Flight crew reported going past DIJ Taxiway A and was faced with the lead-on taxiway to the runway being blocked with no right turn-off towards the runway. A tow was required to exit the area; and the Captain stated there was insufficient room for maneuvering and that should be noted in the charts and NOTAMs.
Synopsis
Flight crew reported going past DIJ Taxiway A and was faced with the lead-on taxiway to the runway being blocked with no right turn-off towards the runway. A tow was required to exit the area; and the Captain stated there was insufficient room for maneuvering and that should be noted in the charts and NOTAMs.
Narrative
Flight was scheduled to depart DIJ to ZZZ. Crew arrived at DIJ and checked in after commencing preflight and standard preparations for a flight. Weather was clear skies; winds calm; so crew briefed a Runway 22 departure out of DIJ. NOTAMs showed the same scenario from the day prior; with Runway 22 being shortened for construction; but still providing adequate performance for takeoff and arrival. Aircraft had approximately 2400 lb. of fuel on board. From our arrival the day prior; Runway 22 appeared to be the calm runway; although that is not noted in publications. 22 seemed the logical choice given the layout with respect to the mountainous terrain in the area. APU started around XA:40. Crew started engines around XA:50 and proceeded to taxi on the parallel taxiway (Alpha) at approximately XA:55. The First Officer (FO) had called ATC for our clearance; but was on hold; keeping his attention outside the cockpit.While taxiing on the parallel to be in position for a departure on Runway 22; crew inadvertently passed the temporary displaced threshold of 22. This was somewhere after but in the vicinity of; Taxiway E. Shortly thereafter; it became apparent that the parallel taxiway (Alpha) ended without a turnaround point or keyhole available. The former taxiway that provided access to Runway 22 from the parallel (Alpha continued) was closed and no longer paved. This was not in the NOTAMs.As we taxied into the sun towards the end of Alpha; it was apparent that there was a cutout in the pavement; but it was not clear if it was usable for aircraft. Also; there is a large turnaround available just northwest of where construction starts; but it is not noted on the taxiway chart. I did not want to taxi into the cutout as I wasn't sure of the status of the surface. Also; multiple factors gave me the impression that the private turnaround area was unavailable; I was unsure just what the pavement rating was for that area; there is a barbed wire fence of unknown height at the access point; and it is not on the taxiway diagram. I considered this area off limits. There is no mention of how wide the taxiway is; and with the sun off our nose it was difficult to see what was available at the cutout in terms of maneuver space. Each side of the taxiway appeared to be asphalt; so I elected to make a turn on what I thought was a greater than 45 feet - 50 feet wide taxiway. The shoulders were; in fact; ground up asphalt and gravel; making the taxiway narrower than they appear. Regardless; from memory; the wings were not significantly over the edges of the taxiway; making the taxiways appear to be around the normal" 50 feet width for a small airfield. At this point; I elected to start a 180-degree left turn on the taxiway. Coming off centerline to the right; while keeping the mains on the taxiway; I used differential braking and slightly increased thrust on the right engine to start the turn. Simultaneously; just as I was preparing the turn; ATC came back off hold to the First Officer to start reading back our hold for release clearance; which forced his attention back into the cockpit.Aircraft got through approximately 90 degrees of turn when the nosewheel rolled off of concrete and into gravel. At no point did the aircraft leave the shoulder of the taxiway into the dirt. My intent was to stay on the taxiway and off the shoulder even though it (the shoulder) appeared to be a similar surface we were taxiing on; just rougher.I immediately shut down the aircraft and contacted the company as well as the FBO to arrange for a tow. I also straightened the nosewheel and applied the parking brake until the tug could arrive. The Tug Driver connected the cart to the aircraft; but we held off pushing back until I heard from the Chief Pilot that it was ok to move the plane. When the Chief Pilot called me back; I was instructed to take photos; then have the aircraft towed back to the line.Recommendations: It only became evident well after Taxiway E that turning around would be difficult. Environmental factors compounded to give the impression that the taxiway was wider. Regardless; I would recommend that the private turnaround area be included in the taxiway chart/airport diagram with ratings and weight bearing data. I recommend there be a NOTAM detailing the taxiway limitations and lack of a turnaround point for Taxiway Alpha while construction is ongoing (e.g.; "last available access to Runway 22 now at Taxiway E"). I would recommend that a NOTAM be published detailing which parts of taxiways are closed since the current Jepp chart does not reflect what is currently available or usable.Appropriate signage placed well before Taxiway E warning transient air crew that there are no appropriate areas to turn around beyond a certain point. Also; that Taxiway E or D are the last points available to enter the runway. Line personnel mentioned this was not the first time an aircraft had to be towed from that area."
Second reporter narrative
At an uncontrolled field; Aircraft X was scheduled to depart DIJ and arrive in ZZZ. The crew attempted to turn on a taxiway and ended up having the nose gear slide into the gravel on the edge of the taxiway.The airport has NOTAMs published due to the expansion of the approach end of Runway 22. We noted this yesterday before flying into the airport. Before taxi; we briefed that Runway 22 will be favorable with winds calm. During taxi; we noticed that the taxiway we were on was marked at the end with orange barricades blocking access beyond. We were confused as to why because we thought that the last taxiway that led to the runaway was farther up and would have led onto the beginning of the runway where construction was taking place.As we got closer; we noticed that the lead-on taxiway to the runway was marked blocked and there was no right turn off towards the runway. We noted that the taxiway we were supposed to take was then behind us. We noticed that there was a turn-off on the left side of the taxiway that had hangars surrounding it. Before we noticed this; I was on hold with ATC waiting for our IFR release clearance. The Captain mentioned that we can make a 180-degree turn on the current taxiway to get us into the right direction. I thought it was going to be tight so I mentioned maybe we can pull up a bit more to see if there's more room to pull around that left turning pull off towards the hangars. During this moment; ATC started giving me a clearance - distracting me and I had my head down for a few seconds. The Captain makes a hard left turn on the taxiway leading the nose gear into the gravel. We heard the front tire go into the gravel and we both pressed on the brakes and brought the aircraft to a stop. We agreed to shut down both engines and call the Chief Pilot; then the line guy to bring the tug to help. We went outside the aircraft to inspect the nose gear and nothing looked damaged. We continued on our work with the Chief Pilot to take the next steps. We were given permission by the Chief Pilot to move the aircraft out of the gravel and tugged to the Ramp where we further inspected the aircraft. We noticed there was no damage to the nose gear assembly. There was a little bit of tire rubber that was missing but we all agreed that it may have been there before. We received a call from company to give him more information.Reflecting on this; I could have investigated more on the possibility of taxiway closures that were not published NOTAMS before taxi. I realized I should have taken even more actions preventing us from attempting the turn rather than be distracted by ATC.Suggestions: The airport should have a sign that indicates that there's no runway access if pilots continue [to] follow that taxiway past the last available turn-off because the next taxiway that is blocked off was almost impossible to see until it's too late. This would help with the confusion as to where each taxiway leads to.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.