Narrative:

We landed on runway 20 with the other runway under construction. NOTAMS said taxiway a closed to large aircraft. When we back-taxied on runway 20 to taxiway B, we stopped the jet, saw the ground crew out to meet us and weren't sure if that was the way we were supposed to go. I'd not been to yak in about 4 yrs, but it seemed like the last 15 times I'd been there we'd never used taxiway B. The first officer and I talked about it, called yak operations, got no answer because they were out on the ramp to meet us, and almost turned in on taxiway B. The reason we didn't was because there were about 3 workers immediately to the south side of the taxiway working in a ditch. I thought from a safety standpoint it just didn't pass the common sense test to turn there and probably run the port side engine within the danger distance of the 3 men working there. Looking ahead to where the closed taxiway was with no one near it, no markings indicating a closure, I assumed that was where we were supposed to go. The thought also crossed my mind that either I was mixing up the txwys or that someone else had mixed them up during the NOTAM. After parking the jet, someone came up and asked me about it. I explained what I had seen. He brought up the same concern about the men working next to the taxiway, and I thought nothing more about it. It might have helped to have the ground personnel at least wave at us when we were parked trying to figure out the safest approach to the parking area. I think that would have prevented any further confusion on our part. I thought we took the safest course of action and with absolutely no other means of verifying the actual closure versus what we saw.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-400 CREW TAXIED INTO TXWY A RATHER THAN TXWY B TO THE RAMP AT YAK. TXWY A WAS NOTAMED CLOSED AND TXWY B HAD PERSONNEL WORKING ADJACENT TO TXWY.

Narrative: WE LANDED ON RWY 20 WITH THE OTHER RWY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. NOTAMS SAID TXWY A CLOSED TO LARGE ACFT. WHEN WE BACK-TAXIED ON RWY 20 TO TXWY B, WE STOPPED THE JET, SAW THE GND CREW OUT TO MEET US AND WEREN'T SURE IF THAT WAS THE WAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO. I'D NOT BEEN TO YAK IN ABOUT 4 YRS, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THE LAST 15 TIMES I'D BEEN THERE WE'D NEVER USED TXWY B. THE FO AND I TALKED ABOUT IT, CALLED YAK OPS, GOT NO ANSWER BECAUSE THEY WERE OUT ON THE RAMP TO MEET US, AND ALMOST TURNED IN ON TXWY B. THE REASON WE DIDN'T WAS BECAUSE THERE WERE ABOUT 3 WORKERS IMMEDIATELY TO THE S SIDE OF THE TXWY WORKING IN A DITCH. I THOUGHT FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT IT JUST DIDN'T PASS THE COMMON SENSE TEST TO TURN THERE AND PROBABLY RUN THE PORT SIDE ENG WITHIN THE DANGER DISTANCE OF THE 3 MEN WORKING THERE. LOOKING AHEAD TO WHERE THE CLOSED TXWY WAS WITH NO ONE NEAR IT, NO MARKINGS INDICATING A CLOSURE, I ASSUMED THAT WAS WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO. THE THOUGHT ALSO CROSSED MY MIND THAT EITHER I WAS MIXING UP THE TXWYS OR THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAD MIXED THEM UP DURING THE NOTAM. AFTER PARKING THE JET, SOMEONE CAME UP AND ASKED ME ABOUT IT. I EXPLAINED WHAT I HAD SEEN. HE BROUGHT UP THE SAME CONCERN ABOUT THE MEN WORKING NEXT TO THE TXWY, AND I THOUGHT NOTHING MORE ABOUT IT. IT MIGHT HAVE HELPED TO HAVE THE GND PERSONNEL AT LEAST WAVE AT US WHEN WE WERE PARKED TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE SAFEST APCH TO THE PARKING AREA. I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED ANY FURTHER CONFUSION ON OUR PART. I THOUGHT WE TOOK THE SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION AND WITH ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER MEANS OF VERIFYING THE ACTUAL CLOSURE VERSUS WHAT WE SAW.

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.