ACR FLC DISORIENTED; TAXIES ONTO ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative

THIS INCIDENT INVOLVED TAXIING ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT PROPER CLRNC FROM ATC. THE EVENT TOOK PLACE AT ILM ARPT; NC. AS IS OFTEN THE CASE IN A SIT OF THIS TYPE; IT WAS AT NIGHT; AND THE LAST LEG OF A LONG DUTY DAY. THE ACFT WAS CLRED BY ILM GND TO TAXI TO RWY 17. ILM HAS 1 RWY (RWY 24) THAT REQUIRES AN ACFT TO TAXI ONTO RWY 17 TO REACH THE PARALLEL TXWY C FOR RWY 24. THIS PLT HAD BEEN INTO THE ARPT ON THE PREVIOUS DAY; USING RWY 24. IT WAS THIS RWY THAT HE BEGAN TO INCORRECTLY TAXI TOWARD. REACHING RWY 17; THE ACFT WAS TAXIED ONTO RWY 17 AT THE INTXN OF TXWY F AND RWY 17. THE GND CTLR SAW THE MISTAKE; BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO CONFLICT; SIMPLY INSTRUCTED THE ACFT TO 'BACK-TAXI ON THE RWY.' IT WAS THEN THAT THE FLC REALIZED THEIR ERROR. THE RWY INCURSION WAS CAUSED MOSTLY BY CARELESSNESS; WITH FATIGUE BEING A FACTOR. THE LONG FLT HRS AND DUTY DAYS THAT THE FAA ALLOWS UNDER PART 135 WOULD SEEM TO MAKE COMMUTER FLCS PRONE TO SUCH ERRORS. IN ADDITION; ANY ARPT; SUCH AS NEW HANOVER; THAT USES A RWY AS A TXWY; IS RIPE FOR SUCH AN ERROR AS THIS ONE.