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GA small aircraft taxied onto runway instead of turning down taxiway as cleared. Reporter cleared the runway when he saw another aircraft starting takeoff from opposite end of the runway.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 85957 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198804 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : rhv |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | ground : holding ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
| Flight Phase | climbout : takeoff |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 9 flight time total : 125 |
| ASRS Report | 85957 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | controller : local |
| Qualification | controller : non radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | incursion : runway non adherence : clearance |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 100 vertical : 500 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
| Situations | |
| Airport | other physical facility |
Narrative:
I would like to report a lack of proper runway and taxiway markings which led me to accidentally taxi onto an active runway west/O authorization from ground control at rhv. Another aircraft was at the other end of the runway on its takeoff roll. Because the other aircraft was at the opp end of the airport, I could not tell that by turning left I would be taxiing into its path. The runway is wide compared to the taxiway, and from my perspective, it appeared that the other aircraft would pass to my right. Upon turning onto the runway and seeing that the other aircraft was in my path, I taxied my aircraft out of the way (to the intersection between runways 13L/31R and 13R/31L) and the other aircraft took off and was about 500' in the air by the time it reached my end of the runway. I am writing this report in hope that it may prevent the possibility of an accident in the future. The problem is at and near the run up area for runway 13L/31R. First, there is no sign designating the runway. Second, and most important, the left half of the hold bar for runway 13L is covered by another layer of asphalt. The hold bar is very wide, and if you are taxiing to the left, particularly in a taildragger as I was, there is a likely possibility that you will not see the right half of the hold bar (which is very worn and could be about 10' away) and think that you are turning left to taxiway 2 instead of onto runway 13L. The condition is complicated by the location of the taxiway signs. These are located in the middle of the grass areas between txwys, and the pilot must decide whether taxiway 2 lies in front of, or beyond the sign. Although txwys customarily lie in front of their signs, the blank asphalt in front of me led me to believe that, in this case, taxiway 2 lied beyond the sign. Finally, intersection delta (where I was told to taxi and which is the 13L/13R run up area) is not marked with a 'D.' I hope that the hold bar will be repainted immediately, and in addition, that runway signs are installed. I also hope that the intersection is given its proper markings. I understand that to control costs, painting of the hold bar is being delayed until the airport is resurfaced in the fall. I feel that while new asphalt is expensive, repainting a hold bar is cheap and may save lives and property between now and next fall. Usually, the winds favor runway 31R as opposed to runway 13L. Pilots thus usually do not encounter this end of the runway. In my case, I was asked to turn right from the ramp on which I was taxiing and proceed to intersection delta (the runway 13L run up area), at which time I was supposed to proceed to taxiway 2 and then turn left and taxi on 2 to the run up area for runway 31R. This was a most unusual instruction, but it would have been easy to comply with if the proper airport markings were present. I have enclosed a diagram and photograph. As mentioned above, the new asphalt covers about 1/2 the hold bar. I was approaching and on the middle of the new asphalt area, which is about 15 or 20' wide.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: GA SMA TAXIED ONTO RWY INSTEAD OF TURNING DOWN TXWY AS CLEARED. REPORTER CLEARED THE RWY WHEN HE SAW ANOTHER ACFT STARTING TKOF FROM OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY.
