Narrative:

My flight landed on runway 1 at dca. The aircraft exited the runway at taxiway south which directly connects the runway to the entry to the parking area. This exit from the runway is very short so there is very little time to contact operations. During flight; we were informed that we would be parking at spot X. After exiting the runway; first officer confirmed with operations over the radio that X was open prior to entering the ramp area. The entry to the ramp area had an aircraft parked in the middle of the entry area (a normal parking location) requiring an aircraft to either enter to the left or right of that aircraft depending on where the assigned parking location is located; north or south on the ramp area. The X location was to the left or south of that aircraft. With an aircraft parked at the Z location; it is difficult to see the X parking location. We entered the ramp area based upon information that X was open and made a turn to the south and stopped to allow a crew to walk in front of our aircraft to cross the ramp as I did not want them to walk behind our operating engines. I am very conscious of what is behind my aircraft when taxiing and I try to use idle thrust at all times when possible. To get the aircraft moving on this slight inclined portion of the taxiway; I had to use 3 very slight separate increases in power to move the aircraft to level ground where it would move under idle thrust alone. Once we were on level pavement; passenger began to exit a van to our right and board the aircraft. I stopped our plane and set the brake as I was concerned with the noise of our engines to the passenger ears. Also I would not be comfortable passing the van without wing walkers as the available width to taxi down the alley was reduced by its presence. After all of the passenger boarded the aircraft to our right; the van departed allowing sufficient clearance to safely continue our taxi toward the X location. We observed numerous ground workers in the vicinity of the aircraft at the Y parking location and expected that we would be parked by them as is typical based on previous experience. As we continued our taxi; I observed the domicile manager walk down the stairs of a parked aircraft to our right which I believe was spot east. Upon approaching spot Y where the numerous rampers were located we did not notice anybody moving to spot X to park us. This was not good as our idle jet thrust is now located directly down the alley where rampers are working on each side of the high velocity air. Additionally; I was concerned that a van could pull up to a plane behind us and offload passenger in the vicinity of this high velocity air which not only has a danger of speed and heat but the potential of throwing dust and debris into their eyes. My immediate concern now became how to eliminate the hazard of my idle jet thrust to people and equipment on the ground behind me. My options were to 1) stop in the alley near location X (our present location) and shut down the engines; 2) cross over spot X which is where I would need to stop to contact ground control for clearance to taxi into the alley; 3) remain where I was near spot X with the engines running and the associated hazard; or 4) stop at spot X within feet of where I would have been to contact ground control and shut down the engines. Please note that location X is a continuation of the alley to the perpendicular alley controled by ground control. There is no equipment located in this area as aircraft use this location to exit the alley to the south when no airplanes are being svced there. Option #1: would have left the aircraft in the middle of the alley with no recognizable boundaries for the safe movement of ground equipment around the aircraft and blocking other aircraft movements entirely. Option #2: continues the hazard until ground control issues a clearance to taxi into the intersecting alley and then we would need to either return through the entry we originally used off taxiway south or stay in the controled alley with our thrust in a safe direction to return and do a 180 degree turn into location X with some application of power to make the turn (a sweeping thrust down the alley situation). Option #3: obvious safety hazard. Option #4: this places us within feet of where wewould be located to contact ground control in option 2; allows us to shut down the engines removing the hazard and possibly not require us to move the aircraft again as in options #1 and #2.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 FLT CREW IS CONCERNED WITH TAXIING IN TO THE RAMP AREA DUE TO THE CONGESTION AND THE POSSIBLE JETBLAST FROM THE ENGS.

