Narrative:

After pushback I called ground control for taxi. Ground told us to taxi to runway 35L. We started to taxi when ground control told us to make next left turn and use taxiway charley. An aircraft had just landed and looked like it would turn off at taxiway B6 and would be taxiing north on taxiway B. We continued to runway 35L on taxiway C. We were number 1 for departure so I switched to tower frequency around the taxiway B3 intersection and completed my before takeoff flow. Tower asked if we were with him. I responded yes and we were ready to go. He told us to go back to ground they wanted to talk to us. When I switched back to ground I heard the controller say; 'air carrier X hold your position.' we stopped. The controller then said we were on another carrier's ramp. I asked what frequency we need to talk to them on. He responded 'standby; I'm trying to coordinate with them.' a minute or two later the controller told us to make a left 180 degree; taxi back to taxiway B3 and join taxiway bravo. I apologized and said that we thought that we were suppose to follow taxiway charley all the way to the runway. Departure was normal. On the airport page it appears that taxiway charley continues parallel to taxiway bravo all the way to the standard departure point on runway 35L. There is a label of ramp 11 down by the end of the runway but no mention of a frequency or restrs. There was 1 of the other carrier's aircraft parked off to the left of what we thought was taxiway C but nothing to obstruct us from taxiing to the runway. The captain said he did see a small sign with something about a ramp on it after we made our 180 degree turn and were leaving. I could not see the sign from my side of the aircraft. I don't know if I switched frequency just as the ground controller was telling us to join taxiway bravo or if he just forgot about us until it was too late. There could be better markings on the airport or maybe a frequency on the airport page that would better alert the crew that this was a controlled ramp.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter specified that the revised taxi clearance was to turn left on taxiway charley to runway 35L account inbound traffic on taxiway bravo. No mention of a transition back to bravo at an intersecting taxiway was made. Reporter had not returned to sdf and was unable to provide any more specific detail regarding the small sign mentioned by the captain after their 180 degree to exit ramp 11. He reiterated he thought it may have said something about the approaching ramp area but the flight crew was unable to read it while taxiing northbound. Reporter also mentioned minor initial confusion regarding the identity of taxiway B due to the poor labeling on the commercial produced airport diagram used by the air carrier.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-300 FLT CREW INADVERTENTLY ENTERS RAMP 11 AT SDF WHEN CLEARED TO RWY 35L VIA CHARLEY.

Narrative: AFTER PUSHBACK I CALLED GND CTL FOR TAXI. GND TOLD US TO TAXI TO RWY 35L. WE STARTED TO TAXI WHEN GROUND CTL TOLD US TO MAKE NEXT L TURN AND USE TXWY CHARLEY. AN ACFT HAD JUST LANDED AND LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD TURN OFF AT TXWY B6 AND WOULD BE TAXIING NORTH ON TXWY B. WE CONTINUED TO RWY 35L ON TXWY C. WE WERE NUMBER 1 FOR DEP SO I SWITCHED TO TWR FREQUENCY AROUND THE TXWY B3 INTXN AND COMPLETED MY BEFORE TAKEOFF FLOW. TWR ASKED IF WE WERE WITH HIM. I RESPONDED YES AND WE WERE READY TO GO. HE TOLD US TO GO BACK TO GND THEY WANTED TO TALK TO US. WHEN I SWITCHED BACK TO GND I HEARD THE CTLR SAY; 'ACR X HOLD YOUR POSITION.' WE STOPPED. THE CTLR THEN SAID WE WERE ON ANOTHER CARRIER'S RAMP. I ASKED WHAT FREQUENCY WE NEED TO TALK TO THEM ON. HE RESPONDED 'STANDBY; I'M TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH THEM.' A MINUTE OR TWO LATER THE CTLR TOLD US TO MAKE A L 180 DEG; TAXI BACK TO TXWY B3 AND JOIN TXWY BRAVO. I APOLOGIZED AND SAID THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WE WERE SUPPOSE TO FOLLOW TXWY CHARLEY ALL THE WAY TO THE RWY. DEP WAS NORMAL. ON THE ARPT PAGE IT APPEARS THAT TXWY CHARLEY CONTINUES PARALLEL TO TXWY BRAVO ALL THE WAY TO THE STANDARD DEP POINT ON RWY 35L. THERE IS A LABEL OF RAMP 11 DOWN BY THE END OF THE RWY BUT NO MENTION OF A FREQUENCY OR RESTRS. THERE WAS 1 OF THE OTHER CARRIER'S ACFT PARKED OFF TO THE L OF WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS TXWY C BUT NOTHING TO OBSTRUCT US FROM TAXIING TO THE RWY. THE CAPT SAID HE DID SEE A SMALL SIGN WITH SOMETHING ABOUT A RAMP ON IT AFTER WE MADE OUR 180 DEG TURN AND WERE LEAVING. I COULD NOT SEE THE SIGN FROM MY SIDE OF THE ACFT. I DON'T KNOW IF I SWITCHED FREQUENCY JUST AS THE GND CTLR WAS TELLING US TO JOIN TXWY BRAVO OR IF HE JUST FORGOT ABOUT US UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. THERE COULD BE BETTER MARKINGS ON THE ARPT OR MAYBE A FREQUENCY ON THE ARPT PAGE THAT WOULD BETTER ALERT THE CREW THAT THIS WAS A CONTROLLED RAMP.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SPECIFIED THAT THE REVISED TAXI CLRNC WAS TO TURN L ON TXWY CHARLEY TO RWY 35L ACCOUNT INBOUND TFC ON TXWY BRAVO. NO MENTION OF A TRANSITION BACK TO BRAVO AT AN INTERSECTING TXWY WAS MADE. RPTR HAD NOT RETURNED TO SDF AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY MORE SPECIFIC DETAIL REGARDING THE SMALL SIGN MENTIONED BY THE CAPT AFTER THEIR 180 DEG TO EXIT RAMP 11. HE REITERATED HE THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE APCHING RAMP AREA BUT THE FLT CREW WAS UNABLE TO READ IT WHILE TAXIING NORTHBOUND. RPTR ALSO MENTIONED MINOR INITIAL CONFUSION REGARDING THE IDENTITY OF TXWY B DUE TO THE POOR LABELING ON THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCED ARPT DIAGRAM USED BY THE ACR.

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.