GRUMMAN AA5 PLT BACK TAXIES ON RWY BELIEVING IT TO BE A TXWY. ALMOST TURNS ONTO ADJACENT RWY IN ERROR.

1996-09 · NASA ASRS report 348015

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: Cheetah; Tiger; Traveler AA5 Series

Anomalies: other-unspecified

Synopsis

GRUMMAN AA5 PLT BACK TAXIES ON RWY BELIEVING IT TO BE A TXWY. ALMOST TURNS ONTO ADJACENT RWY IN ERROR.

Narrative

I WAS PARKED AT THE GA TERMINAL; WHICH IS ADJACENT TO RWY 31/13. GND CTL ADVISED ME 'TAXI TO RWY 31; BACK TAXI APPROVED; MONITOR GND.' RWY 31 IS VERY NARROW COMPARED TO THE OTHER RWY 30L/R. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT; SO AS I TAXIED ONTO RWY 31; IT APPEARED TO ME TO BE A TXWY. THE END OF RWY 31 JOGS TO A SHORT TXWY; THEN CONNECTS TO RWY 30R. SINCE I MISTOOK RWY 31 FOR A TXWY; I WAS ALMOST ABOUT TO TURN FROM THE SHORT; CONNECTING TAXI STRIP ONTO RWY 30R WHEN GND CTL TOLD ME TO STOP; DO A 180 DEG TURN; AND RETURN TO RWY 31. IT IS VERY EASY TO MISTAKE THE END OF RWY 31 FOR A TXWY. IT WOULD HELP GA PLTS IF THERE WAS A SIGN THERE WHICH SAID 'END OF RWY 31; DO NOT ENTER RWY 30R WITHOUT GND CTL APPROVAL.' FURTHERMORE; STL GND CTL'S PRACTICE OF ISSUING VERY RAPID AND ABBREVIATED INSTRUCTIONS; ALONG WITH INSTRUCTIONS NOT TO REPLY -- JUST MONITOR -- INTIMIDATE SMALL ACFT PLTS AND INVITE MISCOM. AT THE VERY LEAST; INSTRUCTIONS TO BACK TAXI ON RWY 31 SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN INSTRUCTION SUCH AS 'CAUTION -- RWY 31 CONNECTS TO RWY 30R -- DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PRIOR INSTRUCTION FROM GND CTL.' GIVEN THE FATAL ACCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED AT NIGHT AT STL A COUPLE OF YRS AGO WHEN A GA ACFT MISTOOK ONE RWY FOR ANOTHER; MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CAUTION PLTS ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR DID NOT CONTACT ANYONE WITH HIS SUGGESTIONS ABOUT SIGNAGE. WHEN ASKED IF HE WAS USING THE ARPT DIAGRAM HE STATED 'IN MY AIRPLANE I CAN'T LOOK AT THAT AND LOOK OUTSIDE; TOO.' IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT HE MIGHT STUDY THE DIAGRAM PRIOR TO TAXI AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT. ANALYST STATEMENT THAT THERE IS NO PARALLEL TXWY DID NOT SEEM TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION. RPTR INDICATED THAT RWY 31 PROBABLY USED TO BE A TXWY.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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