Taxiway marking hold line -- airport site characteristic terrain -- air carrier is told to hold shor...

Attributes
ACN	314699
Time
Date	199508
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : den
State Reference	CO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	314699
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

Taxiing from runway 35R on ec we were told to hold short of runway 35L. Ec is uphill and we were unable to see the hold short line until we were on top of it. The hold short line is quite a way from the runway and we expected it to be further down the taxiway. We crossed over the hold short line and stopped. We were still well clear of the runway. I believe the unusual placement of the hold short line and the difficulty in seeing it due to the uphill taxi caused the problem. It would help to have a sign abeam the line to let us know where it was. There was not a traffic conflict only embarrassment. I'm sure it is a chronic problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was in an advanced B727-200 when the flight crew discovered the hold line problem. This new airport has numerous hills and the txwys, runways and even other aircraft are often difficult to see from the cockpit. This reporter said that they were not the only ones to be surprised about some of the airport's features and is concerned about the hills when the normal winter WX causes slick surfaces.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY MARKING HOLD LINE -- ARPT SITE CHARACTERISTIC TERRAIN -- ACR IS TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF THE NEXT RWY, BUT UPON TOPPING THE HILL ON THE TXWY DISCOVERS THAT IT IS XING THE HOLD LINE.

Narrative: TAXIING FROM RWY 35R ON EC WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 35L. EC IS UPHILL AND WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE THE HOLD SHORT LINE UNTIL WE WERE ON TOP OF IT. THE HOLD SHORT LINE IS QUITE A WAY FROM THE RWY AND WE EXPECTED IT TO BE FURTHER DOWN THE TXWY. WE CROSSED OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND STOPPED. WE WERE STILL WELL CLR OF THE RWY. I BELIEVE THE UNUSUAL PLACEMENT OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND THE DIFFICULTY IN SEEING IT DUE TO THE UPHILL TAXI CAUSED THE PROB. IT WOULD HELP TO HAVE A SIGN ABEAM THE LINE TO LET US KNOW WHERE IT WAS. THERE WAS NOT A TFC CONFLICT ONLY EMBARRASSMENT. I'M SURE IT IS A CHRONIC PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS IN AN ADVANCED B727-200 WHEN THE FLC DISCOVERED THE HOLD LINE PROB. THIS NEW ARPT HAS NUMEROUS HILLS AND THE TXWYS, RWYS AND EVEN OTHER ACFT ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO SEE FROM THE COCKPIT. THIS RPTR SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES TO BE SURPRISED ABOUT SOME OF THE ARPT'S FEATURES AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HILLS WHEN THE NORMAL WINTER WX CAUSES SLICK SURFACES.

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.

Taxiway marking hold line -- airport site characteristic terrain -- air carrier is told to hold short of the next runway, but upon topping the hill on the taxiway discovers that it is crossing the hold line.