Narrative:

We were taxiing out to the active runway. A rather busy night. Taxi out was normal, single engine as per our operating manual. When past the last active duty taxiway we switched to the published tower frequency on our chart and monitored. This is where 'the chain' may have been broken. A light civilian was on tower frequency 3-4 mi from the actives (runways 13L&right in use) and said he couldn't see the runway. The controller was occupied with ensuring the pilot picked up runway 13L, not runway 13R. This distracted us as we listened. We then realized we hadn't heard the aircraft ahead of us cleared for takeoff, yet he was rolling. This started our search for the proper tower frequency. (Back to ground, then to the proper tower.) he said 'for the third time, cleared to position and hold.' we noted some urgency in his voice and were rushing to finish our checklists. In an effort to use all the runway, we taxied out perpendicular to the centerline to make a 'square' turn for lineup, only the captain got a little disoriented and picked up the runway edge identify lights. We ended up straddling 1 light and returned to runway centerline. We then opted to return to the gate, have maintenance check us out and redispatch. We also notified ground of a possible REIL that we may have hit. Everything checked ok and we didn't hit a light after all. Contributing factors: tower frequency not given to us or published. I should have heard the frequency from others being switched in front of us, though. Only a few taxi lead-out lights to runway centerline (which is a displaced threshold) with centerline lights starting several hundred, if not a thousand ft down the runway. A runway edge light across from and slightly down the runway from the taxiway we used to enter onto the runway, thereby not giving us the normal visual cues. These factors could cause a serious problem in low visibility conditions, especially with the distrs of so many foreign carriers whose pilots may speak english with a very heavy accent. This was the last leg to our home after a 3-DAY trip. It's a very good time to not get rushed and ensure that each is backing up the other. I realize I probably should have been 'outside' rather than doing those last min FMS things. They could wait until runway line-up. Supplemental information from acn 319317: cleared to taxi in position and hold runway 13R (jfk) only 3 green taxi lead lights in pavement to guide aircraft to runway centerline. Squared turn from taxiway to runway. All white right side runway edge lights inoperative at end of runway (first 4 or 5 lights on right side of runway). There were no runway centerline lights at departure end of runway 13R as this portion of runway is in a displaced threshold (runway 13R runway centerline lights begin at landing threshold, about 2000 ft from departure end). At night it is blackness due to right side runway edge lights inoperative. Tired and distracted. Almost lined aircraft up with right edge of runway, expecting and thinking this was the white runway centerline lights. Returned to gate, checked to see if right main gear hit an unlit runway edge light. No damage found, returned for takeoff. Jfk needs to repair/replace inoperative runway edge lights. Also jfk should illuminate a continuous line of taxiway centerline lights that guide aircraft to runway centerline (runway 13R). Right now, only 3 in-pavement lights are lit at the curve of taxiway to runway. If you square turn to runway (as I did) you will completely miss these 3 lights. Callback conversation with reporter from acn 319317 revealed the following information: this captain was flying an MD88 that night from jfk, an airport that he rarely goes into. The taxiway and the end of runway 13R were missing numerous lights. The captain said that the missing lights, the confusion about the incorrect tower frequency and the rush to finish the checklist were just enough of a distraction for him to mistake the right side runway lights for the expected centerline lights. As soon as he realized his error the captain turned away from the side of the runway and, as a precaution, returned to the gate area for an inspection. The runway centerline lights do not begin on this runway until the displaced threshold, about 2000 ft from the takeoff end of runway 13R. This was confusing to the reporter since the txwys had centerline lights until he got to the lead-in lead-out lights, most of which were missing, and the missing centerline lights. The tower frequency was another confusing factor for the flight crew since it did not mention the fact that the tower uses 2 frequencys in rush hours. The other frequency was not listed on the commercial chart of the airport or mentioned on the ATIS broadcast and the flight crew had to request the frequency from the ground controller.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY LIGHT OUTAGE. ACR CREW LINES UP ON THE RWY'S R EDGE LIGHTS MISTAKING THEM FOR CTRLINE LIGHTS DUE TO NUMEROUS LIGHTS BEING OUT.

