Narrative:

Cle airport, conditions night, light snow, deice fluid on windows. After deicing, we called ground on the north side of pad #X. We were told to taxi to runway 5L via taxiway al, hold short of runway 5R at taxiway north. We turned left onto taxiway a and in the intersection of taxiway a, left, right, runway 18/36, and runway 5R/23L, ground told us to stop. We stopped, not knowing why. We both looked around to make sure of our position. Both of us felt that we had not reached taxiway left. We stopped on runway 18/36 and could see aircraft parked on pad #Y to our left. After 1 aircraft landed and turned off before reaching the intersection we were in, ground told us to taxi onto runway 5R, back-taxi to taxiway M, and rejoin taxiway left. At that time we realized that we had just passed taxiway left. We were still in a position to turn left and join taxiway left, but we followed ground instruction. In my opinion, at night that intersection is poorly marked and needs more lighted signs, even for someone that knows the layout of the airport. I have heard of one crew that had trouble there prior to us and the FAA is looking into it. The night after our problem I witnessed a DC9 have the same problem there. ZOB should know by now that that is a difficult intersection at night. Taxi instruction at night should not include taxiway a-l or taxiway r-l and if given, ATC should advise pilots of the difficult intersection. Pilots should take more care and caution when approaching that intersection. In my opinion, cle has more traffic than it can handle and ATC is pushed to the limits every day. A difficult intersection is one thing both ATC and pilots can do without. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain of this be-1900D said that he was familiar with the cle airport, but rarely uses this taxi route. He said that since this episode he has talked to the tower controllers, the deice team and company management about these events. He has decided to not attempt to transit this part of the airport at night. The reporter said that the lighting was not bright enough in this area and that there is a triangle of lights (apparently a type of traffic island) that created confusion about the proper taxiway. He said that he went around this triangle and ended up on runway 18/36. However, he also said that he should have had the windscreen wiped off after the deicing was complete because impaired forward vision was a factor in this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR BE-1900D FLC TAXIED ONTO RWY 18-36 AT CLE WITHOUT AUTH DURING A NIGHT OP WITH FALLING SNOW AND WITH THEIR VISION FURTHER OBSCURED BY DEICING FLUID. THE GND CTLR WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE SIT WITHOUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, HOWEVER, THE FLC FEELS THAT THE LIGHTING, MARKING AND GENERAL DESIGN OF THE INTXN MAY LEAD TO FUTURE INCURSIONS.

Narrative: CLE ARPT, CONDITIONS NIGHT, LIGHT SNOW, DEICE FLUID ON WINDOWS. AFTER DEICING, WE CALLED GND ON THE N SIDE OF PAD #X. WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 5L VIA TXWY AL, HOLD SHORT OF RWY 5R AT TXWY N. WE TURNED L ONTO TXWY A AND IN THE INTXN OF TXWY A, L, R, RWY 18/36, AND RWY 5R/23L, GND TOLD US TO STOP. WE STOPPED, NOT KNOWING WHY. WE BOTH LOOKED AROUND TO MAKE SURE OF OUR POS. BOTH OF US FELT THAT WE HAD NOT REACHED TXWY L. WE STOPPED ON RWY 18/36 AND COULD SEE ACFT PARKED ON PAD #Y TO OUR L. AFTER 1 ACFT LANDED AND TURNED OFF BEFORE REACHING THE INTXN WE WERE IN, GND TOLD US TO TAXI ONTO RWY 5R, BACK-TAXI TO TXWY M, AND REJOIN TXWY L. AT THAT TIME WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD JUST PASSED TXWY L. WE WERE STILL IN A POS TO TURN L AND JOIN TXWY L, BUT WE FOLLOWED GND INSTRUCTION. IN MY OPINION, AT NIGHT THAT INTXN IS POORLY MARKED AND NEEDS MORE LIGHTED SIGNS, EVEN FOR SOMEONE THAT KNOWS THE LAYOUT OF THE ARPT. I HAVE HEARD OF ONE CREW THAT HAD TROUBLE THERE PRIOR TO US AND THE FAA IS LOOKING INTO IT. THE NIGHT AFTER OUR PROB I WITNESSED A DC9 HAVE THE SAME PROB THERE. ZOB SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT THAT IS A DIFFICULT INTXN AT NIGHT. TAXI INSTRUCTION AT NIGHT SHOULD NOT INCLUDE TXWY A-L OR TXWY R-L AND IF GIVEN, ATC SHOULD ADVISE PLTS OF THE DIFFICULT INTXN. PLTS SHOULD TAKE MORE CARE AND CAUTION WHEN APCHING THAT INTXN. IN MY OPINION, CLE HAS MORE TFC THAN IT CAN HANDLE AND ATC IS PUSHED TO THE LIMITS EVERY DAY. A DIFFICULT INTXN IS ONE THING BOTH ATC AND PLTS CAN DO WITHOUT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT OF THIS BE-1900D SAID THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE CLE ARPT, BUT RARELY USES THIS TAXI RTE. HE SAID THAT SINCE THIS EPISODE HE HAS TALKED TO THE TWR CTLRS, THE DEICE TEAM AND COMPANY MGMNT ABOUT THESE EVENTS. HE HAS DECIDED TO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRANSIT THIS PART OF THE ARPT AT NIGHT. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE LIGHTING WAS NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH IN THIS AREA AND THAT THERE IS A TRIANGLE OF LIGHTS (APPARENTLY A TYPE OF TFC ISLAND) THAT CREATED CONFUSION ABOUT THE PROPER TXWY. HE SAID THAT HE WENT AROUND THIS TRIANGLE AND ENDED UP ON RWY 18/36. HOWEVER, HE ALSO SAID THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE WINDSCREEN WIPED OFF AFTER THE DEICING WAS COMPLETE BECAUSE IMPAIRED FORWARD VISION WAS A FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT.

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.