Narrative:

Taxi across grass. Flight and landing in gru were uneventful. We were cleared across runway 9L to taxi via txwys B and H to gate X. Field conditions were dry but for patches of standing water in grassy area. Sky conditions were dark, overcast with ground smoke or haze. Airport lighting was subdued from the air and the smoke was visible after landing from airport lighting in all sectors of the ramp area. Visibility was acceptable for taxi. The aircraft was very light (234000 pounds of less) and it was necessary to brake repetitively to maintain normal taxi speed. I have considerable experience in gru but the taxiway H taxi area and gates are relatively new to me (having primarily utilized taxiway I or the open tarmac). I turned right onto taxiway H and looking towards the gate area, I saw several open gates. As I slowed to a stop at the intersection of txwys H and a, I looked down at my airport page for reference to the correct gate. That page is somewhat confusing as there are several large boxes superimposed over what was our aircraft position and making it difficult to differentiate non paved areas to the right of our position. In addition, my lower map light was inoperative and I was forced to turn on and focus the overhead spot to see the map. Gate numbers in gru are somewhat confusing as well. X is gate Y inside the terminal and the only gate number that is visible by the crew while in the cockpit says Z (the adjacent gate). I wanted to verify the location of the gate before proceeding further. As I looked back towards the gate area I remarked that I saw our guidemen waiving with the lead guideman holding his illuminated wands up and parallel over his head. At this time the nose of the aircraft blocked the blue edge lights, defining the limit of the paved area to the right, from my view and with the dark and smoky conditions I could not easily differentiate between grass and asphalt. No taxi signs in my vicinity were evident or illuminated. Believing that the ramp area lay to my right I turned the aircraft in that direction onto (what I later find out was) taxiway a. Looking left and once lined up I turned left onto the extended lead in line for X and proceeded across the grass. I was focused on the guidemen and the task of differentiating the lead in line. The aircraft moved quickly downhill and at no time did I see any personnel attempt to signal the aircraft to stop or continue forward for that matter. I believe they were incredulous as to what was taking place. It wasn't until the nose tires became mired in mud and I felt the resistance that I stopped the aircraft abruptly and set the parking brake. I glanced out the left side window and only then realized what had happened. I shut down the engines, told the passenger and crew to remain seated and called operations for assistance. The airplane was deplaned and moved later that night. There were no injuries to passenger or crew and aircraft damage consisted of repacking one row of oxygen masks and replacing 2 tires cut in the removal process. Supplemental information from acn 599116: on approach, captain commented that runway lights were fairly dim. A moment later the captain said we taxied onto the infield grass median (between taxiway a and ramp). I looked up and could see we were lined up on the guideman in position with wands up. Because of favorable environmental factors, light traffic, guideman in sight and an experienced captain who was familiar with the airport, I became complacent and had my eyes in the cockpit too long. Consequently, I failed to warn the captain that he was about to depart the taxiway. Conversation with reporter on acn 599116 revealed the following information: the crew was very tired after previously flying a day trip, followed by an all-nighter. The crew had commented on the very dim lighting at the airport, both on the runway and txwys. The taxiway H has green centerline lighting that were so dim as to not be evident. The reporter suggests the airport tower not set the lighting so low. The captain was only using the nosewheel taxi light for taxi. He turned it off in preparation for being marshaled into the gate. This is when he inadvertently turned into the grassy area. Thisis the second aircraft that has done this in less than a month. The crew reported the incident to their chief pilot. The FAA has threatened suspending the crew's licenses for a period of time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767-300 CREW TAXIED OFF THE TXWY INTO A GRASS, MUDDY AREA WHEN TURNING INTO THE RAMP AREA AT SBGR. THE ARPT LIGHTING, CTRLINE LIGHTING WAS SET AT A VERY DIM SETTING.