Narrative: WE WERE TAXIING OUT TO THE ACTIVE RWY. A RATHER BUSY NIGHT. TAXI OUT WAS NORMAL, SINGLE ENG AS PER OUR OPERATING MANUAL. WHEN PAST THE LAST ACTIVE DUTY TXWY WE SWITCHED TO THE PUBLISHED TWR FREQ ON OUR CHART AND MONITORED. THIS IS WHERE 'THE CHAIN' MAY HAVE BEEN BROKEN. A LIGHT CIVILIAN WAS ON TWR FREQ 3-4 MI FROM THE ACTIVES (RWYS 13L&R IN USE) AND SAID HE COULDN'T SEE THE RWY. THE CTLR WAS OCCUPIED WITH ENSURING THE PLT PICKED UP RWY 13L, NOT RWY 13R. THIS DISTRACTED US AS WE LISTENED. WE THEN REALIZED WE HADN'T HEARD THE ACFT AHEAD OF US CLRED FOR TKOF, YET HE WAS ROLLING. THIS STARTED OUR SEARCH FOR THE PROPER TWR FREQ. (BACK TO GND, THEN TO THE PROPER TWR.) HE SAID 'FOR THE THIRD TIME, CLRED TO POS AND HOLD.' WE NOTED SOME URGENCY IN HIS VOICE AND WERE RUSHING TO FINISH OUR CHKLISTS. IN AN EFFORT TO USE ALL THE RWY, WE TAXIED OUT PERPENDICULAR TO THE CTRLINE TO MAKE A 'SQUARE' TURN FOR LINEUP, ONLY THE CAPT GOT A LITTLE DISORIENTED AND PICKED UP THE RWY EDGE IDENT LIGHTS. WE ENDED UP STRADDLING 1 LIGHT AND RETURNED TO RWY CTRLINE. WE THEN OPTED TO RETURN TO THE GATE, HAVE MAINT CHK US OUT AND REDISPATCH. WE ALSO NOTIFIED GND OF A POSSIBLE REIL THAT WE MAY HAVE HIT. EVERYTHING CHKED OK AND WE DIDN'T HIT A LIGHT AFTER ALL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: TWR FREQ NOT GIVEN TO US OR PUBLISHED. I SHOULD HAVE HEARD THE FREQ FROM OTHERS BEING SWITCHED IN FRONT OF US, THOUGH. ONLY A FEW TAXI LEAD-OUT LIGHTS TO RWY CTRLINE (WHICH IS A DISPLACED THRESHOLD) WITH CTRLINE LIGHTS STARTING SEVERAL HUNDRED, IF NOT A THOUSAND FT DOWN THE RWY. A RWY EDGE LIGHT ACROSS FROM AND SLIGHTLY DOWN THE RWY FROM THE TXWY WE USED TO ENTER ONTO THE RWY, THEREBY NOT GIVING US THE NORMAL VISUAL CUES. THESE FACTORS COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS PROB IN LOW VISIBILITY CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE DISTRS OF SO MANY FOREIGN CARRIERS WHOSE PLTS MAY SPEAK ENGLISH WITH A VERY HVY ACCENT. THIS WAS THE LAST LEG TO OUR HOME AFTER A 3-DAY TRIP. IT'S A VERY GOOD TIME TO NOT GET RUSHED AND ENSURE THAT EACH IS BACKING UP THE OTHER. I REALIZE I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN 'OUTSIDE' RATHER THAN DOING THOSE LAST MIN FMS THINGS. THEY COULD WAIT UNTIL RWY LINE-UP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 319317: CLRED TO TAXI IN POS AND HOLD RWY 13R (JFK) ONLY 3 GREEN TAXI LEAD LIGHTS IN PAVEMENT TO GUIDE ACFT TO RWY CTRLINE. SQUARED TURN FROM TXWY TO RWY. ALL WHITE R SIDE RWY EDGE LIGHTS INOP AT END OF RWY (FIRST 4 OR 5 LIGHTS ON R SIDE OF RWY). THERE WERE NO RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS AT DEP END OF RWY 13R AS THIS PORTION OF RWY IS IN A DISPLACED THRESHOLD (RWY 13R RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS BEGIN AT LNDG THRESHOLD, ABOUT 2000 FT FROM DEP END). AT NIGHT IT IS BLACKNESS DUE TO R SIDE RWY EDGE LIGHTS INOP. TIRED AND DISTRACTED. ALMOST LINED ACFT UP WITH R EDGE OF RWY, EXPECTING AND THINKING THIS WAS THE WHITE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS. RETURNED TO GATE, CHKED TO SEE IF R MAIN GEAR HIT AN UNLIT RWY EDGE LIGHT. NO DAMAGE FOUND, RETURNED FOR TKOF. JFK NEEDS TO REPAIR/REPLACE INOP RWY EDGE LIGHTS. ALSO JFK SHOULD ILLUMINATE A CONTINUOUS LINE OF TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS THAT GUIDE ACFT TO RWY CTRLINE (RWY 13R). RIGHT NOW, ONLY 3 IN-PAVEMENT LIGHTS ARE LIT AT THE CURVE OF TXWY TO RWY. IF YOU SQUARE TURN TO RWY (AS I DID) YOU WILL COMPLETELY MISS THESE 3 LIGHTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR FROM ACN 319317 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS CAPT WAS FLYING AN MD88 THAT NIGHT FROM JFK, AN ARPT THAT HE RARELY GOES INTO. THE TXWY AND THE END OF RWY 13R WERE MISSING NUMEROUS LIGHTS. THE CAPT SAID THAT THE MISSING LIGHTS, THE CONFUSION ABOUT THE INCORRECT TWR FREQ AND THE RUSH TO FINISH THE CHKLIST WERE JUST ENOUGH OF A DISTR FOR HIM TO MISTAKE THE R SIDE RWY LIGHTS FOR THE EXPECTED CTRLINE LIGHTS. AS SOON AS HE REALIZED HIS ERROR THE CAPT TURNED AWAY FROM THE SIDE OF THE RWY AND, AS A PRECAUTION, RETURNED TO THE GATE AREA FOR AN INSPECTION. THE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS DO NOT BEGIN ON THIS RWY UNTIL THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD, ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE TKOF END OF RWY 13R. THIS WAS CONFUSING TO THE RPTR SINCE THE TXWYS HAD CTRLINE LIGHTS UNTIL HE GOT TO THE LEAD-IN LEAD-OUT LIGHTS, MOST OF WHICH WERE MISSING, AND THE MISSING CTRLINE LIGHTS. THE TWR FREQ WAS ANOTHER CONFUSING FACTOR FOR THE FLC SINCE IT DID NOT MENTION THE FACT THAT THE TWR USES 2 FREQS IN RUSH HRS. THE OTHER FREQ WAS NOT LISTED ON THE COMMERCIAL CHART OF THE ARPT OR MENTIONED ON THE ATIS BROADCAST AND THE FLC HAD TO REQUEST THE FREQ FROM THE GND CTLR.

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.