Narrative:

On 10/wed/01, at approximately XA00 local time. I had just finished refueling my personally owned aircraft and requested taxi clearance to the active runway 18 at joplin regional airport in joplin, mo. The controller cleared me to taxi to the active runway from FBO. At that time I proceeded to what I thought was the correct taxiway to runway 18. It seemed to me, at the time, that the taxiway looked more like an intersection than a taxiway due to its extremely short length. When I realized that my nosewheel had broken a hold short line, my fears were confirmed. Before I could call ground control, the controller advised me to do a 180 and back taxi to the base of the tower and report. I taxied back, shut down my aircraft and went to the tower. I was met there by a controller (the only one in the tower) at which time he began asking me for my personal information such as pilot certificate number, address, etc, and advised me that he would be filing a report with the FAA relating to this incident. I, of course, was upset mostly due to the fact that the incursion happened due to a lack of adequate runway/taxiway signage, and the controller's inability to realize that I was unfamiliar with the airport layout since I had asked for progressive taxi instructions right after landing only a few mins before. He also informed me during our conversation that he had personally advised the airport manager several times that this particular intersection was poorly marked and confusing to other pilots and this sort of incident had happened many times before. I requested to speak with mr Y to voice my displeasure in his inability as a manager to take the necessary steps needed to ensure that this incident did not occur in the future. I requested airport diagrams to further illustrate my point, but he declined to provide me with the materials. The controller also declined to furnish me with a completed copy of the report. The bottom line here is, this particular intersection is extremely close to a large FBO on the field where many transient pilots would go for fuel and other services. The lack of signage in this area could have caused a severe accident had I not been fully aware of my location on the field and taken the appropriate actions immediately to rectify the error. I didn't realize that the taxiway signs were at least 500 yds away from my initial location until I was up in the tower looking over the entire field. I could easily have taxied right on to the active runway directly in front of landing traffic. I would like to discuss this further and in more detail should the need arise. While the FAA is busy trying to correct runway incursions, they should elicit the opinion of the pilots who experience them. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: during callback the reporter suggested that taxiway center lines and surface signs would probably be helpful since current signage is so far from the exit point of the FBO facility. In his incident he taxied on taxiway C instead of making an immediate left turn out of the FBO to go toward taxiway D where it begins at the edge of the parking ramp. He also reported that in his contact with the FSDO he found that this is a recurring problem at this particular intersection.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INADEQUATE SURFACE MARKINGS AND SIGNAGE COUPLED WITH UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT REPORTEDLY LEAD TO A RWY INCURSION AT KJLN.

Narrative: ON 10/WED/01, AT APPROX XA00 LOCAL TIME. I HAD JUST FINISHED REFUELING MY PERSONALLY OWNED ACFT AND REQUESTED TAXI CLRNC TO THE ACTIVE RWY 18 AT JOPLIN REGIONAL ARPT IN JOPLIN, MO. THE CTLR CLRED ME TO TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY FROM FBO. AT THAT TIME I PROCEEDED TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE CORRECT TXWY TO RWY 18. IT SEEMED TO ME, AT THE TIME, THAT THE TXWY LOOKED MORE LIKE AN INTXN THAN A TXWY DUE TO ITS EXTREMELY SHORT LENGTH. WHEN I REALIZED THAT MY NOSEWHEEL HAD BROKEN A HOLD SHORT LINE, MY FEARS WERE CONFIRMED. BEFORE I COULD CALL GND CTL, THE CTLR ADVISED ME TO DO A 180 AND BACK TAXI TO THE BASE OF THE TWR AND RPT. I TAXIED BACK, SHUT DOWN MY ACFT AND WENT TO THE TWR. I WAS MET THERE BY A CTLR (THE ONLY ONE IN THE TWR) AT WHICH TIME HE BEGAN ASKING ME FOR MY PERSONAL INFO SUCH AS PLT CERTIFICATE NUMBER, ADDRESS, ETC, AND ADVISED ME THAT HE WOULD BE FILING A RPT WITH THE FAA RELATING TO THIS INCIDENT. I, OF COURSE, WAS UPSET MOSTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE INCURSION HAPPENED DUE TO A LACK OF ADEQUATE RWY/TXWY SIGNAGE, AND THE CTLR'S INABILITY TO REALIZE THAT I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT SINCE I HAD ASKED FOR PROGRESSIVE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS RIGHT AFTER LNDG ONLY A FEW MINS BEFORE. HE ALSO INFORMED ME DURING OUR CONVERSATION THAT HE HAD PERSONALLY ADVISED THE ARPT MGR SEVERAL TIMES THAT THIS PARTICULAR INTXN WAS POORLY MARKED AND CONFUSING TO OTHER PLTS AND THIS SORT OF INCIDENT HAD HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE. I REQUESTED TO SPEAK WITH MR Y TO VOICE MY DISPLEASURE IN HIS INABILITY AS A MGR TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT THIS INCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR IN THE FUTURE. I REQUESTED ARPT DIAGRAMS TO FURTHER ILLUSTRATE MY POINT, BUT HE DECLINED TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE MATERIALS. THE CTLR ALSO DECLINED TO FURNISH ME WITH A COMPLETED COPY OF THE RPT. THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS, THIS PARTICULAR INTXN IS EXTREMELY CLOSE TO A LARGE FBO ON THE FIELD WHERE MANY TRANSIENT PLTS WOULD GO FOR FUEL AND OTHER SERVICES. THE LACK OF SIGNAGE IN THIS AREA COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT HAD I NOT BEEN FULLY AWARE OF MY LOCATION ON THE FIELD AND TAKEN THE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY TO RECTIFY THE ERROR. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE TXWY SIGNS WERE AT LEAST 500 YDS AWAY FROM MY INITIAL LOCATION UNTIL I WAS UP IN THE TWR LOOKING OVER THE ENTIRE FIELD. I COULD EASILY HAVE TAXIED RIGHT ON TO THE ACTIVE RWY DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF LNDG TFC. I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS FURTHER AND IN MORE DETAIL SHOULD THE NEED ARISE. WHILE THE FAA IS BUSY TRYING TO CORRECT RWY INCURSIONS, THEY SHOULD ELICIT THE OPINION OF THE PLTS WHO EXPERIENCE THEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: DURING CALLBACK THE RPTR SUGGESTED THAT TXWY CENTER LINES AND SURFACE SIGNS WOULD PROBABLY BE HELPFUL SINCE CURRENT SIGNAGE IS SO FAR FROM THE EXIT POINT OF THE FBO FAC. IN HIS INCIDENT HE TAXIED ON TXWY C INSTEAD OF MAKING AN IMMEDIATE LEFT TURN OUT OF THE FBO TO GO TOWARD TXWY D WHERE IT BEGINS AT THE EDGE OF THE PARKING RAMP. HE ALSO RPTED THAT IN HIS CONTACT WITH THE FSDO HE FOUND THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROB AT THIS PARTICULAR INTXN.

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.