the first left prior to the outer on romeo. That's when they found themselves on the access road. Reporter says there are at least 3 roads within this large macadam covered junction, very hard to see what is what. Another complaint was that the sierra taxiway from a runway 13L taxi is more than the 90 degree turn as depicted on the aeronautical chart. There was also no lighting on sierra bravo, the short taxiway between 'south' and 'right.' reporter felt that both controllers thought that taxiway 'sb' went all the way around to the aircraft's position and could be accessed from the hangar 8 access taxiway so as to join romeo without having to go the outer taxiway. Supplemental information from acn 291445: as I completed the turn, it did not appear that we were entering a taxiway. I brought the aircraft to a stop and advised ground. A vehicle was sent out to confirm our location. I called our company and had them dispatch a tug. This could have been avoided: 1) had I been more familiar with the airport layout and 2) had the ground controller not been confused as to our exact location on the field. Supplemental information from acn 291832: flight crew was confused (night) as to proper taxi route, asked for instructions from ground but was incorrectly directed based on a wrong assumption of our position. Recommendation: easy to confuse some of the access roads with taxiway rtes. Taxiway route south(centerline) are well lit but access roads should be marked more appropriately (especially for night operations).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EXCURSION FROM TXWY BY ACR FREIGHTER IN A NIGHT OP.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AT JFK AT PM27 LCL ON RWY 13L WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO OUR BUILDING VIA OUTER (O) AND SIERRA (S) TXWYS. THE CAPT WAS USING HIS WHEEL TO CTL ACFT. I (FO) WAS LOOKING IN MY CHART WHEN I HEARD THE CAPT SAY 'WAS THAT SIERRA WE JUST PASSED?' HE STARTED TO SLOW AND I TRIED TO LOOK FOR TAXI SIGNS. I FINALLY SPOTTED A ROMEO (R) TAXI SIGN, BUT WE WERE ALREADY PAST IT. THE CAPT STOPPED THE ACFT AND TOLD GND CTL WE WERE LOST AND NEEDED HELP. HE (GND CTLR) ASKED WHERE WE WERE, SO WE TOLD HIM 'ON THE OUTER, JUST PAST ROMEO.' HE SAID, 'ARE YOU ABEAM AN AIRBUS ON THE INNER RAMP?' WE (CAPT) SAID 'CAN'T TELL WHAT KIND OF ACFT' (TOO DARK). HE SAID HE COULD SEE US AND TO 'TURN R ONTO ROMEO.' WE SAID 'WE WERE ALREADY PAST ROMEO.' HE SAID, (VERY TESTY) TO 'TURN R ON ROMEO.' WE SAID, 'IT'S ANOTHER ACR RAMP THERE.' HE SAID (VERY TESTY) TO TURN R, SO WE DID. WE ENDED UP IN THE OTHER ACR RAMP FOR HANGAR 'B.' WE NOTIFIED GND CTL OF THIS AND REQUESTED HELP FROM GND TO GET BACK TO 'SIERRA' TXWY. HE SAID, 'I DON'T HAVE CTL OF RAMP AREAS.' WE PRESSED HIM AND FINALLY HE SAID DO A 180 AND TURN L ON ROMEO (WE LATER DISCOVERED THAT FROM THAT RAMP AREA YOU HAVE TO TAXI TO THE OUTER OR INNER TO GET TO ROMEO). I NOTICED THAT THE ONLY TXWY LIGHTS LIGHTED WERE THE 'OUTER' CTR LIGHTS. THERE WAS NO LIGHT FOR R OR S UNTIL ABOUT 100-200 YARDS ONTO THE TXWY. ALSO, THE TXWY IDENTIFIER LIGHTS WERE EXTINGUISHED. THE CAPT TURNED L AS A 747 APCHED FROM THE OUTER OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THEY STOPPED AS WE TURNED ONTO AN ACCESS ROAD! WE COULD NOT BACK UP AND OUR TAIL BLOCKED THE 747. AFTER ABOUT 40 MINS, WE FINALLY WERE PUSHED BACK INTO THE RAMP AGAIN AND THE 747 WENT BY. THE GND CTLR (NOW A FEMALE) THEN TOLD US TO 'TURN L ON ROMEO' WHICH WOULD HAVE PUT US BACK ON THE ACCESS ROAD!!? WE REFUSED AND ASKED FOR THE 'OUTER' TO 'SIERRA' WHICH WE FINALLY GOT! GND CTLRS AT JFK ARE NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH CARGO AREA TO LEND ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR, THE FO, STATED THAT THE SIT WAS VERY CONFUSING AND STARTED WHEN THE TURNOFF LIGHTS IDENTING SIERRA AND ROMEO WERE NOT READILY SEEN. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A LIGHT OUTAGE ON THE FO'S SIDE OF THE TXWY. THE BLUE CTRLINE TXWY LIGHTS FOR TXWYS SIERRA AND ROMEO WERE ALSO OUT FROM THAT POINT FOR APPROX 100 TO 200 YARDS INTO THE FREIGHT RAMP AREA. THERE WERE OPERATIVE GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS ON THE OUTER TXWY, HOWEVER. THE CONFUSING GND CTLR INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN IN AN INCREASINGLY IRRITATED MANNER OCCURRED BECAUSE THE CTLR DID NOT NOR COULD NOT DISCERN THE RPTR'S ACFT'S STILL E OF TXWY SIERRA. THAT'S WHEN THEY WENT INTO HANGAR 8 RAMP AREA ON DIRECTION OF THE CTLR. AFTER THE 180 ON THE RAMP THE CTLR ADVISED THE FLT TO TAKE THE FIRST L PRIOR TO THE OUTER ON ROMEO. THAT'S WHEN THEY FOUND THEMSELVES ON THE ACCESS ROAD. RPTR SAYS THERE ARE AT LEAST 3 ROADS WITHIN THIS LARGE MACADAM COVERED JUNCTION, VERY HARD TO SEE WHAT IS WHAT. ANOTHER COMPLAINT WAS THAT THE SIERRA TXWY FROM A RWY 13L TAXI IS MORE THAN THE 90 DEG TURN AS DEPICTED ON THE AERO CHART. THERE WAS ALSO NO LIGHTING ON SIERRA BRAVO, THE SHORT TXWY BTWN 'S' AND 'R.' RPTR FELT THAT BOTH CTLRS THOUGHT THAT TXWY 'SB' WENT ALL THE WAY AROUND TO THE ACFT'S POS AND COULD BE ACCESSED FROM THE HANGAR 8 ACCESS TXWY SO AS TO JOIN ROMEO WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THE OUTER TXWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 291445: AS I COMPLETED THE TURN, IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT WE WERE ENTERING A TXWY. I BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP AND ADVISED GND. A VEHICLE WAS SENT OUT TO CONFIRM OUR LOCATION. I CALLED OUR COMPANY AND HAD THEM DISPATCH A TUG. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED: 1) HAD I BEEN MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT AND 2) HAD THE GND CTLR NOT BEEN CONFUSED AS TO OUR EXACT LOCATION ON THE FIELD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 291832: FLC WAS CONFUSED (NIGHT) AS TO PROPER TAXI RTE, ASKED FOR INSTRUCTIONS FROM GND BUT WAS INCORRECTLY DIRECTED BASED ON A WRONG ASSUMPTION OF OUR POS. RECOMMENDATION: EASY TO CONFUSE SOME OF THE ACCESS ROADS WITH TXWY RTES. TXWY RTE S(CTRLINE) ARE WELL LIT BUT ACCESS ROADS SHOULD BE MARKED MORE APPROPRIATELY (ESPECIALLY FOR NIGHT OPS).

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.