LGT CRUSHES TXWY SIGN ON THE RAMP AFTER EXITING RWY 26L.

Date: 1996-10 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: other-runway-or-taxiway-excursion

Synopsis

LGT CRUSHES TXWY SIGN ON THE RAMP AFTER EXITING RWY 26L.

Narrative

I WAS PAIRED WITH A NEW CAPT (LESS THAN 100 HRS) WHO HAD PREVIOUS TIME IN TYPE AS FO. I WAS A NEW FO (JUST OVER 75 HRS) WITH PREVIOUS TIME IN TYPE AS SO. WHILE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 121.438(D); WE WERE STILL BOTH NEW IN OUR POS. UPON CHK-IN AT ARPT; WE WERE ADVISED THAT OUR NON-STOP TO THE HUB WOULD NOW INCLUDE A STOP IN ELP WHERE I HAVE NEVER BEEN; AND THE CAPT HAD NOT BEEN IN A WHILE (I LATER FOUND OUT). WE DEPARTED 10 MINS EARLY AND THE FLT WAS SHORT (40 MINS ENRTE); BUT I FAMILIARIZED MYSELF WITH ELP ARPT DIAGRAM (AND APCHS) WHILE ENRTE. THE CAPT APPEARED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH ELP BY COMMENTS MADE ENRTE AND DURING APCH. WE WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH (RWY 26L) BTWN 2 OTHER ACRS. THE ONE BEHIND US WAS ADVISED HE WAS 3 MI IN-TRAIL AND CLOSING. DURING LNDG ROLL; TWR INSTRUCTED 'TURN L AT THE END; DO NOT USE TXWY F.' (SEE ATTACHED DIAGRAMS.) IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY CLR WHETHER HE MEANT 'THE END' OF THE RWY; OR 'THE END' OF THE TXWY 'E' EXTENSION OF THE RWY. THINGS WERE HAPPENING QUICKLY; AND WE WERE AWARE OF LNDG TFC BEHIND US; SO AS WE APCHED 'THE END' OF RWY 26L (RWY 8R THRESHOLD MARKINGS) WE SIGHTED A TXWY 'K' SIGN ON THE L AND THE CAPT INDICATED HE WOULD TURN L THERE. I ADVISED THE TWR WE WOULD USE TXWY 'K' AND HE APPROVED IT; THOUGH I BELIEVE IT IS ACTUALLY TXWY 'G' NOT 'K' ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY. FROM MY POS; AND IN THE DARK; IT APPEARED TO BE A 90 DEG L TURN ONTO THE TERMINAL RAMP. HOWEVER; IT IS ACTUALLY A L 135 DEG FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A R 135 DEG AROUND A SMALL 'PAINTED ISLAND' WITH ANOTHER TXWY SIGN IN IT. CLRING THE RWY THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE 'AFTER LNDG CHKLIST;' AND I BEGAN MY 'FLOW' PER COMPANY PROCS WHICH DIVERTED MY ATTN UP AND TO THE L (OVERHEAD PANEL). THE CAPT THEN BEGAN A R TURN TOWARD TXWY 'D.' I INTERRUPTED MY FLOW AND QUICKLY LOOKED R FOR TFC. HE THEN MADE A COMMENT INDICATING HE WAS TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THE YELLOW LINE HE SAW WAS IN FACT THE TXWY C CTRLINE. I DIVERTED MY ATTN FORWARD TOWARDS THAT LINE AS HE CONTINUED TURNING R. JUST AFTER THAT WE FELT A BUMP AS OUR R MAIN WHEELS WENT OVER A TXWY SIGN I HAD NOT SEEN; AS IT MUST HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE COCKPIT AND CLOSE TO THE ACFT CTRLINE BY THE TIME I LOOKED R. UPON POST FLT WE FOUND MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH R MAIN TIRES. WE CONTACTED MAINT AND THE ARPT AUTH. PREVENTIVE CORRECTIVE ACTION: THE TWR COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT 'THE END.' HE COULD HAVE SPECIFIED 'ECHO; ALPHA; TO THE RAMP' IF THAT'S WHAT HE MEANT. WITH TFC CLOSE BEHIND US IT SEEMED MORE APPROPRIATE TO CLR THE RWY THAN TO QUERY HIM; THOUGH IN RETROSPECT; TXWY 'K' (OR 'G') WAS A LESS THAN IDEAL TURNOFF. THE DIAGRAM SHOULD SHOW THE 'PAINTED ISLANDS;' LIKE THE ARPT AUTH DIAGRAM DOES (ATTACHED). THIS WOULD RAISE AWARENESS. I WILL SUGGEST TO COMPANY THAT WE ISSUE A COMPANY NOTAM TO BE INCLUDED IN THE WX PRINTOUT CAUTIONING PLTS ON THE EXISTENCE OF THESE OBSTRUCTIONS.

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