Narrative:

The incident that took place was the inadvertent taxi of an aircraft into the runway environment causing an aircraft beginning its takeoff roll to abort. Clearance was given to taxi from the XXX cargo ramp to runway 17 via taxiway P. While taxiing the aircraft from the ramp the airport diagram was consulted for compliance with taxi instructions as well as the en route chart for assessment of the route clearance. Prolonged silence from the radio led to the suspicion of a communication problem. While attempting to reestablish communication, the aircraft was taxied off the ramp and onto the runway. The position on the XXX ramp where communication with ground control is to be established is located directly across from the exit that allows access to the runway. Normal taxi from parking aligns the aircraft with this exit. The hold short lines at this exit are faded and the ramp is concrete (light colored). The lighting at this time was poor and made it difficult to see the hold short lines. The distraction from the communication failure coupled with the inability to quickly and clearly establish the hold short markings at an unfamiliar airfield led to a brief situational awareness loss. It is uncommon for such a large ramp to have a direct exit to a runway at its midpoint. The point at which communication with ground is established is so close to this exit that the first visual cues to exit are directly ahead. (Radio was tested by avionics shop and found defective.) callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this pilot admits to rushing and feeling uncertainty regarding the interface between the company diagram and the commercially charted airport diagram. After talking to ground control, he was looking for an exit out of the ramp. The pilot followed an opening straight ahead, which ended up putting him on the runway. The distraction with the radio (right, center panel) is what kept this reporter from noticing the runway sign located to the left of the taxiway and the runway intersection. The hold lines were faded and there was just enough early morning light outside that the airport lighting no longer distinguished the runway from the taxiway environment. The tower controller saw the reporter's MU2 enter runway 19 and immediately ordered a departing falcon jet to abort takeoff. Separation was greater than 6000 ft, after the falcon was stopped. Underlying the immediately apparent factors, this pilot states that he was recently hired by a contracting freight company and had not yet been assigned a home base. 3 weeks after training had been completed, he was still living out of hotels on an on- call basis.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER HAVING RECEIVED A CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 17 VIA TXWY P, AN MU2 PLT INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ONTO RWY 19. THE PLT HAD POSITIONED THE ACFT PER RAMP CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS AND WAS THEN ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FROM GND WHEN HE TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. THE PLT CONTINUED TAXIING STRAIGHT AHEAD ON P2 TXWY, INSTEAD OF TURNING R AND N ON TXWY P, WHILE HE WAS TROUBLESHOOTING A RADIO PROB.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT THAT TOOK PLACE WAS THE INADVERTENT TAXI OF AN ACFT INTO THE RWY ENVIRONMENT CAUSING AN ACFT BEGINNING ITS TKOF ROLL TO ABORT. CLRNC WAS GIVEN TO TAXI FROM THE XXX CARGO RAMP TO RWY 17 VIA TXWY P. WHILE TAXIING THE ACFT FROM THE RAMP THE ARPT DIAGRAM WAS CONSULTED FOR COMPLIANCE WITH TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AS WELL AS THE ENRTE CHART FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE RTE CLRNC. PROLONGED SILENCE FROM THE RADIO LED TO THE SUSPICION OF A COM PROB. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REESTABLISH COM, THE ACFT WAS TAXIED OFF THE RAMP AND ONTO THE RWY. THE POS ON THE XXX RAMP WHERE COM WITH GND CTL IS TO BE ESTABLISHED IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THE EXIT THAT ALLOWS ACCESS TO THE RWY. NORMAL TAXI FROM PARKING ALIGNS THE ACFT WITH THIS EXIT. THE HOLD SHORT LINES AT THIS EXIT ARE FADED AND THE RAMP IS CONCRETE (LIGHT COLORED). THE LIGHTING AT THIS TIME WAS POOR AND MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE HOLD SHORT LINES. THE DISTR FROM THE COM FAILURE COUPLED WITH THE INABILITY TO QUICKLY AND CLRLY ESTABLISH THE HOLD SHORT MARKINGS AT AN UNFAMILIAR AIRFIELD LED TO A BRIEF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS LOSS. IT IS UNCOMMON FOR SUCH A LARGE RAMP TO HAVE A DIRECT EXIT TO A RWY AT ITS MIDPOINT. THE POINT AT WHICH COM WITH GND IS ESTABLISHED IS SO CLOSE TO THIS EXIT THAT THE FIRST VISUAL CUES TO EXIT ARE DIRECTLY AHEAD. (RADIO WAS TESTED BY AVIONICS SHOP AND FOUND DEFECTIVE.) CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS PLT ADMITS TO RUSHING AND FEELING UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE INTERFACE BTWN THE COMPANY DIAGRAM AND THE COMMERCIALLY CHARTED ARPT DIAGRAM. AFTER TALKING TO GND CTL, HE WAS LOOKING FOR AN EXIT OUT OF THE RAMP. THE PLT FOLLOWED AN OPENING STRAIGHT AHEAD, WHICH ENDED UP PUTTING HIM ON THE RWY. THE DISTR WITH THE RADIO (R, CTR PANEL) IS WHAT KEPT THIS RPTR FROM NOTICING THE RWY SIGN LOCATED TO THE L OF THE TXWY AND THE RWY INTXN. THE HOLD LINES WERE FADED AND THERE WAS JUST ENOUGH EARLY MORNING LIGHT OUTSIDE THAT THE ARPT LIGHTING NO LONGER DISTINGUISHED THE RWY FROM THE TXWY ENVIRONMENT. THE TWR CTLR SAW THE RPTR'S MU2 ENTER RWY 19 AND IMMEDIATELY ORDERED A DEPARTING FALCON JET TO ABORT TKOF. SEPARATION WAS GREATER THAN 6000 FT, AFTER THE FALCON WAS STOPPED. UNDERLYING THE IMMEDIATELY APPARENT FACTORS, THIS PLT STATES THAT HE WAS RECENTLY HIRED BY A CONTRACTING FREIGHT COMPANY AND HAD NOT YET BEEN ASSIGNED A HOME BASE. 3 WKS AFTER TRAINING HAD BEEN COMPLETED, HE WAS STILL LIVING OUT OF HOTELS ON AN ON- CALL BASIS.

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.