Narrative:

I was taxiing the bonanza for departure from teb. My destination was montreal's dorval international airport (cyul), then to harrisburg international airport, PA (mdt). The previous day I had squeezed my customarily thorough flight planning into the few hours available to me late the previous evening and early that morning. I had rested somewhat less than my usual 8 hours each of the prior 2 nights. I was operating single pilot, and I was running several mins behind schedule. Traffic at teb was unusually light, even for a saturday morning. (In the 12 mins it took me to start the engine, obtain my full route instrument clearance, taxi, perform a full run-up, and take off, there was only 1 other operation at the airport.) ground and tower control were combined on the tower frequency, and runway 1/19 was closed for snow removal. I was cleared to taxi to runway 24 via txwys P and B, and instructed to hold short of runway 24. My clumsy initial readback of the taxi clearance caused the controller to request another, as I had failed to acknowledge the hold short instruction. That transgression rectified, I proceeded north along taxiway P. The WX was calm and clear, but it had snowed heavily a week earlier and again -- much more lightly -- the prior evening. All airport surface areas were covered by a thin coat of snow and ice and surrounded by 3-FT snow banks, and snow removal equipment was actively clearing various areas at the field. I was performing the taxi and before takeoff checklists when the violation occurred and I failed to turn right onto taxiway B. Instead, I continued north to the end of taxiway P and east onto taxiway a, following the much more common taxi route to which I was accustomed. In fact, I did not realize my mistake until I had taxied 1/2 way across runway 1/19 and the controller politely informed me of the deviation. He pointed out that taxiway a was closed due to snow and ice, but he authority/authorized me to continue taxiing to runway 24, advising that I exercise caution in the unplowed area. I am intimately familiar with the airport layout, but still I missed taxiway B and failed to catch my own mistake until it was pointed out by ATC. Contributing factors include fatigue, single pilot operation, my distraction with performing the checklists during taxi, my rush to get back on schedule, the obscuration of airport surface markings in the snow banks, and my complacency under conditions of favorable WX and unusually light traffic at teb. Before leaving the tower frequency after takeoff, I apologized to the controller for my taxiing blunder. He said it was no problem, but I came away from the incident with a renewed appreciation for the need to be diligent in all phases of flight, including taxi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE36 PLT FOLLOWED A TAXI RTE TO WHICH HE WAS ACCUSTOMED, NOT THE RTE TO WHICH HE WAS CLRED AT TEB.

Narrative: I WAS TAXIING THE BONANZA FOR DEP FROM TEB. MY DEST WAS MONTREAL'S DORVAL INTL ARPT (CYUL), THEN TO HARRISBURG INTL ARPT, PA (MDT). THE PREVIOUS DAY I HAD SQUEEZED MY CUSTOMARILY THOROUGH FLT PLANNING INTO THE FEW HRS AVAILABLE TO ME LATE THE PREVIOUS EVENING AND EARLY THAT MORNING. I HAD RESTED SOMEWHAT LESS THAN MY USUAL 8 HRS EACH OF THE PRIOR 2 NIGHTS. I WAS OPERATING SINGLE PLT, AND I WAS RUNNING SEVERAL MINS BEHIND SCHEDULE. TFC AT TEB WAS UNUSUALLY LIGHT, EVEN FOR A SATURDAY MORNING. (IN THE 12 MINS IT TOOK ME TO START THE ENG, OBTAIN MY FULL RTE INST CLRNC, TAXI, PERFORM A FULL RUN-UP, AND TAKE OFF, THERE WAS ONLY 1 OTHER OP AT THE ARPT.) GND AND TWR CTL WERE COMBINED ON THE TWR FREQ, AND RWY 1/19 WAS CLOSED FOR SNOW REMOVAL. I WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 24 VIA TXWYS P AND B, AND INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 24. MY CLUMSY INITIAL READBACK OF THE TAXI CLRNC CAUSED THE CTLR TO REQUEST ANOTHER, AS I HAD FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTION. THAT TRANSGRESSION RECTIFIED, I PROCEEDED N ALONG TXWY P. THE WX WAS CALM AND CLR, BUT IT HAD SNOWED HEAVILY A WK EARLIER AND AGAIN -- MUCH MORE LIGHTLY -- THE PRIOR EVENING. ALL ARPT SURFACE AREAS WERE COVERED BY A THIN COAT OF SNOW AND ICE AND SURROUNDED BY 3-FT SNOW BANKS, AND SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP WAS ACTIVELY CLRING VARIOUS AREAS AT THE FIELD. I WAS PERFORMING THE TAXI AND BEFORE TKOF CHKLISTS WHEN THE VIOLATION OCCURRED AND I FAILED TO TURN R ONTO TXWY B. INSTEAD, I CONTINUED N TO THE END OF TXWY P AND E ONTO TXWY A, FOLLOWING THE MUCH MORE COMMON TAXI RTE TO WHICH I WAS ACCUSTOMED. IN FACT, I DID NOT REALIZE MY MISTAKE UNTIL I HAD TAXIED 1/2 WAY ACROSS RWY 1/19 AND THE CTLR POLITELY INFORMED ME OF THE DEV. HE POINTED OUT THAT TXWY A WAS CLOSED DUE TO SNOW AND ICE, BUT HE AUTH ME TO CONTINUE TAXIING TO RWY 24, ADVISING THAT I EXERCISE CAUTION IN THE UNPLOWED AREA. I AM INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT, BUT STILL I MISSED TXWY B AND FAILED TO CATCH MY OWN MISTAKE UNTIL IT WAS POINTED OUT BY ATC. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE FATIGUE, SINGLE PLT OP, MY DISTR WITH PERFORMING THE CHKLISTS DURING TAXI, MY RUSH TO GET BACK ON SCHEDULE, THE OBSCURATION OF ARPT SURFACE MARKINGS IN THE SNOW BANKS, AND MY COMPLACENCY UNDER CONDITIONS OF FAVORABLE WX AND UNUSUALLY LIGHT TFC AT TEB. BEFORE LEAVING THE TWR FREQ AFTER TKOF, I APOLOGIZED TO THE CTLR FOR MY TAXIING BLUNDER. HE SAID IT WAS NO PROB, BUT I CAME AWAY FROM THE INCIDENT WITH A RENEWED APPRECIATION FOR THE NEED TO BE DILIGENT IN ALL PHASES OF FLT, INCLUDING TAXI.

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.