Narrative:

I am a captain and lca on a scheduled air carrier. On this rotation, I had a requalifying first officer, a 5-LEG, 13 hour day after a very early wake-up/sign-in to begin the rotation. I hadn't slept well for several nights previous to this one. The stage is set. We arrived later than scheduled and I didn't get to sleep for several hours after reaching our layover hotel. A very early pickup the next morning after only about 5 hours of actual sleep left me groggy. We were late pushing back for departure, and I commented to the first officer how black it was in our immediate area. Taxi clearance was 'to' the runway. Asked for clarification, ground control stated he really didn't care how we got there. Having previously experienced confusion in taxi routing caused by construction and transition to the new standardized airport signage, I made a point to mentally review and compare on the chart the taxi route. The routing to the runway required a right turn from the 'ramp' taxiway, followed by a half l-turn angling across another runway as you transition to the taxiway that parallels the departure runway. At night, due to faded taxiway centerline markings, the mass of lights at the taxiway/runway intersection, and the misalignment of the various txwys in the route at the intersection, it's difficult to see with clarity and continuity the taxi path through the intersection. Our problem occurred when we made our first right turn, since we were one taxiway short of the correct intersection. To complicate and confuse, and having never previously noticed that the taxiway/runway layout at this intersection is basically identical to the other correct one, I was certain of our location. I couldn't however, identify the angled taxiway sign confirming my location -- it didn't say what I was certain it should! About that time, ground rather forcefully instructed us to turn left. I was too close to the taxiway edge, so told the first officer to ask if it would be ok to turn right instead, when ground told us to 'stop, don't taxi on to the runway!' it was then that I saw the lights of another air carrier on short final to the runway that I would have taxied across. While we were successful in not encroaching on the landing runway, the fatigue, similarity of orientation of runway/taxiway at 2 sequential intxns, poorly/inadequately marked txwys and my confidence in our taxi path -- which was in error -- nearly resulted in a runway incursion. I'm enclosing a copy of the chart of the airport where this incurred with the 2 areas circled for your review and possible forwarding to the appropriate agency for examination. In my opinion, this area on this particular airport is a real 'trap.' identing numbers painted on the taxiway surface adjacent to the taxiway center marking (ala lga of a few yrs ago) would certainly help -- here and at all airports -- in addition to the new standard signage. Supplemental information from acn 357121: we entered taxiway east while we thought we were at taxiway P1. This confusion/lack of situation awareness arose because of poor lighting, fatigue. Upon seeing the runway in front of us and discussing with ground control, ground control instructed us to back taxi down runway 28 after an aircraft landed and cleared. This confusion in our minds as to our position reemphasized to me the vigilance required at unfamiliar airports and study of airport diagrams and planning rtes of taxi before leaving the gate.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY EXCURSION. CONFUSING TXWY INTXNS, POORLY MARKED SIGNAGE, NIGHT AND FATIGUE ALL LED TO TAXIING ON WRONG TXWY. GND CTLR INTERVENED AND STOPPED ACFT BEFORE INTRUDING ON ACTIVE RWY WITH LNDG TFC.

