Narrative:

This incident was a taxiway excursion that occurred. Shortly after aircraft had landed on runway 13R in aus, tx, airport was IMC 400 ft 1 mi visibility. And aircraft had landed on runway 13R and just cleared the runway and started to taxi back to terminal area on the parallel taxiway. The crew was accomplishing after landing checklist. I became distracted when a navigation map fell off my books and onto floor near my feet. Since the copilot was involved in after landing checklist, I decided to brake aircraft and reach down for my map. Normally, would have let copilot stop aircraft, but he was doing checklist. As I was heads down to retrieve map, apparently didn't have aircraft braked. I subsequently felt a shudder and realized aircraft had departed taxiway on left side. I utilized gentle nosewheel steering inputs and aircraft was slowly righted to taxiway with minimal power inputs. At the time, I felt the excursion to have barely occurred, because airplane came back to taxiway so quickly. Postflt inspection revealed dirt and grass in main, trucks and dirt on nosewheel. I felt that in retrospect, that should have waited until crew was not distraction to initiate something unusual. Also felt that while bending down, I might have applied differential braking and this might have also contributed to this incident. Supplemental information from acn 362529: postflt inspection revealed dirt and sod on left main gear and on left nose tire. Aircraft had run over 1 taxi light when maneuvering aircraft back onto taxiway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B727-200 FLC DEPARTS THE TXWY WHEN THE CAPT BENT DOWN TO PICK UP SOME CHARTS DURING TAXI IN. NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO ACFT, BUT 1 TAXI LIGHT DESTROYED.

Narrative: THIS INCIDENT WAS A TXWY EXCURSION THAT OCCURRED. SHORTLY AFTER ACFT HAD LANDED ON RWY 13R IN AUS, TX, ARPT WAS IMC 400 FT 1 MI VISIBILITY. AND ACFT HAD LANDED ON RWY 13R AND JUST CLRED THE RWY AND STARTED TO TAXI BACK TO TERMINAL AREA ON THE PARALLEL TXWY. THE CREW WAS ACCOMPLISHING AFTER LNDG CHKLIST. I BECAME DISTRACTED WHEN A NAV MAP FELL OFF MY BOOKS AND ONTO FLOOR NEAR MY FEET. SINCE THE COPLT WAS INVOLVED IN AFTER LNDG CHKLIST, I DECIDED TO BRAKE ACFT AND REACH DOWN FOR MY MAP. NORMALLY, WOULD HAVE LET COPLT STOP ACFT, BUT HE WAS DOING CHKLIST. AS I WAS HEADS DOWN TO RETRIEVE MAP, APPARENTLY DIDN'T HAVE ACFT BRAKED. I SUBSEQUENTLY FELT A SHUDDER AND REALIZED ACFT HAD DEPARTED TXWY ON L SIDE. I UTILIZED GENTLE NOSEWHEEL STEERING INPUTS AND ACFT WAS SLOWLY RIGHTED TO TXWY WITH MINIMAL PWR INPUTS. AT THE TIME, I FELT THE EXCURSION TO HAVE BARELY OCCURRED, BECAUSE AIRPLANE CAME BACK TO TXWY SO QUICKLY. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED DIRT AND GRASS IN MAIN, TRUCKS AND DIRT ON NOSEWHEEL. I FELT THAT IN RETROSPECT, THAT SHOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL CREW WAS NOT DISTR TO INITIATE SOMETHING UNUSUAL. ALSO FELT THAT WHILE BENDING DOWN, I MIGHT HAVE APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING AND THIS MIGHT HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 362529: POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED DIRT AND SOD ON L MAIN GEAR AND ON L NOSE TIRE. ACFT HAD RUN OVER 1 TAXI LIGHT WHEN MANEUVERING ACFT BACK ONTO TXWY.

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.