UNAUTH RWY ENTRY XING OP.

Narrative

WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 15 FROM THE RAMP. WE INADVERTENTLY TAXIED PAST 'O' TXWY AND RWY 15 AND WERE IN FACT HEADED TOWARDS RWY 10 (ALSO ACTIVE). AFTER XING RWY 15 WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT ONLY MISSED OUR TURN BUT HAD ALSO CROSSED RWY 15; (WE DID CLR OURSELVES BOTH WAYS BEFORE XING THE RWY). IT WAS VERY DARK AND NEITHER OF US SAW LIGHTS OR SIGNS DEPICTING 'O' TXWY. A SIGN OR LIGHTS WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR CLUE TO TURN. THEY WERE EITHER OFF OR INOP. ONCE WE REALIZED OUR MISTAKE(IMMEDIATELY AFTER XING RWY 15) WE CALLED GND CTL TO RPT OUR MISTAKE. GND HAD NEVER QUESTIONED OUR MOVEMENT PAST THE TXWY OR RWY 15. GND THEN INSTRUCTED US TO CONTINUE TO RWY 10 FOR DEP. THE FLT CONTINUED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AT THE FIRST POSSIBLE CHANCE; THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR SUPVR TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT. THE TWR SUPVR ADMITTED TO PROBS WITH THE LIGHTING AND THAT THE BLAME WAS NOT ENTIRELY OURS. THE SIT WAS CONSIDERED 'DROPPED.' A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT THE FO'S MAP LIGHT WAS INOP AND HAD BEEN 'DEFERRED' BY MAINT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CALLED BACK WITH THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FLC WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT; HAVING BEEN IN THERE ONLY 3 TIMES IN THE PAST YR AND ONLY DURING THE DAY. THEY ARE BASED ELSEWHERE. THE FO HAD JUST COMPLETED THE PA ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX AND WAS GETTING THE PERFORMANCE DATA CARD OUT FOR 'THE NUMBERS.' HE SAW THE RWY OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE; HAVING HAD HIS HEAD DOWN; AND SAID TO THE PIC; 'CLR R.' IMMEDIATELY HE THOUGHT; 'SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT HERE; WE SHOULDN'T BE XING ANY RWY.' WHEN THE CREW DID CALL THE TWR SUPVR BACK HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A PROB WITH THE LIGHTS IN THE TXWY IDENT SIGN; THEY WERE BURNED OUT AND THE CITY WASN'T WILLING TO SPEND THE MONEY TO REPLACE THEM. RPTR STATED THAT THE SUPVR'S EXPLANATION WAS VERY SHORT AND SAID; 'IT'S NOT GOING ANY FURTHER; JUST FORGET ABOUT IT.' THE CAPT FILLED OUT A RPT FOR THE CHIEF PLT ON THE EVENT. RPTR HAS NOT BEEN BACK TO BWI SINCE.