During a night operation, a B737-300 flight runs over a taxiway edge light on taxi out from the ramp...

Attributes
ACN	591780
Time
Date	200308
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : oak.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737-300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 15000
ASRS Report	591780
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 2500
ASRS Report	591777
Events
Anomaly	excursion : taxiway ground encounters other other anomaly other
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance Airport
Primary Problem	Environmental Factor

Narrative:

Upon taxi out at oakland, I inadvertently ran over a taxi light. As I departed the ramp area, I was instructed to keep to the far right of the ramp to allow incoming taxi access to the gate area. This position required a 60-70 degree right turn to enter taxiway U. The taxiway U has 3-4 green centerline lights to aid entering the taxiway, then only a centerline marking. As I entered the taxiway, I instructed the first officer to contact tower and determine if a 'U' intersection takeoff would expedite our departure. As the first officer was changing the radio frequency, I inadvertently steered toward the blue edge lights thinking that they were centerline lights. Since the first officer was heads down changing the radio frequency, I taxied the aircraft to approximately 3-4 ft of the taxiway's double stripped edge marking when I realized that the lights I thought were centerline lights were actually taxiway edge lights. I immediately corrected to the taxiway's centerline. At the time, I was unaware of striking one of the edge lights and did not find out about it until the next day. It was very dark the night of this occurrence and I believe if additional green centerline lights (in addition to the 3 or 4 heading lights on ramp entering to taxiway U) were installed on the taxiway, it would have prevented me from mistaking edge lights for centerline lights. Supplemental information from acn 591777: I looked down to change to tower frequency, hoping to depart runway 29 from intersection U. When I looked up, I saw that we were well left of the taxiway centerline, near the blue edge lights. Before I could say anything, the captain was already correcting back to the right. We did not think we had been far enough left to hit any lights and we had no indication (bump, noise, etc) that we had struck anything. The flight was normal and post-flight of the tires revealed no cuts, scrapes, etc. I believe that the angle from which we approached taxiway U, the limited number of green centerline lights on that taxiway, the darkness, and the fact that I was heads down at the time probably all contributed to this event.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING A NIGHT OP, A B737-300 FLT RUNS OVER A TXWY EDGE LIGHT ON TAXI OUT FROM THE RAMP AS THE PIC MISTAKENLY IDENTS THE EDGE LIGHTS AS CTRLINE TAXI LIGHTS ON TXWY U AT OAK, CA.

Narrative: UPON TAXI OUT AT OAKLAND, I INADVERTENTLY RAN OVER A TAXI LIGHT. AS I DEPARTED THE RAMP AREA, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO KEEP TO THE FAR R OF THE RAMP TO ALLOW INCOMING TAXI ACCESS TO THE GATE AREA. THIS POS REQUIRED A 60-70 DEG R TURN TO ENTER TXWY U. THE TXWY U HAS 3-4 GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS TO AID ENTERING THE TXWY, THEN ONLY A CTRLINE MARKING. AS I ENTERED THE TXWY, I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO CONTACT TWR AND DETERMINE IF A 'U' INTXN TKOF WOULD EXPEDITE OUR DEP. AS THE FO WAS CHANGING THE RADIO FREQ, I INADVERTENTLY STEERED TOWARD THE BLUE EDGE LIGHTS THINKING THAT THEY WERE CTRLINE LIGHTS. SINCE THE FO WAS HEADS DOWN CHANGING THE RADIO FREQ, I TAXIED THE ACFT TO APPROX 3-4 FT OF THE TXWY'S DOUBLE STRIPPED EDGE MARKING WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE LIGHTS I THOUGHT WERE CTRLINE LIGHTS WERE ACTUALLY TXWY EDGE LIGHTS. I IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED TO THE TXWY'S CTRLINE. AT THE TIME, I WAS UNAWARE OF STRIKING ONE OF THE EDGE LIGHTS AND DID NOT FIND OUT ABOUT IT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. IT WAS VERY DARK THE NIGHT OF THIS OCCURRENCE AND I BELIEVE IF ADDITIONAL GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS (IN ADDITION TO THE 3 OR 4 HDG LIGHTS ON RAMP ENTERING TO TXWY U) WERE INSTALLED ON THE TXWY, IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED ME FROM MISTAKING EDGE LIGHTS FOR CTRLINE LIGHTS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 591777: I LOOKED DOWN TO CHANGE TO TWR FREQ, HOPING TO DEPART RWY 29 FROM INTXN U. WHEN I LOOKED UP, I SAW THAT WE WERE WELL L OF THE TXWY CTRLINE, NEAR THE BLUE EDGE LIGHTS. BEFORE I COULD SAY ANYTHING, THE CAPT WAS ALREADY CORRECTING BACK TO THE R. WE DID NOT THINK WE HAD BEEN FAR ENOUGH L TO HIT ANY LIGHTS AND WE HAD NO INDICATION (BUMP, NOISE, ETC) THAT WE HAD STRUCK ANYTHING. THE FLT WAS NORMAL AND POST-FLT OF THE TIRES REVEALED NO CUTS, SCRAPES, ETC. I BELIEVE THAT THE ANGLE FROM WHICH WE APCHED TXWY U, THE LIMITED NUMBER OF GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS ON THAT TXWY, THE DARKNESS, AND THE FACT THAT I WAS HEADS DOWN AT THE TIME PROBABLY ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT.

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.

During a night operation, a B737-300 flight runs over a taxiway edge light on taxi out from the ramp as the PIC mistakenly idents the edge lights as centerline taxi lights on taxiway U at oak, ca.