Narrative:

The situation was at cak on dec/xa/97 at XA00. The ground controller said that I crossed white safety lines dividing the taxiway from the ramp. However, upon looking at the aim, I do not see this. The reference in the aim is to yellow solid or broken taxi edge lines. White lines are referred to as ground vehicle areas. I was picking up my cessna after having work done at a FBO located on the southeast part of the airport. After starting the airplane, I listened to ATIS and then got a clearance to my home base and then called ground control. The clearance from ground control was to runway 23. I do not remember getting a particular routing. I started to taxi down taxiway G and as I got close to taxiway a the controller told me to give way to another cessna coming in the opposite direction on the same taxiway. I did have instrument approach plates for ohio, so I did have the airport diagram in my hand. If you look at the airport diagram enclosed, the transition from taxiway G around the concourse looks smooth. In fact, the yellow taxi line does an s-turn to the left and then to the right at the intersection of taxiway G and taxiway a. Apparently more ramp area was added and to stay to the outside of the ramp, an s- turn is required. Upon receiving the caution concerning the other cessna, I must have projected a line from where I was -- at taxiway G and taxiway a -- to about taxiway C to continue the trip around the concourse and supposedly crossed over the white line somewhere during this route. As I moved along this route, I noticed that one of the aircraft instruments was reading incorrectly and I asked the controller for permission to return back to the FBO. This was granted and it was at this time the controller told me that I did cross the safety line. When I got to the FBO, although not asked to do so, I called the tower on landline to find out what rules I had apparently just broken. Akron was very busy and the controller was polite but brief and I felt that it was still unclr as to what rules had been violated. The afterlook: the day was a warm, no snow winter day in ohio with a lot of flyers out. The time was late and the sun was low and there was a bit of a haze. The airport environment had a very high contrast look and it was very hard to see any small features, especially looking anywhere into the sun. The ramp on the south side of the terminal -- where I made the turn to go back to the FBO - - was void of traffic. As I recall, there were no airplanes there and no moving vehicles. On the north side of the terminal there was a parked airline with a tug attached to the front.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA IS TOLD HE TAXIED ACROSS WHITE SAFETY LINES AT CAK AS HE DISCOVERS A PROB INST AND RETURNS TO REPAIR FACILITY.

Narrative: THE SIT WAS AT CAK ON DEC/XA/97 AT XA00. THE GND CTLR SAID THAT I CROSSED WHITE SAFETY LINES DIVIDING THE TXWY FROM THE RAMP. HOWEVER, UPON LOOKING AT THE AIM, I DO NOT SEE THIS. THE REF IN THE AIM IS TO YELLOW SOLID OR BROKEN TAXI EDGE LINES. WHITE LINES ARE REFERRED TO AS GND VEHICLE AREAS. I WAS PICKING UP MY CESSNA AFTER HAVING WORK DONE AT A FBO LOCATED ON THE SE PART OF THE ARPT. AFTER STARTING THE AIRPLANE, I LISTENED TO ATIS AND THEN GOT A CLRNC TO MY HOME BASE AND THEN CALLED GND CTL. THE CLRNC FROM GND CTL WAS TO RWY 23. I DO NOT REMEMBER GETTING A PARTICULAR ROUTING. I STARTED TO TAXI DOWN TXWY G AND AS I GOT CLOSE TO TXWY A THE CTLR TOLD ME TO GIVE WAY TO ANOTHER CESSNA COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON THE SAME TXWY. I DID HAVE INST APCH PLATES FOR OHIO, SO I DID HAVE THE ARPT DIAGRAM IN MY HAND. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM ENCLOSED, THE TRANSITION FROM TXWY G AROUND THE CONCOURSE LOOKS SMOOTH. IN FACT, THE YELLOW TAXI LINE DOES AN S-TURN TO THE L AND THEN TO THE R AT THE INTXN OF TXWY G AND TXWY A. APPARENTLY MORE RAMP AREA WAS ADDED AND TO STAY TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE RAMP, AN S- TURN IS REQUIRED. UPON RECEIVING THE CAUTION CONCERNING THE OTHER CESSNA, I MUST HAVE PROJECTED A LINE FROM WHERE I WAS -- AT TXWY G AND TXWY A -- TO ABOUT TXWY C TO CONTINUE THE TRIP AROUND THE CONCOURSE AND SUPPOSEDLY CROSSED OVER THE WHITE LINE SOMEWHERE DURING THIS RTE. AS I MOVED ALONG THIS RTE, I NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE ACFT INSTS WAS READING INCORRECTLY AND I ASKED THE CTLR FOR PERMISSION TO RETURN BACK TO THE FBO. THIS WAS GRANTED AND IT WAS AT THIS TIME THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT I DID CROSS THE SAFETY LINE. WHEN I GOT TO THE FBO, ALTHOUGH NOT ASKED TO DO SO, I CALLED THE TWR ON LANDLINE TO FIND OUT WHAT RULES I HAD APPARENTLY JUST BROKEN. AKRON WAS VERY BUSY AND THE CTLR WAS POLITE BUT BRIEF AND I FELT THAT IT WAS STILL UNCLR AS TO WHAT RULES HAD BEEN VIOLATED. THE AFTERLOOK: THE DAY WAS A WARM, NO SNOW WINTER DAY IN OHIO WITH A LOT OF FLYERS OUT. THE TIME WAS LATE AND THE SUN WAS LOW AND THERE WAS A BIT OF A HAZE. THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT HAD A VERY HIGH CONTRAST LOOK AND IT WAS VERY HARD TO SEE ANY SMALL FEATURES, ESPECIALLY LOOKING ANYWHERE INTO THE SUN. THE RAMP ON THE S SIDE OF THE TERMINAL -- WHERE I MADE THE TURN TO GO BACK TO THE FBO - - WAS VOID OF TFC. AS I RECALL, THERE WERE NO AIRPLANES THERE AND NO MOVING VEHICLES. ON THE N SIDE OF THE TERMINAL THERE WAS A PARKED AIRLINE WITH A TUG ATTACHED TO THE FRONT.

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.