Narrative: I WOULD LIKE TO RPT A LACK OF PROPER RWY AND TXWY MARKINGS WHICH LED ME TO ACCIDENTALLY TAXI ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY W/O AUTHORIZATION FROM GND CTL AT RHV. ANOTHER ACFT WAS AT THE OTHER END OF THE RWY ON ITS TKOF ROLL. BECAUSE THE OTHER ACFT WAS AT THE OPP END OF THE ARPT, I COULD NOT TELL THAT BY TURNING LEFT I WOULD BE TAXIING INTO ITS PATH. THE RWY IS WIDE COMPARED TO THE TXWY, AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT APPEARED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WOULD PASS TO MY RIGHT. UPON TURNING ONTO THE RWY AND SEEING THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS IN MY PATH, I TAXIED MY ACFT OUT OF THE WAY (TO THE INTXN BTWN RWYS 13L/31R AND 13R/31L) AND THE OTHER ACFT TOOK OFF AND WAS ABOUT 500' IN THE AIR BY THE TIME IT REACHED MY END OF THE RWY. I AM WRITING THIS RPT IN HOPE THAT IT MAY PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT IN THE FUTURE. THE PROB IS AT AND NEAR THE RUN UP AREA FOR RWY 13L/31R. FIRST, THERE IS NO SIGN DESIGNATING THE RWY. SECOND, AND MOST IMPORTANT, THE LEFT HALF OF THE HOLD BAR FOR RWY 13L IS COVERED BY ANOTHER LAYER OF ASPHALT. THE HOLD BAR IS VERY WIDE, AND IF YOU ARE TAXIING TO THE LEFT, PARTICULARLY IN A TAILDRAGGER AS I WAS, THERE IS A LIKELY POSSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL NOT SEE THE RIGHT HALF OF THE HOLD BAR (WHICH IS VERY WORN AND COULD BE ABOUT 10' AWAY) AND THINK THAT YOU ARE TURNING LEFT TO TXWY 2 INSTEAD OF ONTO RWY 13L. THE CONDITION IS COMPLICATED BY THE LOCATION OF THE TXWY SIGNS. THESE ARE LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GRASS AREAS BTWN TXWYS, AND THE PLT MUST DECIDE WHETHER TXWY 2 LIES IN FRONT OF, OR BEYOND THE SIGN. ALTHOUGH TXWYS CUSTOMARILY LIE IN FRONT OF THEIR SIGNS, THE BLANK ASPHALT IN FRONT OF ME LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT, IN THIS CASE, TXWY 2 LIED BEYOND THE SIGN. FINALLY, INTXN DELTA (WHERE I WAS TOLD TO TAXI AND WHICH IS THE 13L/13R RUN UP AREA) IS NOT MARKED WITH A 'D.' I HOPE THAT THE HOLD BAR WILL BE REPAINTED IMMEDIATELY, AND IN ADDITION, THAT RWY SIGNS ARE INSTALLED. I ALSO HOPE THAT THE INTXN IS GIVEN ITS PROPER MARKINGS. I UNDERSTAND THAT TO CONTROL COSTS, PAINTING OF THE HOLD BAR IS BEING DELAYED UNTIL THE ARPT IS RESURFACED IN THE FALL. I FEEL THAT WHILE NEW ASPHALT IS EXPENSIVE, REPAINTING A HOLD BAR IS CHEAP AND MAY SAVE LIVES AND PROPERTY BTWN NOW AND NEXT FALL. USUALLY, THE WINDS FAVOR RWY 31R AS OPPOSED TO RWY 13L. PLTS THUS USUALLY DO NOT ENCOUNTER THIS END OF THE RWY. IN MY CASE, I WAS ASKED TO TURN RIGHT FROM THE RAMP ON WHICH I WAS TAXIING AND PROCEED TO INTXN DELTA (THE RWY 13L RUN UP AREA), AT WHICH TIME I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROCEED TO TXWY 2 AND THEN TURN LEFT AND TAXI ON 2 TO THE RUN UP AREA FOR RWY 31R. THIS WAS A MOST UNUSUAL INSTRUCTION, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO COMPLY WITH IF THE PROPER ARPT MARKINGS WERE PRESENT. I HAVE ENCLOSED A DIAGRAM AND PHOTOGRAPH. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THE NEW ASPHALT COVERS ABOUT 1/2 THE HOLD BAR. I WAS APCHING AND ON THE MIDDLE OF THE NEW ASPHALT AREA, WHICH IS ABOUT 15 OR 20' WIDE.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.