NIGHT OP. ARR TFC; AN MD80; MAKES AN EXIT ONTO A CLOSED TXWY.
Synopsis
NIGHT OP. ARR TFC; AN MD80; MAKES AN EXIT ONTO A CLOSED TXWY.
Narrative
VERY BUSY EVENING IN CLEVELAND. FINAL WAS ABOUT 25 MI LONG. LANDED RWY 23L. WANTED TO EXIT RWY QUICKLY. TWR WAS HURRYING EVERYONE OFF RWY. I COULD NOT MAKE THE MAIN AREA OF THE TURNOFFS. WAS SLOWED WAY UP. TWR SAID MAKE NEXT L; I THOUGHT HE MEANT NEXT IMMEDIATE L. I MADE THE TURN; IT WAS A SHARP TURN AND RATHER NARROW SO I HAD TO GO TO THE FAR END OF IT TO MAKE THE TURN (MADE THE TURN AT THE LAST MIN) (LIKE A TRUCK DRIVER WOULD DO MAKING A SHARP TURN). WHEN THE NOSE CAME AROUND; ALL OF A SUDDEN I SAW A FEW UNLIGHTED; LITTLE PYLONS BLOCKING THE TXWY. I STOOD ON THE BRAKES AND STOPPED THE PLANE (MD80). PRIOR TO THE PYLONS; THERE WAS NO WAY YOU COULD SEE THESE PYLONS UNTIL YOU WERE TURNED; ESPECIALLY TOUGH IN AN ACFT LIKE AN MD80; LONG; WHERE YOU HAVE TO; IN A SENSE; PASS THE TXWY BEFORE YOU TURN; THUS; NO LIGHT ON THE TXWY UNTIL LAST SECOND. TWR IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF WE COULD BACK OUT. I SAID IF THE OTHER ACR PLANE SITTING IN FRONT OF US COULD VERIFY IT WAS CLR BEHIND US; I WOULD REVERSE OUT. BOTH THE OTHER ACFT AND TWR AND A VEHICLE SAID IT WAS CLR. I KNEW BACK END OF ACFT WAS ON RWY; SO I BACKED OUT; MAYBE 10 FT MADE THE TURN. TAXIED DOWN RWY AND TURNED OFF. TWR THANKED ME. ARPT MGR SAID THIS HAD HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. ASKED ME WHAT WAS NEEDED TO CORRECT SIT. LIGHTING; ALSO TWR ADVISORIES; IF THEY SEE YOU MAY TURN OFF THERE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS MET AT THE GATE BY THE ARPT MGR WHO THANKED HIM FOR HIS ASSISTANCE IN NOT BLOCKING THE RWY AT TXWY K. WHEN ASKED WHY TXWY K WAS CLOSED; THE ARPT MGR STATED THAT AN ACR FLT HAD GONE OFF THE TXWY; INTO THE GRASS; A COUPLE OF WKS BEFORE AND THE PLT'S UNION HAD MANAGED TO HAVE TXWY K DECLARED TOO NARROW FOR SAFE TURN OFF OPS. IT WAS THEREFORE CLOSED. RPTR FURTHER STATED THAT SINCE THE INCIDENT HE NOTED THAT THE ARPT MGR HAD PLACED 'SPINNERS' ON TOP OF THE CONES AT TXWY K. HE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF THIS 'SOLUTION.' THEY STILL NEED LIGHT REFLECTION IN ORDER TO BE SEEN. HIS AIRLINE COMPANY HAS BEEN COPIED IN ON THIS EVENT; BUT THERE IS NO RESPONSE FROM THEM AS YET. HE SUGGESTED NOTAMS; ATIS INFO; YELLOW LIGHTS AND ADVISORIES AS POSSIBLE 'CURES.'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.