Narrative:

ATIS was reporting visibility 8 SM, moderate rain, wind 190 degrees/16 KTS gusts to 24 KTS. I requested runway 19 for departure. Ground control instructed me to taxi to runway 19. This would be my first ever departure from this runway and 4TH ever departure from btv. Taxi from the GA ramp was started, then I glanced at the airport diagram to familiarize myself with the taxi route. Even with the taxi light on, I began to notice the difficulty resulting from the rain water depth in attempting to follow the taxiway centerline. I set the airport diagram aside and concentrated in maintaining centerline, memorizing that the taxiway a parallels the entire length of runway 19. Eventually, I had to use both landing lights in addition to the taxi light in order to illuminate the centerline. Compounding this already difficult taxi was rain beading up on the windscreen exterior and dew beginning to fog up the interior of the cabin windows. With no way to remove the rain from the windscreen, I positioned my body as close to the instrument panel as possible in order to have a better view of the taxi centerline. Remembering that taxiway G parallels runway 15 from my previous 3 departures from runway 15, at this intersection of taxiway G and a, I cleared finals and the surfaces of runways 15 and 33, then resumed full concentration onto the taxi centerline of taxiway a. Ground did not issue a 'hold short of runway 15' instruction, so I knew that I shall cross all runways and txwys to make my way to the assigned runway. Concentration on the taxi centerline caused me to miss the hold short signs and markings, which just happened to inform aircrews that the hold short is a combined position for both runway 15 at taxiway a and runway 19 full length. I probably missed the hold short point while clearing runway 33 as the right engine and wing would have obscured any signage from my perspective on the left pilot seat. As I began to cross runway 15 and arrived at the centerline of runway 15, the runway crown started to slope downward. Immediately I knew something was wrong when my lights illuminated grass beyond the edge of runway 15 instead of a continuing taxiway a as I was expecting. Ground/tower noticed my mistake simultaneously as I/we exchanged communications that taxiway a does not continue beyond runway 15 and that the hold short was behind me. Fortunately, I was the only aircraft on the surface and there were no airborne inbound aircraft to conflict with my incursion. Ground/tower did not desire me to exit runway 15 and instead, issued a takeoff clearance for runway 19. Had I been able to dedicate another look at the airport diagram, instead of full concentration on the centerline of taxiway a, the second glance would have probably alerted me to the potential error on my initial glance. If airports were to implement reflective paint for their hold short markings or taxiway ctrlines, taxi lights would help to easily discern an upcoming hold point. I can also choose to stop on the taxiway to check my position instead of attempting to maintain continuous motion from ramp to runway. That would have eliminated this incursion by allowing a moment to refresh the mind of the upcoming taxiway orientation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE58 NIGHTTIME DEP FROM BTV CROSSED RWY 19 HOLD LINE DURING RESTR VISIBILITY.

Narrative: ATIS WAS RPTING VISIBILITY 8 SM, MODERATE RAIN, WIND 190 DEGS/16 KTS GUSTS TO 24 KTS. I REQUESTED RWY 19 FOR DEP. GND CTL INSTRUCTED ME TO TAXI TO RWY 19. THIS WOULD BE MY FIRST EVER DEP FROM THIS RWY AND 4TH EVER DEP FROM BTV. TAXI FROM THE GA RAMP WAS STARTED, THEN I GLANCED AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM TO FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH THE TAXI RTE. EVEN WITH THE TAXI LIGHT ON, I BEGAN TO NOTICE THE DIFFICULTY RESULTING FROM THE RAIN WATER DEPTH IN ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW THE TXWY CTRLINE. I SET THE ARPT DIAGRAM ASIDE AND CONCENTRATED IN MAINTAINING CTRLINE, MEMORIZING THAT THE TXWY A PARALLELS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF RWY 19. EVENTUALLY, I HAD TO USE BOTH LNDG LIGHTS IN ADDITION TO THE TAXI LIGHT IN ORDER TO ILLUMINATE THE CTRLINE. COMPOUNDING THIS ALREADY DIFFICULT TAXI WAS RAIN BEADING UP ON THE WINDSCREEN EXTERIOR AND DEW BEGINNING TO FOG UP THE INTERIOR OF THE CABIN WINDOWS. WITH NO WAY TO REMOVE THE RAIN FROM THE WINDSCREEN, I POSITIONED MY BODY AS CLOSE TO THE INST PANEL AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF THE TAXI CTRLINE. REMEMBERING THAT TXWY G PARALLELS RWY 15 FROM MY PREVIOUS 3 DEPS FROM RWY 15, AT THIS INTXN OF TXWY G AND A, I CLRED FINALS AND THE SURFACES OF RWYS 15 AND 33, THEN RESUMED FULL CONCENTRATION ONTO THE TAXI CTRLINE OF TXWY A. GND DID NOT ISSUE A 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 15' INSTRUCTION, SO I KNEW THAT I SHALL CROSS ALL RWYS AND TXWYS TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE ASSIGNED RWY. CONCENTRATION ON THE TAXI CTRLINE CAUSED ME TO MISS THE HOLD SHORT SIGNS AND MARKINGS, WHICH JUST HAPPENED TO INFORM AIRCREWS THAT THE HOLD SHORT IS A COMBINED POS FOR BOTH RWY 15 AT TXWY A AND RWY 19 FULL LENGTH. I PROBABLY MISSED THE HOLD SHORT POINT WHILE CLRING RWY 33 AS THE R ENG AND WING WOULD HAVE OBSCURED ANY SIGNAGE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE L PLT SEAT. AS I BEGAN TO CROSS RWY 15 AND ARRIVED AT THE CTRLINE OF RWY 15, THE RWY CROWN STARTED TO SLOPE DOWNWARD. IMMEDIATELY I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WHEN MY LIGHTS ILLUMINATED GRASS BEYOND THE EDGE OF RWY 15 INSTEAD OF A CONTINUING TXWY A AS I WAS EXPECTING. GND/TWR NOTICED MY MISTAKE SIMULTANEOUSLY AS I/WE EXCHANGED COMS THAT TXWY A DOES NOT CONTINUE BEYOND RWY 15 AND THAT THE HOLD SHORT WAS BEHIND ME. FORTUNATELY, I WAS THE ONLY ACFT ON THE SURFACE AND THERE WERE NO AIRBORNE INBOUND ACFT TO CONFLICT WITH MY INCURSION. GND/TWR DID NOT DESIRE ME TO EXIT RWY 15 AND INSTEAD, ISSUED A TKOF CLRNC FOR RWY 19. HAD I BEEN ABLE TO DEDICATE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM, INSTEAD OF FULL CONCENTRATION ON THE CTRLINE OF TXWY A, THE SECOND GLANCE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ALERTED ME TO THE POTENTIAL ERROR ON MY INITIAL GLANCE. IF ARPTS WERE TO IMPLEMENT REFLECTIVE PAINT FOR THEIR HOLD SHORT MARKINGS OR TXWY CTRLINES, TAXI LIGHTS WOULD HELP TO EASILY DISCERN AN UPCOMING HOLD POINT. I CAN ALSO CHOOSE TO STOP ON THE TXWY TO CHK MY POS INSTEAD OF ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS MOTION FROM RAMP TO RWY. THAT WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED THIS INCURSION BY ALLOWING A MOMENT TO REFRESH THE MIND OF THE UPCOMING TXWY ORIENTATION.

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.