Narrative:

After crossing runway 28 on taxiway east, we were given instructions to turn right and take the outer taxiway to hold short of taxiway C. I told the other pilot to turn right and take the outer taxiway to charlie. I got out the taxiway chart to locate charlie, and after looking down at the chart and finding it, I looked up and the other pilot said 'this doesn't look right,' and stopped. At the same time the ground controller contacted us and told us to hold our position. Then I saw the yellow taxi line ahead merging with the white runway centerline and realized what had happened, and noticed we were about 10' beyond the white runway side boundary line. Then the controller asked us to make a 180 degree turn back to the outer taxiway. While taxiing in to the ramp he requested that I call the tower. When I called the controller on the phone, he told me that we didn't cause any problems because runway 22 wasn't active, but he wanted to know why we taxied onto a runway west/O a clearance. He said that they have had many other aircraft make the same mistake at the same intersection, and he wanted to know if I had any suggestions that could help prevent this from happening. He said that they had doubled the width of the hold bars and installed new runway signs. I told him that there were probably several factors that contributed to it. I think that if I had the taxi chart out when we landed and had the other pilot stop for a few seconds while we looked at it before we taxied, this would not have happened. I think that I should have supervised the other pilot better since he was unfamiliar with the airport. I think that the major cause for confusion came from the labeling and marking of the txwys. When entering the outer taxiway from taxiway east, at first glance it appears to split into 2 txwys. The taxiway on the left is the outer (even though it is the one closest to the terminal ramp) and the one on the right is a high speed off of runway 22. Looking at it closely a second time, it was obvious that the right taxiway leads to a runway because of the hold bars. The other pilot told me he missed them because he was looking beyond them for the taxiway C sign. The inner taxiway is not visible to small airplanes from that area because it is on the terminal ramp behind the fire station. I think it might help if they could relabel the txwys. Instead of calling it an inner taxiway, I think it might help if it was called a terminal ramp taxiway. One last thing that I think may have been a contributing factor is fatigue. We both worked 21 of the last 23 days and probably were on semi-automatic. It would be nice to have duty time regulations that covered part 91 of the far's since many operators aren't concerned with this. I appreciate the fact that the bwi tower acted in a professional and understanding manner, and showed me that their first priority is aircraft safety. I hope this letter will help to keep other pilots from doing the same thing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMT FOLLOWED WRONG TXWY ENTERED RWY WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: AFTER XING RWY 28 ON TXWY E, WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO TURN RIGHT AND TAKE THE OUTER TXWY TO HOLD SHORT OF TXWY C. I TOLD THE OTHER PLT TO TURN RIGHT AND TAKE THE OUTER TXWY TO CHARLIE. I GOT OUT THE TXWY CHART TO LOCATE CHARLIE, AND AFTER LOOKING DOWN AT THE CHART AND FINDING IT, I LOOKED UP AND THE OTHER PLT SAID 'THIS DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT,' AND STOPPED. AT THE SAME TIME THE GND CTLR CONTACTED US AND TOLD US TO HOLD OUR POS. THEN I SAW THE YELLOW TAXI LINE AHEAD MERGING WITH THE WHITE RWY CENTERLINE AND REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND NOTICED WE WERE ABOUT 10' BEYOND THE WHITE RWY SIDE BOUNDARY LINE. THEN THE CTLR ASKED US TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN BACK TO THE OUTER TXWY. WHILE TAXIING IN TO THE RAMP HE REQUESTED THAT I CALL THE TWR. WHEN I CALLED THE CTLR ON THE PHONE, HE TOLD ME THAT WE DIDN'T CAUSE ANY PROBS BECAUSE RWY 22 WASN'T ACTIVE, BUT HE WANTED TO KNOW WHY WE TAXIED ONTO A RWY W/O A CLRNC. HE SAID THAT THEY HAVE HAD MANY OTHER ACFT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AT THE SAME INTXN, AND HE WANTED TO KNOW IF I HAD ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT COULD HELP PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. HE SAID THAT THEY HAD DOUBLED THE WIDTH OF THE HOLD BARS AND INSTALLED NEW RWY SIGNS. I TOLD HIM THAT THERE WERE PROBABLY SEVERAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO IT. I THINK THAT IF I HAD THE TAXI CHART OUT WHEN WE LANDED AND HAD THE OTHER PLT STOP FOR A FEW SECS WHILE WE LOOKED AT IT BEFORE WE TAXIED, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE SUPERVISED THE OTHER PLT BETTER SINCE HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. I THINK THAT THE MAJOR CAUSE FOR CONFUSION CAME FROM THE LABELING AND MARKING OF THE TXWYS. WHEN ENTERING THE OUTER TXWY FROM TXWY E, AT FIRST GLANCE IT APPEARS TO SPLIT INTO 2 TXWYS. THE TXWY ON THE LEFT IS THE OUTER (EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE ONE CLOSEST TO THE TERMINAL RAMP) AND THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS A HIGH SPD OFF OF RWY 22. LOOKING AT IT CLOSELY A SECOND TIME, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE RIGHT TXWY LEADS TO A RWY BECAUSE OF THE HOLD BARS. THE OTHER PLT TOLD ME HE MISSED THEM BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING BEYOND THEM FOR THE TXWY C SIGN. THE INNER TXWY IS NOT VISIBLE TO SMALL AIRPLANES FROM THAT AREA BECAUSE IT IS ON THE TERMINAL RAMP BEHIND THE FIRE STATION. I THINK IT MIGHT HELP IF THEY COULD RELABEL THE TXWYS. INSTEAD OF CALLING IT AN INNER TXWY, I THINK IT MIGHT HELP IF IT WAS CALLED A TERMINAL RAMP TXWY. ONE LAST THING THAT I THINK MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS FATIGUE. WE BOTH WORKED 21 OF THE LAST 23 DAYS AND PROBABLY WERE ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE DUTY TIME REGS THAT COVERED PART 91 OF THE FAR'S SINCE MANY OPERATORS AREN'T CONCERNED WITH THIS. I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE BWI TWR ACTED IN A PROFESSIONAL AND UNDERSTANDING MANNER, AND SHOWED ME THAT THEIR FIRST PRIORITY IS ACFT SAFETY. I HOPE THIS LETTER WILL HELP TO KEEP OTHER PLTS FROM DOING THE SAME THING.

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.