Narrative:

While leaving the ramp in birmingham, al, ground control told us to taxi to runway 24 via taxiway H. We proceeded down the taxiway, passing taxiway H 2, 3 and H 4. Just after passing H 4, we were told by ground to 'stop! Stop!.' I then stopped the aircraft, turned it around and we realized that we had transgressed on the alabama air national guard (ANG) ramp. A military person drove up to the airplane, signaled us to shut the engines down and proceeded to ramp check the crew. While he was inspecting my pilot license and medical certificate, he told me that these types of occurrences 'happen once a month.' I told him as well that I had not seen any signs on the ground or on the commercial airport diagram that we inspected prior to taxiing showing the beginning of the military zone. He then released us and we continued our trip uneventfully. Reasons for this transgression are: incorrect/improper taxi clearance by ground control. Poor airport surface markings showing the beginning of the air national guard ramp. Poor airport diagram showing the beginning of the air national guard ramp. Actions to further prevent such occurrences at joint military-civilian airports: ask clarification from ground if it looks like the taxiway will end us to an unauthorized part of the airport. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: PIC advised company had change operations to the other side of the airport, and this was their first opportunity to taxi in this area of the airport. The reporter advised neither pilot noticed any alerting signage that they had, or were about to penetrate a rested ramp area, but he advised that they were not really looking for restrictive signage. The flight crew was aware that the al air national guard had active operations at the airport. The military ramp guard told the flight crew that this type of situation occurs monthly. After the incident, the reporter's further research provided alerting notification in the government't a/FD publication. The reporter suggests signage with flashing lights, stating that beyond taxiway H4, the pilot was entering a military rested area and to call bhm ground control. An airport spokesman stated that there is signage on taxiway H, before H2 and H3, alerting the pilot is approaching the ANG ramp area, but they do not state 'do not proceed beyond...'. The airport spokesman was aware of recurring sits of pilots taxiing into the restred ramp area and always challenged by the military. A bhm specialist advised that they watch as best they can for these sits, but can't catch them all.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE20 FLC ARE ALERTED BY BHM GC THAT THEY HAVE TAXIED INTO A RESTRED MILITARY RAMP AREA JUST AS THEY ARE CHALLENGED BY MIL GND PERSONNEL.

Narrative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

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.