Narrative:

Flight was parked at gate. The first officer contacted ramp control for push clearance, we pushed at XA45. The push crew had the aircraft facing southeast on the ramp near spot 4. We started both engines and completed the after start checklist. At that time the first officer called ramp control for taxi. We were instructed to go to spot 3 and contact ground on 121.1. Upon reaching spot 3 first officer called ground for taxi clearance with ATIS information and a special request for runway 25L departure. Ground instructions were to follow a B757, taxi runway 25L via taxiway C, hold short runway 25R at A2. We requested ground to reconfirm that the B757 passing us from right to left was in fact the traffic to follow. They confirmed and we proceeded to follow the B757 to what I believed was taxiway C to make our way to runway 25L. While taxiing, I felt an unusual rumble in the tail and I immediately stopped. The APU automatically shut down. We had come to a stop in an area south of spot 3. The first officer contacted ground, I contacted company to request for someone to come and assess the aircraft. I informed the flight attendants of the situation through the cockpit door. I made a PA to the passenger informing them of the situation. At that time a company employee on the head set below informed me of the aircraft position. I requested an external power cart and busses to pick up and escort the passenger back to the terminal. Upon arrival of external power, I secured the right engine and completed the appropriate checklists. The first officer, with a flashlight in hand, went outside to inspect the area and assess the situation. When the busses arrived, passenger were instructed to take their personal belongings, deplane the aircraft through the forward air stairs and board the busses. After the passenger were off, the terminating checklist was completed. I got north touch with dispatch to notify our personnel. I then talked to the maintenance personnel that were present and gave control to the station manager at las. The entire area was not properly lit, there weren't any taxiway edge lights or adequate markings. This led me to believe that the area was part of the ramp and taxiway B was taxiway C. I proceeded to approach the taxiway straight ahead to follow the B757, as instructed. I taxied into an area that I later found out was used for drainage purposes. My taxi lights were on. Both the first officer and I kept looking straight ahead outside. There was no way to differentiate the drainage area from the taxiway or ramp as the contrast/color was consistently the same throughout the whole area. This also proved to be true during the daylight, so one can image how the problems, I stated above, escalated at night. I have now become aware of previous complaints that have been made about insufficient lighting at las, to the airport auths. The B757 was not on taxiway C but, in fact, on taxiway B. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that there has been a lot of construction at las and there are no taxiway lights, no barricades and a very small yellow line in this area. The yellow line is extremely difficult to see in the day, let alone at night. This incident happened so gradually that no one on the aircraft was aware until the gear settled into the ditch. The flight attendants, when questioned by company, indicated they were not aware until the sudden bump down. Aircraft was being taxied very slowly or the problem could have been much worse. Aircraft was moved by inflating the struts and pulling the aircraft out of the ditch. Reporter learned that this same thing had happened to 2 other aircraft in different areas of the ramp. The ramp coloring is not distinguishable from the actual taxiway. The airport diagram was being used at the time. Supplemental information from acn 408070: the aircraft nose dropped a little that was like broken pavement. The main gear dropped and APU shut down. We were now fully stuck. The airplane was stuck slightly nose up, wings level and under-tail firmly in the ground. This is all new ramp pavement. Txwys with no lights (blue or green), no signs painted, no taxi ctrlines or other warnings. Upon closer examination we had crossed the taxiway C and continued into this island, median or ditch like area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF DC9-30 TAXIING AT NIGHT AND CLRED TO FOLLOW ANOTHER ACFT TAXIES INTO DITCH ON RAMP AREA NOT LIGHTED OR MARKED.

