B737 crew taxied off the taxiway hard surface into the dirt.

Attributes
ACN	420029
Time
Date	199811
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ord
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-400
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 70
ASRS Report	420029
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 130 flight time total : 15414 flight time type : 4800
ASRS Report	420027
Events
Anomaly	conflict : ground critical other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Taxied off the taxiway at ord into grass area between taxiway A10 and A11. Connecting ramp and taxiway B, aircraft taxied in front of us without our knowledge. His lights blinded captain. Our captain turned his lights off. When we started taxiing again, our lights were off. He mistook his position on taxiway. We wound up in the mud between taxiway A10 and taxiway A11. Supplemental information from acn 420027: I looked ahead and saw what I believed to be the left edge taxi lights of taxiway A11 intending to use this taxiway and make a left turn on taxiway B. These lights were actually the right edge lights of the taxiway and my mistaken route took me off the ramp into the grass to the right of taxiway A11. The unfamiliarity with the airport led to the confusion about the exact position of the aircraft in relation to the proper taxiway. This was only my 5TH time at this busy airport and only the 1ST time I was taxiing from the gate to the runway at night.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CREW TAXIED OFF THE TXWY HARD SURFACE INTO THE DIRT.

Narrative: TAXIED OFF THE TXWY AT ORD INTO GRASS AREA BTWN TXWY A10 AND A11. CONNECTING RAMP AND TXWY B, ACFT TAXIED IN FRONT OF US WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE. HIS LIGHTS BLINDED CAPT. OUR CAPT TURNED HIS LIGHTS OFF. WHEN WE STARTED TAXIING AGAIN, OUR LIGHTS WERE OFF. HE MISTOOK HIS POS ON TXWY. WE WOUND UP IN THE MUD BTWN TXWY A10 AND TXWY A11. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 420027: I LOOKED AHEAD AND SAW WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE THE L EDGE TAXI LIGHTS OF TXWY A11 INTENDING TO USE THIS TXWY AND MAKE A L TURN ON TXWY B. THESE LIGHTS WERE ACTUALLY THE R EDGE LIGHTS OF THE TXWY AND MY MISTAKEN RTE TOOK ME OFF THE RAMP INTO THE GRASS TO THE R OF TXWY A11. THE UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT LED TO THE CONFUSION ABOUT THE EXACT POS OF THE ACFT IN RELATION TO THE PROPER TXWY. THIS WAS ONLY MY 5TH TIME AT THIS BUSY ARPT AND ONLY THE 1ST TIME I WAS TAXIING FROM THE GATE TO THE RWY AT NIGHT.

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.