Narrative: MY FLT LANDED ON RWY 1 AT DCA. THE ACFT EXITED THE RWY AT TXWY S WHICH DIRECTLY CONNECTS THE RWY TO THE ENTRY TO THE PARKING AREA. THIS EXIT FROM THE RWY IS VERY SHORT SO THERE IS VERY LITTLE TIME TO CONTACT OPS. DURING FLT; WE WERE INFORMED THAT WE WOULD BE PARKING AT SPOT X. AFTER EXITING THE RWY; FO CONFIRMED WITH OPS OVER THE RADIO THAT X WAS OPEN PRIOR TO ENTERING THE RAMP AREA. THE ENTRY TO THE RAMP AREA HAD AN ACFT PARKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ENTRY AREA (A NORMAL PARKING LOCATION) REQUIRING AN ACFT TO EITHER ENTER TO THE L OR R OF THAT ACFT DEPENDING ON WHERE THE ASSIGNED PARKING LOCATION IS LOCATED; N OR S ON THE RAMP AREA. THE X LOCATION WAS TO THE L OR S OF THAT ACFT. WITH AN ACFT PARKED AT THE Z LOCATION; IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE THE X PARKING LOCATION. WE ENTERED THE RAMP AREA BASED UPON INFO THAT X WAS OPEN AND MADE A TURN TO THE S AND STOPPED TO ALLOW A CREW TO WALK IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT TO CROSS THE RAMP AS I DID NOT WANT THEM TO WALK BEHIND OUR OPERATING ENGS. I AM VERY CONSCIOUS OF WHAT IS BEHIND MY ACFT WHEN TAXIING AND I TRY TO USE IDLE THRUST AT ALL TIMES WHEN POSSIBLE. TO GET THE ACFT MOVING ON THIS SLIGHT INCLINED PORTION OF THE TXWY; I HAD TO USE 3 VERY SLIGHT SEPARATE INCREASES IN PWR TO MOVE THE ACFT TO LEVEL GND WHERE IT WOULD MOVE UNDER IDLE THRUST ALONE. ONCE WE WERE ON LEVEL PAVEMENT; PAX BEGAN TO EXIT A VAN TO OUR R AND BOARD THE ACFT. I STOPPED OUR PLANE AND SET THE BRAKE AS I WAS CONCERNED WITH THE NOISE OF OUR ENGS TO THE PAX EARS. ALSO I WOULD NOT BE COMFORTABLE PASSING THE VAN WITHOUT WING WALKERS AS THE AVAILABLE WIDTH TO TAXI DOWN THE ALLEY WAS REDUCED BY ITS PRESENCE. AFTER ALL OF THE PAX BOARDED THE ACFT TO OUR R; THE VAN DEPARTED ALLOWING SUFFICIENT CLRNC TO SAFELY CONTINUE OUR TAXI TOWARD THE X LOCATION. WE OBSERVED NUMEROUS GND WORKERS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACFT AT THE Y PARKING LOCATION AND EXPECTED THAT WE WOULD BE PARKED BY THEM AS IS TYPICAL BASED ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. AS WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI; I OBSERVED THE DOMICILE MGR WALK DOWN THE STAIRS OF A PARKED ACFT TO OUR R WHICH I BELIEVE WAS SPOT E. UPON APCHING SPOT Y WHERE THE NUMEROUS RAMPERS WERE LOCATED WE DID NOT NOTICE ANYBODY MOVING TO SPOT X TO PARK US. THIS WAS NOT GOOD AS OUR IDLE JET THRUST IS NOW LOCATED DIRECTLY DOWN THE ALLEY WHERE RAMPERS ARE WORKING ON EACH SIDE OF THE HIGH VELOCITY AIR. ADDITIONALLY; I WAS CONCERNED THAT A VAN COULD PULL UP TO A PLANE BEHIND US AND OFFLOAD PAX IN THE VICINITY OF THIS HIGH VELOCITY AIR WHICH NOT ONLY HAS A DANGER OF SPD AND HEAT BUT THE POTENTIAL OF THROWING DUST AND DEBRIS INTO THEIR EYES. MY IMMEDIATE CONCERN NOW BECAME HOW TO ELIMINATE THE HAZARD OF MY IDLE JET THRUST TO PEOPLE AND EQUIP ON THE GND BEHIND ME. MY OPTIONS WERE TO 1) STOP IN THE ALLEY NEAR LOCATION X (OUR PRESENT LOCATION) AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGS; 2) CROSS OVER SPOT X WHICH IS WHERE I WOULD NEED TO STOP TO CONTACT GND CTL FOR CLRNC TO TAXI INTO THE ALLEY; 3) REMAIN WHERE I WAS NEAR SPOT X WITH THE ENGS RUNNING AND THE ASSOCIATED HAZARD; OR 4) STOP AT SPOT X WITHIN FEET OF WHERE I WOULD HAVE BEEN TO CONTACT GND CTL AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGS. PLEASE NOTE THAT LOCATION X IS A CONTINUATION OF THE ALLEY TO THE PERPENDICULAR ALLEY CTLED BY GND CTL. THERE IS NO EQUIP LOCATED IN THIS AREA AS ACFT USE THIS LOCATION TO EXIT THE ALLEY TO THE S WHEN NO AIRPLANES ARE BEING SVCED THERE. OPTION #1: WOULD HAVE LEFT THE ACFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ALLEY WITH NO RECOGNIZABLE BOUNDARIES FOR THE SAFE MOVEMENT OF GND EQUIP AROUND THE ACFT AND BLOCKING OTHER ACFT MOVEMENTS ENTIRELY. OPTION #2: CONTINUES THE HAZARD UNTIL GND CTL ISSUES A CLRNC TO TAXI INTO THE INTERSECTING ALLEY AND THEN WE WOULD NEED TO EITHER RETURN THROUGH THE ENTRY WE ORIGINALLY USED OFF TXWY S OR STAY IN THE CTLED ALLEY WITH OUR THRUST IN A SAFE DIRECTION TO RETURN AND DO A 180 DEG TURN INTO LOCATION X WITH SOME APPLICATION OF PWR TO MAKE THE TURN (A SWEEPING THRUST DOWN THE ALLEY SITUATION). OPTION #3: OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. OPTION #4: THIS PLACES US WITHIN FEET OF WHERE WEWOULD BE LOCATED TO CONTACT GND CTL IN OPTION 2; ALLOWS US TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGS REMOVING THE HAZARD AND POSSIBLY NOT REQUIRE US TO MOVE THE ACFT AGAIN AS IN OPTIONS #1 AND #2.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.