Narrative:

After being pushed off of gate and into alley between a and B terminals; the first officer called ground controller requesting taxi. Ground controller responded; 'air carrier X; you can have runway 18L or runway 36R; your choice; but there is an aircraft inbound for runway 18L about twenty miles out.' first officer responded; 'no hurry; we'll take runway 18L; air carrier X.' ground controller responded; 'air carrier X taxi runway 18L.' first officer looked at the chart and told the captain that taxiway juliet would take us all the way to the end of runway 18L. Looking north-northeasterly from the alley; only taxiway hotel was readily visible due to darkness and multiple aircraft parked remotely off the terminal to the left and right of the B/a terminal alleyway. Although there is a yellow line that runs northwest to southeast just outside the terminal ramp area to taxiway H; there does not appear to be any leading lines that would guide an aircraft to the juliet taxiway. With the various aircraft parked off the terminal; these leading lines are not only important to getting to a particular taxiway; but also to give taxiing aircraft a basic idea of how much room there is between a moving airplane and a stationary one. Upon crossing runway 8/26 on taxiway hotel the ground controller advised us that information is now being advertised on the ATIS with the winds being calm and an altimeter setting of 29.93. The captain and first officer noted and changed the altimeter settings and before turning a hard left onto taxiway bravo (to taxiway juliet); which was not very well lit; the ground controller instructed us to 'turn left onto runway 18L; taxi north to taxiway juliet 3; left on juliet 3; right on juliet to runway 18L. First officer read these instructions back to the ground controller and the first officer and the captain both commented how large of a hot-spot the hotel/bravo/runway 18L intersection is but is not noted anywhere on the charts. After takeoff; the tower/ground/clearance controller (same person/different frequencys in this instance) instructed; 'air carrier X contact departure before you go. Please advise your company that taxiway juliet is the preferred route to runway 18L.' first officer (PNF) responded; 'we'll switch to departure and be sure to pass that on. The captain and I were just discussing that the ramp has multiple un-depicted hot-spots from taxiway juliet all the way to the west cargo ramp; south of the terminal.' controller responded; 'there should be some new charts coming out soon about that; have a good day.' things to be changed/improved/corrected by all parties: hot spots at txwys K; J; H; F; F1 on the chart. Advisory on commercial chart regarding taxiway juliet being preferred outbound taxi route to runway 18L. Leading lines to from the ramp area to various txwys (example: 'purple' and 'orange' lines at den). Improved lighting further northeast of taxiway bravo terminal for improved visibility to get to leading lines.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that in addition to his written comments he would suggest taxiway lighting to 'J' when runway 18L is the preferred runway during the hours of darkness. The ramp area was very congested and confusing because of the lack of taxiway signage and the ramp parking arrangement. He felt at the time it was safest to exit the ramp and figure out where he was. To date no change has been made to either the airport diagram or his air carrier's airport description.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PILOT TAXIING FROM TUL'S RAMP TO RWY 18L MISSED THE PREFERRED TXWY 'J' BECAUSE OF NO LEAD OUT LINE; NO TAXI CENTERLINE LIGHTS; AND POOR NIGHTTIME LIGHTING.

