PLT OF SMA TAXIING AT NIGHT AT CLT ARPT ENTERED ACTIVE RWY 18/36.

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PLT BACKGND EXPERIENCE WITH MAJOR ARPTS (DAY AND NIGHT) FOR 8 YRS. RALEIGH; WASHINGTON; BALTIMORE; NEWARK; TETERBORO; ST LOUIS; TORONTO; MIAMI...ETC. NARRATIVE: PLEASE REFER TO THE DIAGRAM. 1) OUR AIRPLANE PARKED AT FBO. ARPT DIAGRAM REVIEWED (UNFAMILIAR WITH CHARLOTTE ARPT). INSTRUCTED BY GND CTLR TO TAXI TO RWY 18L. 2) TAXIING AREA IS DARK; YELLOW LINES CAN HARDLY BE SEEN (VERY FAINT); I ONLY SAW THE D3-D4 SIGN AHEAD (SIGN OF TAXI D IS HIDDEN BY THE PARKED AIRPLANE). 3) STOPPED AT THIS POINT. I STILL DO NOT SEE 'D' SIGN (I ALREADY PASSED IT WITHOUT KNOWING). THE TAXIWAY BLUE LIGHTS ARE VERY DIM AND FAR APART. THE GND CTLR ASKED ME TO TURN R TO GO TO TAXIWAY DELTA. I TURNED R TO TAXIWAY D4 (INSTEAD OF D) AND I CONTINUED ON; THINKING THAT D4 WILL SHORTLY LEAD TO D. I SAW THE RWY SIGN BUT I THOUGHT THAT THE RWY IS STILL BEYOND DELTA. I SAW NO AIRPLANE COMING FROM THE R. 4) I TURNED R ON RWY 18L THINKING THAT IT IS TAXIWAY DELTA. IMMEDIATELY; I REALIZED THAT IS THE RWY. I SAW BRIGHT LIGHT FAR AHEAD (MOST LIKELY WAS AN AIRPLANE AT THE END OF THE RWY IN 'POS AND HOLD' READY FOR TKOF; BUT IT WAS NOT MOVING). 5) I IMMEDIATELY TOOK AN EVASIVE ACTION BY TURNING SHARPLY TO THE R TO A GRASS AREA AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY. THE GND CTLR ASKED ME IF I AM ON THE RWY; AND I ANSWER 'YES; BUT I AM GETTING OFF.' THE OTHER AIRPLANE DID NOT MOVE (PROBABLY BY INSTRUCTION FROM THE TWR). 6) I GOT OFF THE RWY; TAXIED ON DELTA ON TO ALPHA; THEN L ON ALPHA AND I HELD POS. I WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE GND CTLR TO TAXI BACK TO THE RAMP AND CALL THE TWR BY PHONE; WHICH I DID. I GAVE THE REQUESTED INFO. I THEN PROCEEDED TO FLY MY ORIGINAL IFR PLAN.