Narrative:

After a long flight, I landed on runway 28 at allegheny county one evening. The overcast obscured any moonlight I might have used to see the airport surface. I was also surprised to discover that agc doesn't have taxiway lighting, a fact not mentioned in the AFD or on any chart. As the airplane rolled to a stop, I struggled to find the taxiway entrance with my meager landing light. I saw the 'A3' sign and a break in runway lighting, so I turned the airplane off the runway and reported clear. The controller replied that I was on runway 31 and told me to 'turn onto taxiway a, use caution, taxiway is unlighted.' apparently, I turned about 20 ft too soon for 'A3.' the issue of greater safety concern came to my attention as I looked to enter 'a.' I told the controller I didn't see the 'a' sign. He said I was past it and to turn right where I was. Upon doing this, I saw I was headed for some pylons! 'Uh, you seem to be in a non movement area, use caution moving between the pylons,' he said, and issued instructions to the FBO ramp. Fortunately, the pylons were short and I steered through them and parked with no more difficulty. This embarrassing experience started with my fatigue from a long flight in IMC. It continued with my cursory viewing of the airport diagram. I expected to be issued taxi instructions on rollout, and when that didn't happen, I put getting off the runway ahead of positional awareness. Once I was on runway 31, I studied the airport diagram, which showed a large white area in the vicinity of 'a.' I figured this was grass, but in fact it was paved, unlighted, and marked with pylons only on the ramp side. Apparently, even the controller didn't know the full extent of this area when it was enveloped in a near total darkness. I recommend that all non movement areas of this type be illuminated with red lights. It might also be good to have different symbology on the diagram for grass and paved non movement areas, and a notation of 'no taxi lighting' would be nice, too. Finally, to myself, I recommend paying more attention to said diagram and buying a new landing light! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that when he commented on the lack of taxiway lighting, he was not referring to the entire airport taxiway lighting, but just the lack of lighting in the area to which he had turned off the runway. However, he believed that the most important problem was the pylon cones set on the open area between the runway and taxiway were placed for the benefit of taxiing out from the ramp area and not the aircraft taxiing in after landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BEECH 23 SKIPPER PLT UNFAMILIAR WITH AGC ARPT INADVERTENTLY TURNED OFF RWY AFTER LNDG ONTO ANOTHER RWY DUE TO LACK OF TXWY AND ACFT LIGHTING.

Narrative: AFTER A LONG FLT, I LANDED ON RWY 28 AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY ONE EVENING. THE OVCST OBSCURED ANY MOONLIGHT I MIGHT HAVE USED TO SEE THE ARPT SURFACE. I WAS ALSO SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT AGC DOESN'T HAVE TXWY LIGHTING, A FACT NOT MENTIONED IN THE AFD OR ON ANY CHART. AS THE AIRPLANE ROLLED TO A STOP, I STRUGGLED TO FIND THE TXWY ENTRANCE WITH MY MEAGER LNDG LIGHT. I SAW THE 'A3' SIGN AND A BREAK IN RWY LIGHTING, SO I TURNED THE AIRPLANE OFF THE RWY AND RPTED CLR. THE CTLR REPLIED THAT I WAS ON RWY 31 AND TOLD ME TO 'TURN ONTO TXWY A, USE CAUTION, TXWY IS UNLIGHTED.' APPARENTLY, I TURNED ABOUT 20 FT TOO SOON FOR 'A3.' THE ISSUE OF GREATER SAFETY CONCERN CAME TO MY ATTN AS I LOOKED TO ENTER 'A.' I TOLD THE CTLR I DIDN'T SEE THE 'A' SIGN. HE SAID I WAS PAST IT AND TO TURN R WHERE I WAS. UPON DOING THIS, I SAW I WAS HEADED FOR SOME PYLONS! 'UH, YOU SEEM TO BE IN A NON MOVEMENT AREA, USE CAUTION MOVING BTWN THE PYLONS,' HE SAID, AND ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO THE FBO RAMP. FORTUNATELY, THE PYLONS WERE SHORT AND I STEERED THROUGH THEM AND PARKED WITH NO MORE DIFFICULTY. THIS EMBARRASSING EXPERIENCE STARTED WITH MY FATIGUE FROM A LONG FLT IN IMC. IT CONTINUED WITH MY CURSORY VIEWING OF THE ARPT DIAGRAM. I EXPECTED TO BE ISSUED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS ON ROLLOUT, AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, I PUT GETTING OFF THE RWY AHEAD OF POSITIONAL AWARENESS. ONCE I WAS ON RWY 31, I STUDIED THE ARPT DIAGRAM, WHICH SHOWED A LARGE WHITE AREA IN THE VICINITY OF 'A.' I FIGURED THIS WAS GRASS, BUT IN FACT IT WAS PAVED, UNLIGHTED, AND MARKED WITH PYLONS ONLY ON THE RAMP SIDE. APPARENTLY, EVEN THE CTLR DIDN'T KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF THIS AREA WHEN IT WAS ENVELOPED IN A NEAR TOTAL DARKNESS. I RECOMMEND THAT ALL NON MOVEMENT AREAS OF THIS TYPE BE ILLUMINATED WITH RED LIGHTS. IT MIGHT ALSO BE GOOD TO HAVE DIFFERENT SYMBOLOGY ON THE DIAGRAM FOR GRASS AND PAVED NON MOVEMENT AREAS, AND A NOTATION OF 'NO TAXI LIGHTING' WOULD BE NICE, TOO. FINALLY, TO MYSELF, I RECOMMEND PAYING MORE ATTN TO SAID DIAGRAM AND BUYING A NEW LNDG LIGHT! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT WHEN HE COMMENTED ON THE LACK OF TXWY LIGHTING, HE WAS NOT REFERRING TO THE ENTIRE ARPT TXWY LIGHTING, BUT JUST THE LACK OF LIGHTING IN THE AREA TO WHICH HE HAD TURNED OFF THE RWY. HOWEVER, HE BELIEVED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT PROB WAS THE PYLON CONES SET ON THE OPEN AREA BTWN THE RWY AND TXWY WERE PLACED FOR THE BENEFIT OF TAXIING OUT FROM THE RAMP AREA AND NOT THE ACFT TAXIING IN AFTER LNDG.

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.