Narrative: TAXI ACROSS GRASS. FLT AND LNDG IN GRU WERE UNEVENTFUL. WE WERE CLRED ACROSS RWY 9L TO TAXI VIA TXWYS B AND H TO GATE X. FIELD CONDITIONS WERE DRY BUT FOR PATCHES OF STANDING WATER IN GRASSY AREA. SKY CONDITIONS WERE DARK, OVCST WITH GND SMOKE OR HAZE. ARPT LIGHTING WAS SUBDUED FROM THE AIR AND THE SMOKE WAS VISIBLE AFTER LNDG FROM ARPT LIGHTING IN ALL SECTORS OF THE RAMP AREA. VISIBILITY WAS ACCEPTABLE FOR TAXI. THE ACFT WAS VERY LIGHT (234000 LBS OF LESS) AND IT WAS NECESSARY TO BRAKE REPETITIVELY TO MAINTAIN NORMAL TAXI SPD. I HAVE CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE IN GRU BUT THE TXWY H TAXI AREA AND GATES ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO ME (HAVING PRIMARILY UTILIZED TXWY I OR THE OPEN TARMAC). I TURNED R ONTO TXWY H AND LOOKING TOWARDS THE GATE AREA, I SAW SEVERAL OPEN GATES. AS I SLOWED TO A STOP AT THE INTXN OF TXWYS H AND A, I LOOKED DOWN AT MY ARPT PAGE FOR REF TO THE CORRECT GATE. THAT PAGE IS SOMEWHAT CONFUSING AS THERE ARE SEVERAL LARGE BOXES SUPERIMPOSED OVER WHAT WAS OUR ACFT POS AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO DIFFERENTIATE NON PAVED AREAS TO THE R OF OUR POS. IN ADDITION, MY LOWER MAP LIGHT WAS INOP AND I WAS FORCED TO TURN ON AND FOCUS THE OVERHEAD SPOT TO SEE THE MAP. GATE NUMBERS IN GRU ARE SOMEWHAT CONFUSING AS WELL. X IS GATE Y INSIDE THE TERMINAL AND THE ONLY GATE NUMBER THAT IS VISIBLE BY THE CREW WHILE IN THE COCKPIT SAYS Z (THE ADJACENT GATE). I WANTED TO VERIFY THE LOCATION OF THE GATE BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER. AS I LOOKED BACK TOWARDS THE GATE AREA I REMARKED THAT I SAW OUR GUIDEMEN WAIVING WITH THE LEAD GUIDEMAN HOLDING HIS ILLUMINATED WANDS UP AND PARALLEL OVER HIS HEAD. AT THIS TIME THE NOSE OF THE ACFT BLOCKED THE BLUE EDGE LIGHTS, DEFINING THE LIMIT OF THE PAVED AREA TO THE R, FROM MY VIEW AND WITH THE DARK AND SMOKY CONDITIONS I COULD NOT EASILY DIFFERENTIATE BTWN GRASS AND ASPHALT. NO TAXI SIGNS IN MY VICINITY WERE EVIDENT OR ILLUMINATED. BELIEVING THAT THE RAMP AREA LAY TO MY R I TURNED THE ACFT IN THAT DIRECTION ONTO (WHAT I LATER FIND OUT WAS) TXWY A. LOOKING L AND ONCE LINED UP I TURNED L ONTO THE EXTENDED LEAD IN LINE FOR X AND PROCEEDED ACROSS THE GRASS. I WAS FOCUSED ON THE GUIDEMEN AND THE TASK OF DIFFERENTIATING THE LEAD IN LINE. THE ACFT MOVED QUICKLY DOWNHILL AND AT NO TIME DID I SEE ANY PERSONNEL ATTEMPT TO SIGNAL THE ACFT TO STOP OR CONTINUE FORWARD FOR THAT MATTER. I BELIEVE THEY WERE INCREDULOUS AS TO WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE NOSE TIRES BECAME MIRED IN MUD AND I FELT THE RESISTANCE THAT I STOPPED THE ACFT ABRUPTLY AND SET THE PARKING BRAKE. I GLANCED OUT THE L SIDE WINDOW AND ONLY THEN REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I SHUT DOWN THE ENGS, TOLD THE PAX AND CREW TO REMAIN SEATED AND CALLED OPS FOR ASSISTANCE. THE AIRPLANE WAS DEPLANED AND MOVED LATER THAT NIGHT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PAX OR CREW AND ACFT DAMAGE CONSISTED OF REPACKING ONE ROW OF OXYGEN MASKS AND REPLACING 2 TIRES CUT IN THE REMOVAL PROCESS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 599116: ON APCH, CAPT COMMENTED THAT RWY LIGHTS WERE FAIRLY DIM. A MOMENT LATER THE CAPT SAID WE TAXIED ONTO THE INFIELD GRASS MEDIAN (BTWN TXWY A AND RAMP). I LOOKED UP AND COULD SEE WE WERE LINED UP ON THE GUIDEMAN IN POS WITH WANDS UP. BECAUSE OF FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, LIGHT TFC, GUIDEMAN IN SIGHT AND AN EXPERIENCED CAPT WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT, I BECAME COMPLACENT AND HAD MY EYES IN THE COCKPIT TOO LONG. CONSEQUENTLY, I FAILED TO WARN THE CAPT THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO DEPART THE TXWY. CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 599116 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CREW WAS VERY TIRED AFTER PREVIOUSLY FLYING A DAY TRIP, FOLLOWED BY AN ALL-NIGHTER. THE CREW HAD COMMENTED ON THE VERY DIM LIGHTING AT THE ARPT, BOTH ON THE RWY AND TXWYS. THE TXWY H HAS GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTING THAT WERE SO DIM AS TO NOT BE EVIDENT. THE RPTR SUGGESTS THE ARPT TWR NOT SET THE LIGHTING SO LOW. THE CAPT WAS ONLY USING THE NOSEWHEEL TAXI LIGHT FOR TAXI. HE TURNED IT OFF IN PREPARATION FOR BEING MARSHALED INTO THE GATE. THIS IS WHEN HE INADVERTENTLY TURNED INTO THE GRASSY AREA. THISIS THE SECOND ACFT THAT HAS DONE THIS IN LESS THAN A MONTH. THE CREW RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THEIR CHIEF PLT. THE FAA HAS THREATENED SUSPENDING THE CREW'S LICENSES FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

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.