Narrative: AFTER BEING PUSHED OFF OF GATE AND INTO ALLEY BETWEEN A AND B TERMINALS; THE FO CALLED GND CTLR REQUESTING TAXI. GND CTLR RESPONDED; 'ACR X; YOU CAN HAVE RWY 18L OR RWY 36R; YOUR CHOICE; BUT THERE IS AN ACFT INBOUND FOR RWY 18L ABOUT TWENTY MILES OUT.' FO RESPONDED; 'NO HURRY; WE'LL TAKE RWY 18L; ACR X.' GND CTLR RESPONDED; 'ACR X TAXI RWY 18L.' FO LOOKED AT THE CHART AND TOLD THE CAPT THAT TXWY JULIET WOULD TAKE US ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF RWY 18L. LOOKING NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY FROM THE ALLEY; ONLY TXWY HOTEL WAS READILY VISIBLE DUE TO DARKNESS AND MULTIPLE ACFT PARKED REMOTELY OFF THE TERMINAL TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF THE B/A TERMINAL ALLEYWAY. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A YELLOW LINE THAT RUNS NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST JUST OUTSIDE THE TERMINAL RAMP AREA TO TXWY H; THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY LEADING LINES THAT WOULD GUIDE AN ACFT TO THE JULIET TXWY. WITH THE VARIOUS ACFT PARKED OFF THE TERMINAL; THESE LEADING LINES ARE NOT ONLY IMPORTANT TO GETTING TO A PARTICULAR TXWY; BUT ALSO TO GIVE TAXIING ACFT A BASIC IDEA OF HOW MUCH ROOM THERE IS BETWEEN A MOVING AIRPLANE AND A STATIONARY ONE. UPON CROSSING RWY 8/26 ON TXWY HOTEL THE GND CTLR ADVISED US THAT INFO IS NOW BEING ADVERTISED ON THE ATIS WITH THE WINDS BEING CALM AND AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 29.93. THE CAPT AND FO NOTED AND CHANGED THE ALTIMETER SETTINGS AND BEFORE TURNING A HARD LEFT ONTO TXWY BRAVO (TO TXWY JULIET); WHICH WAS NOT VERY WELL LIT; THE GND CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO 'TURN LEFT ONTO RWY 18L; TAXI NORTH TO TXWY JULIET 3; LEFT ON JULIET 3; RIGHT ON JULIET TO RWY 18L. FO READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BACK TO THE GND CTLR AND THE FO AND THE CAPT BOTH COMMENTED HOW LARGE OF A HOT-SPOT THE HOTEL/BRAVO/RWY 18L INTERSECTION IS BUT IS NOT NOTED ANYWHERE ON THE CHARTS. AFTER TKOF; THE TWR/GND/CLRNC CTLR (SAME PERSON/DIFFERENT FREQS IN THIS INSTANCE) INSTRUCTED; 'ACR X CONTACT DEPARTURE BEFORE YOU GO. PLEASE ADVISE YOUR COMPANY THAT TXWY JULIET IS THE PREFERRED RTE TO RWY 18L.' FO (PNF) RESPONDED; 'WE'LL SWITCH TO DEPARTURE AND BE SURE TO PASS THAT ON. THE CAPT AND I WERE JUST DISCUSSING THAT THE RAMP HAS MULTIPLE UN-DEPICTED HOT-SPOTS FROM TXWY JULIET ALL THE WAY TO THE WEST CARGO RAMP; SOUTH OF THE TERMINAL.' CTLR RESPONDED; 'THERE SHOULD BE SOME NEW CHARTS COMING OUT SOON ABOUT THAT; HAVE A GOOD DAY.' THINGS TO BE CHANGED/IMPROVED/CORRECTED BY ALL PARTIES: HOT SPOTS AT TXWYS K; J; H; F; F1 ON THE CHART. ADVISORY ON COMMERCIAL CHART REGARDING TXWY JULIET BEING PREFERRED OUTBOUND TAXI RTE TO RWY 18L. LEADING LINES TO FROM THE RAMP AREA TO VARIOUS TXWYS (EXAMPLE: 'PURPLE' AND 'ORANGE' LINES AT DEN). IMPROVED LIGHTING FURTHER NORTHEAST OF TXWY BRAVO TERMINAL FOR IMPROVED VISIBILITY TO GET TO LEADING LINES.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT IN ADDITION TO HIS WRITTEN COMMENTS HE WOULD SUGGEST TAXIWAY LIGHTING TO 'J' WHEN RWY 18L IS THE PREFERRED RWY DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS. THE RAMP AREA WAS VERY CONGESTED AND CONFUSING BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TAXIWAY SIGNAGE AND THE RAMP PARKING ARRANGEMENT. HE FELT AT THE TIME IT WAS SAFEST TO EXIT THE RAMP AND FIGURE OUT WHERE HE WAS. TO DATE NO CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE TO EITHER THE AIRPORT DIAGRAM OR HIS ACR'S ARPT DESCRIPTION.

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.