Narrative:

I was giving a flight lesson to a student pilot. We flew from fcm to ane to familiarize the student with the ane airport. We landed on runway 18 and taxied to the hangars on the east side for a visit on north dakota lane. When we left the student advised ground control that we were at north dakota and we were west bnd with the current ATIS information. The ground controller instructed us to taxi to runway 18. From the east side this requires taxiing on echo, bravo, and alpha to reach runway 18 from the west side. Bravo crosses runway 18. I asked the student what he would do. He stated he would hold short of runway 18 and ask for clearance to cross. When we got on bravo the controller told us to hold short of runway 18 and that we should have told him that we were at north dakota east when we called. We acknowledged his concern. The reason I am writing this report is the fact the north dakota hangar row is not labeled east, just north dakota. I found out there is also another north dakota on the west side of runway 18. Pilots flying in may not know this is a problem, which we experienced, and it should not be the responsibility of the controller checking to see which one you are on because of the confusing marking system. There was no runway incursion. My concern is the fact ane may not be the only airport in the system that has this confusing hangar marking system. Next time there may not be a controller or pilot that realizes there is a problem and an incident or accident occurs. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised that each row of hangars located on both the east and west sides of runway 18/36 have been given the name of a state unfortunately, rather than using more state names they used the same name for hangars on both sides of the runway. They have made no distinction in the signage which identifies the duplicated east and west north dakotas. He stated that local pilots probably are aware of making the distinction in their initial calls but that transients are prone to duplicate the reporter's error.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT ADVISES THE PARKING ARE KNOWN AS 'N DAKOTA' AT ANE EXISTS ON BOTH E AND W SIDES OF RWY 18 AND NO UTILIZED. THIS RESULTS IN CONFUSION AND POSSIBLE INCURS/COLLISION INCIDENTS WHEN TAXI INSTRUCTIONS DON'T SPECIFY SPECIFIC HOLD SHORT POINTS.

Narrative: I WAS GIVING A FLT LESSON TO A STUDENT PLT. WE FLEW FROM FCM TO ANE TO FAMILIARIZE THE STUDENT WITH THE ANE ARPT. WE LANDED ON RWY 18 AND TAXIED TO THE HANGARS ON THE E SIDE FOR A VISIT ON N DAKOTA LANE. WHEN WE LEFT THE STUDENT ADVISED GND CTL THAT WE WERE AT N DAKOTA AND WE WERE W BND WITH THE CURRENT ATIS INFO. THE GND CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO RWY 18. FROM THE E SIDE THIS REQUIRES TAXIING ON ECHO, BRAVO, AND ALPHA TO REACH RWY 18 FROM THE W SIDE. BRAVO CROSSES RWY 18. I ASKED THE STUDENT WHAT HE WOULD DO. HE STATED HE WOULD HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18 AND ASK FOR CLRNC TO CROSS. WHEN WE GOT ON BRAVO THE CTLR TOLD US TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18 AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE AT N DAKOTA E WHEN WE CALLED. WE ACKNOWLEDGED HIS CONCERN. THE REASON I AM WRITING THIS RPT IS THE FACT THE N DAKOTA HANGAR ROW IS NOT LABELED E, JUST N DAKOTA. I FOUND OUT THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER N DAKOTA ON THE W SIDE OF RWY 18. PLTS FLYING IN MAY NOT KNOW THIS IS A PROB, WHICH WE EXPERIENCED, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CTLR CHECKING TO SEE WHICH ONE YOU ARE ON BECAUSE OF THE CONFUSING MARKING SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO RWY INCURSION. MY CONCERN IS THE FACT ANE MAY NOT BE THE ONLY ARPT IN THE SYSTEM THAT HAS THIS CONFUSING HANGAR MARKING SYSTEM. NEXT TIME THERE MAY NOT BE A CTLR OR PLT THAT REALIZES THERE IS A PROB AND AN INCIDENT OR ACCIDENT OCCURS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT EACH ROW OF HANGARS LOCATED ON BOTH THE E AND W SIDES OF RWY 18/36 HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE NAME OF A STATE UNFORTUNATELY, RATHER THAN USING MORE STATE NAMES THEY USED THE SAME NAME FOR HANGARS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RWY. THEY HAVE MADE NO DISTINCTION IN THE SIGNAGE WHICH IDENTIFIES THE DUPLICATED E AND W N DAKOTAS. HE STATED THAT LOCAL PLTS PROBABLY ARE AWARE OF MAKING THE DISTINCTION IN THEIR INITIAL CALLS BUT THAT TRANSIENTS ARE PRONE TO DUPLICATE THE RPTR'S ERROR.

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.