Narrative: I AM A CAPT AND LCA ON A SCHEDULED ACR. ON THIS ROTATION, I HAD A REQUALIFYING FO, A 5-LEG, 13 HR DAY AFTER A VERY EARLY WAKE-UP/SIGN-IN TO BEGIN THE ROTATION. I HADN'T SLEPT WELL FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS PREVIOUS TO THIS ONE. THE STAGE IS SET. WE ARRIVED LATER THAN SCHEDULED AND I DIDN'T GET TO SLEEP FOR SEVERAL HRS AFTER REACHING OUR LAYOVER HOTEL. A VERY EARLY PICKUP THE NEXT MORNING AFTER ONLY ABOUT 5 HRS OF ACTUAL SLEEP LEFT ME GROGGY. WE WERE LATE PUSHING BACK FOR DEP, AND I COMMENTED TO THE FO HOW BLACK IT WAS IN OUR IMMEDIATE AREA. TAXI CLRNC WAS 'TO' THE RWY. ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION, GND CTL STATED HE REALLY DIDN'T CARE HOW WE GOT THERE. HAVING PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED CONFUSION IN TAXI ROUTING CAUSED BY CONSTRUCTION AND TRANSITION TO THE NEW STANDARDIZED ARPT SIGNAGE, I MADE A POINT TO MENTALLY REVIEW AND COMPARE ON THE CHART THE TAXI RTE. THE ROUTING TO THE RWY REQUIRED A R TURN FROM THE 'RAMP' TXWY, FOLLOWED BY A HALF L-TURN ANGLING ACROSS ANOTHER RWY AS YOU TRANSITION TO THE TXWY THAT PARALLELS THE DEP RWY. AT NIGHT, DUE TO FADED TXWY CTRLINE MARKINGS, THE MASS OF LIGHTS AT THE TXWY/RWY INTXN, AND THE MISALIGNMENT OF THE VARIOUS TXWYS IN THE RTE AT THE INTXN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SEE WITH CLARITY AND CONTINUITY THE TAXI PATH THROUGH THE INTXN. OUR PROB OCCURRED WHEN WE MADE OUR FIRST R TURN, SINCE WE WERE ONE TXWY SHORT OF THE CORRECT INTXN. TO COMPLICATE AND CONFUSE, AND HAVING NEVER PREVIOUSLY NOTICED THAT THE TXWY/RWY LAYOUT AT THIS INTXN IS BASICALLY IDENTICAL TO THE OTHER CORRECT ONE, I WAS CERTAIN OF OUR LOCATION. I COULDN'T HOWEVER, IDENT THE ANGLED TXWY SIGN CONFIRMING MY LOCATION -- IT DIDN'T SAY WHAT I WAS CERTAIN IT SHOULD! ABOUT THAT TIME, GND RATHER FORCEFULLY INSTRUCTED US TO TURN L. I WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE TXWY EDGE, SO TOLD THE FO TO ASK IF IT WOULD BE OK TO TURN R INSTEAD, WHEN GND TOLD US TO 'STOP, DON'T TAXI ON TO THE RWY!' IT WAS THEN THAT I SAW THE LIGHTS OF ANOTHER ACR ON SHORT FINAL TO THE RWY THAT I WOULD HAVE TAXIED ACROSS. WHILE WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN NOT ENCROACHING ON THE LNDG RWY, THE FATIGUE, SIMILARITY OF ORIENTATION OF RWY/TXWY AT 2 SEQUENTIAL INTXNS, POORLY/INADEQUATELY MARKED TXWYS AND MY CONFIDENCE IN OUR TAXI PATH -- WHICH WAS IN ERROR -- NEARLY RESULTED IN A RWY INCURSION. I'M ENCLOSING A COPY OF THE CHART OF THE ARPT WHERE THIS INCURRED WITH THE 2 AREAS CIRCLED FOR YOUR REVIEW AND POSSIBLE FORWARDING TO THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY FOR EXAMINATION. IN MY OPINION, THIS AREA ON THIS PARTICULAR ARPT IS A REAL 'TRAP.' IDENTING NUMBERS PAINTED ON THE TXWY SURFACE ADJACENT TO THE TXWY CTR MARKING (ALA LGA OF A FEW YRS AGO) WOULD CERTAINLY HELP -- HERE AND AT ALL ARPTS -- IN ADDITION TO THE NEW STANDARD SIGNAGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 357121: WE ENTERED TXWY E WHILE WE THOUGHT WE WERE AT TXWY P1. THIS CONFUSION/LACK OF SIT AWARENESS AROSE BECAUSE OF POOR LIGHTING, FATIGUE. UPON SEEING THE RWY IN FRONT OF US AND DISCUSSING WITH GND CTL, GND CTL INSTRUCTED US TO BACK TAXI DOWN RWY 28 AFTER AN ACFT LANDED AND CLRED. THIS CONFUSION IN OUR MINDS AS TO OUR POS REEMPHASIZED TO ME THE VIGILANCE REQUIRED AT UNFAMILIAR ARPTS AND STUDY OF ARPT DIAGRAMS AND PLANNING RTES OF TAXI BEFORE LEAVING THE GATE.

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.