Narrative: FLT WAS PARKED AT GATE. THE FO CONTACTED RAMP CTL FOR PUSH CLRNC, WE PUSHED AT XA45. THE PUSH CREW HAD THE ACFT FACING SE ON THE RAMP NEAR SPOT 4. WE STARTED BOTH ENGS AND COMPLETED THE AFTER START CHKLIST. AT THAT TIME THE FO CALLED RAMP CTL FOR TAXI. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO GO TO SPOT 3 AND CONTACT GND ON 121.1. UPON REACHING SPOT 3 FO CALLED GND FOR TAXI CLRNC WITH ATIS INFO AND A SPECIAL REQUEST FOR RWY 25L DEP. GND INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO FOLLOW A B757, TAXI RWY 25L VIA TXWY C, HOLD SHORT RWY 25R AT A2. WE REQUESTED GND TO RECONFIRM THAT THE B757 PASSING US FROM R TO L WAS IN FACT THE TFC TO FOLLOW. THEY CONFIRMED AND WE PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW THE B757 TO WHAT I BELIEVED WAS TXWY C TO MAKE OUR WAY TO RWY 25L. WHILE TAXIING, I FELT AN UNUSUAL RUMBLE IN THE TAIL AND I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. THE APU AUTOMATICALLY SHUT DOWN. WE HAD COME TO A STOP IN AN AREA S OF SPOT 3. THE FO CONTACTED GND, I CONTACTED COMPANY TO REQUEST FOR SOMEONE TO COME AND ASSESS THE ACFT. I INFORMED THE FLT ATTENDANTS OF THE SIT THROUGH THE COCKPIT DOOR. I MADE A PA TO THE PAX INFORMING THEM OF THE SIT. AT THAT TIME A COMPANY EMPLOYEE ON THE HEAD SET BELOW INFORMED ME OF THE ACFT POS. I REQUESTED AN EXTERNAL PWR CART AND BUSSES TO PICK UP AND ESCORT THE PAX BACK TO THE TERMINAL. UPON ARR OF EXTERNAL PWR, I SECURED THE R ENG AND COMPLETED THE APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS. THE FO, WITH A FLASHLIGHT IN HAND, WENT OUTSIDE TO INSPECT THE AREA AND ASSESS THE SIT. WHEN THE BUSSES ARRIVED, PAX WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS, DEPLANE THE ACFT THROUGH THE FORWARD AIR STAIRS AND BOARD THE BUSSES. AFTER THE PAX WERE OFF, THE TERMINATING CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. I GOT N TOUCH WITH DISPATCH TO NOTIFY OUR PERSONNEL. I THEN TALKED TO THE MAINT PERSONNEL THAT WERE PRESENT AND GAVE CTL TO THE STATION MGR AT LAS. THE ENTIRE AREA WAS NOT PROPERLY LIT, THERE WEREN'T ANY TXWY EDGE LIGHTS OR ADEQUATE MARKINGS. THIS LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE AREA WAS PART OF THE RAMP AND TXWY B WAS TXWY C. I PROCEEDED TO APCH THE TXWY STRAIGHT AHEAD TO FOLLOW THE B757, AS INSTRUCTED. I TAXIED INTO AN AREA THAT I LATER FOUND OUT WAS USED FOR DRAINAGE PURPOSES. MY TAXI LIGHTS WERE ON. BOTH THE FO AND I KEPT LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD OUTSIDE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE THE DRAINAGE AREA FROM THE TXWY OR RAMP AS THE CONTRAST/COLOR WAS CONSISTENTLY THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE AREA. THIS ALSO PROVED TO BE TRUE DURING THE DAYLIGHT, SO ONE CAN IMAGE HOW THE PROBS, I STATED ABOVE, ESCALATED AT NIGHT. I HAVE NOW BECOME AWARE OF PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING AT LAS, TO THE ARPT AUTHS. THE B757 WAS NOT ON TXWY C BUT, IN FACT, ON TXWY B. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION AT LAS AND THERE ARE NO TXWY LIGHTS, NO BARRICADES AND A VERY SMALL YELLOW LINE IN THIS AREA. THE YELLOW LINE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SEE IN THE DAY, LET ALONE AT NIGHT. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED SO GRADUALLY THAT NO ONE ON THE ACFT WAS AWARE UNTIL THE GEAR SETTLED INTO THE DITCH. THE FLT ATTENDANTS, WHEN QUESTIONED BY COMPANY, INDICATED THEY WERE NOT AWARE UNTIL THE SUDDEN BUMP DOWN. ACFT WAS BEING TAXIED VERY SLOWLY OR THE PROB COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. ACFT WAS MOVED BY INFLATING THE STRUTS AND PULLING THE ACFT OUT OF THE DITCH. RPTR LEARNED THAT THIS SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO 2 OTHER ACFT IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE RAMP. THE RAMP COLORING IS NOT DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE ACTUAL TXWY. THE ARPT DIAGRAM WAS BEING USED AT THE TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 408070: THE ACFT NOSE DROPPED A LITTLE THAT WAS LIKE BROKEN PAVEMENT. THE MAIN GEAR DROPPED AND APU SHUT DOWN. WE WERE NOW FULLY STUCK. THE AIRPLANE WAS STUCK SLIGHTLY NOSE UP, WINGS LEVEL AND UNDER-TAIL FIRMLY IN THE GND. THIS IS ALL NEW RAMP PAVEMENT. TXWYS WITH NO LIGHTS (BLUE OR GREEN), NO SIGNS PAINTED, NO TAXI CTRLINES OR OTHER WARNINGS. UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION WE HAD CROSSED THE TXWY C AND CONTINUED INTO THIS ISLAND, MEDIAN OR DITCH LIKE AREA.

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.