Incident Overview
During a visual approach, the First Officer, who was the flying flight crew member, inadvertently aligned the aircraft with the paved surface of a parallel taxiway while rolling out on final. The crew continued the approach until noticing a large yellow "X" just off the north end of the taxiway. Realizing the intended landing surface was not an operational runway, the First Officer initiated a go-around.
Go-Around and Second Approach
After completing a successful go-around, the flight crew received vectors to a second visual approach final. They completed an uneventful full-stop landing on the correct runway.
Visual Cues and Conditions
Although the FAA Control Tower had the Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs) for both parallel runways on, the flight crew did not see them during the first approach. On the second approach, the tower had activated the sequencing approach flashers (rabbit), and at that time the crew first noticed the REILs for either runway.
Both flight crew members reported that while the paved surfaces were wet and slightly shiny from an earlier shower, they believed the shape, size, and color of the taxiway surface most directly contributed to the misidentification of the taxiway as a runway.
Previous Incidents
This incident was the eighth in a known series of events where flight crews inadvertently aligned their aircraft with the subject taxiway intending to land. In three of those events, the aircrews completed landings on the taxiway surface.
Awareness and Markings
Airport operations personnel and the local FAA Airports Inspector were aware of this series of events. However, no markings or visual cues had been placed directly on the taxiway surface to assist crews in identifying Taxiway Tango as a taxiway rather than a runway.