Narrative:

On a flight this past winter I nearly had a runway incursion at eau. It had snowed recently and all surfaces were covered with thin snow. Neither the captain or I had much experience at eau and were unfamiliar with the taxiway layout. We started to taxi and were instructed to taxi via D; a to runway 22. We read back and understood the clearance. As soon as we started moving I went heads-down to work on takeoff numbers and run the before takeoff checklist. I looked up a minute or so later and saw a runway ahead and no taxiway to either side. I was confused about our position as we were not supposed to be crossing any runways. The captain appeared uncertain also as he had slowed down. I said; 'stop; this doesn't look right.' he stopped and we determined we had missed our turn onto a; and were on D holding short of runway 22. I asked ATC for permission to make a 180 degree turn on 22 and proceed via D; left on a to runway 22. We were cleared as requested and continued the taxi without further incident. I had assumed that we missed the turn because the signage was covered with snow. On a recent trip back to eau we were given the same taxi route. This day there was no snow so I was able to look at the signage. When on taxiway D holding short of a; looking northwest; a right turn will take you to runway 22. However; there is no signage to indicate a taxiway. The only visible signage indicates you are on D. Looking far to the left you can see a position sign for a; down near 14. There are no conventional directional signs for a; or even any nearby position sign looking right. This is obviously no excuse for what occurred; but for pilots unfamiliar with the airport this lack of signage makes situational awareness much more difficult. We were unfamiliar with the airport. Also; I was heads down when I should have been assisting with navigation.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated he believes the nearest sign to identify taxiway a is at the intersection of 14/32.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier flight crew at EAU had a near runway incursion while taxiing out for departure; First Officer recognized the situation in time to avoid the incursion; but cites the lack of signage as a contributing factor.

Narrative: On a flight this past winter I nearly had a runway incursion at EAU. It had snowed recently and all surfaces were covered with thin snow. Neither the Captain or I had much experience at EAU and were unfamiliar with the taxiway layout. We started to taxi and were instructed to taxi via D; A to Runway 22. We read back and understood the clearance. As soon as we started moving I went heads-down to work on takeoff numbers and run the before takeoff checklist. I looked up a minute or so later and saw a runway ahead and no taxiway to either side. I was confused about our position as we were not supposed to be crossing any runways. The Captain appeared uncertain also as he had slowed down. I said; 'stop; this doesn't look right.' He stopped and we determined we had missed our turn onto A; and were on D holding short of Runway 22. I asked ATC for permission to make a 180 degree turn on 22 and proceed via D; left on A to Runway 22. We were cleared as requested and continued the taxi without further incident. I had assumed that we missed the turn because the signage was covered with snow. On a recent trip back to EAU we were given the same taxi route. This day there was no snow so I was able to look at the signage. When on Taxiway D holding short of A; looking northwest; a right turn will take you to Runway 22. However; there is no signage to indicate A Taxiway. The only visible signage indicates you are on D. Looking far to the left you can see a position sign for A; down near 14. There are no conventional directional signs for A; or even any nearby position sign looking right. This is obviously no excuse for what occurred; but for pilots unfamiliar with the airport this lack of signage makes situational awareness much more difficult. We were unfamiliar with the airport. Also; I was heads down when I should have been assisting with navigation.Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: Reporter stated he believes the nearest sign to identify Taxiway A is at the intersection of 14/32.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.