Narrative:

The problem started with a 1 hour 29 min ground delay in srq followed by a speed reduction en route and holding for 1 hour before proceeding to the alternate airport of ric. Upon landing and taxiing to a remote area, it took over 1 hour 20 mins to get a flight plan to ewr. At this time we were given an additional 2 hour ground delay. Passenger were very annoyed so to accommodate them we arranged with company to allow them to deplane once a gate became available. When given permission to taxi, I taxied by taxiway T to the ramp area. There was an aircraft on the gate and a company aircraft parked awaiting ATC release. It was too narrow to taxi so I followed ATC instruction to turn right on taxiway aa to taxiway a. I couldn't turn left from taxiway a to get to the apron as both taxiway C and taxiway D were closed, so I had to turn right on taxiway a followed by another flight on taxiway east. When turning from taxiway a to taxiway east the right main gear exited the taxiway and became stuck in the mud. The airport is under a lot of construction and the taxiway east had no lead-in lights. Also, taxiway east is very narrow with a very small apron leading into it. When talking to airport auths we were told that this was the third time this year that this has happened with one of the mishaps being another air carrier. Also, the ground was very soft due to heavy rains. The winds were strong and gusting at the time. The passenger were deplaned and bussed to the terminal with no injuries. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he was flying an MD80. There was a lot of construction going on in all the areas he was taxiing and throughout the airport. This night was dark and rainy. When he cleared the runway at alpha he was cleared by ground control to taxiway T on which a big red lettered sign says not suitable for air carrier aircraft. The ground control assured him he was ok to taxi on taxiway T. The reporter said taxiway C and taxiway D were not usable. Therefore, he was required to taxi back on taxiway a to taxiway east. The blue taxiway edge lights are about 3 ft into the dirt from the paved edge of the taxiway. At night and in the rain he could not see where the pavement ended and the dirt began. He believes ground control should have warned him. This is the beginning of march and already 3 acrs this yr had done what he did auths told him. He did not know of anything that has been done to correct the problem other than ongoing construction may be addressing the problem. In the meantime the tower ground control could perhaps provide better warnings.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR EXPERIENCES EXTENSIVE GND HOLD DELAYS. ACFT REQUIRED TO MANEUVER ABOUT THE ARPT IN PROCESS OF GETTING TO THE GATE. R GEAR GETS OFF PAVEMENT INTO MUD TURNING FROM TXWY A TO TXWY E. AUTHS SAY THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS YR.

Narrative: THE PROB STARTED WITH A 1 HR 29 MIN GND DELAY IN SRQ FOLLOWED BY A SPD REDUCTION ENRTE AND HOLDING FOR 1 HR BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE ALTERNATE ARPT OF RIC. UPON LNDG AND TAXIING TO A REMOTE AREA, IT TOOK OVER 1 HR 20 MINS TO GET A FLT PLAN TO EWR. AT THIS TIME WE WERE GIVEN AN ADDITIONAL 2 HR GND DELAY. PAX WERE VERY ANNOYED SO TO ACCOMMODATE THEM WE ARRANGED WITH COMPANY TO ALLOW THEM TO DEPLANE ONCE A GATE BECAME AVAILABLE. WHEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO TAXI, I TAXIED BY TXWY T TO THE RAMP AREA. THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE GATE AND A COMPANY ACFT PARKED AWAITING ATC RELEASE. IT WAS TOO NARROW TO TAXI SO I FOLLOWED ATC INSTRUCTION TO TURN R ON TXWY AA TO TXWY A. I COULDN'T TURN L FROM TXWY A TO GET TO THE APRON AS BOTH TXWY C AND TXWY D WERE CLOSED, SO I HAD TO TURN R ON TXWY A FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER FLT ON TXWY E. WHEN TURNING FROM TXWY A TO TXWY E THE R MAIN GEAR EXITED THE TXWY AND BECAME STUCK IN THE MUD. THE ARPT IS UNDER A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION AND THE TXWY E HAD NO LEAD-IN LIGHTS. ALSO, TXWY E IS VERY NARROW WITH A VERY SMALL APRON LEADING INTO IT. WHEN TALKING TO ARPT AUTHS WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH ONE OF THE MISHAPS BEING ANOTHER ACR. ALSO, THE GND WAS VERY SOFT DUE TO HVY RAINS. THE WINDS WERE STRONG AND GUSTING AT THE TIME. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED AND BUSSED TO THE TERMINAL WITH NO INJURIES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE WAS FLYING AN MD80. THERE WAS A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN ALL THE AREAS HE WAS TAXIING AND THROUGHOUT THE ARPT. THIS NIGHT WAS DARK AND RAINY. WHEN HE CLRED THE RWY AT ALPHA HE WAS CLRED BY GND CTL TO TXWY T ON WHICH A BIG RED LETTERED SIGN SAYS NOT SUITABLE FOR ACR ACFT. THE GND CTL ASSURED HIM HE WAS OK TO TAXI ON TXWY T. THE RPTR SAID TXWY C AND TXWY D WERE NOT USABLE. THEREFORE, HE WAS REQUIRED TO TAXI BACK ON TXWY A TO TXWY E. THE BLUE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS ARE ABOUT 3 FT INTO THE DIRT FROM THE PAVED EDGE OF THE TXWY. AT NIGHT AND IN THE RAIN HE COULD NOT SEE WHERE THE PAVEMENT ENDED AND THE DIRT BEGAN. HE BELIEVES GND CTL SHOULD HAVE WARNED HIM. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND ALREADY 3 ACRS THIS YR HAD DONE WHAT HE DID AUTHS TOLD HIM. HE DID NOT KNOW OF ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROB OTHER THAN ONGOING CONSTRUCTION MAY BE ADDRESSING THE PROB. IN THE MEANTIME THE TWR GND CTL COULD PERHAPS PROVIDE BETTER WARNINGS.

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.