AN ACR MLG RAN OVER A TXWY LIGHT ON LEAVING THE RWY. ERROR ADMITTED.

Date: 1996-12 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|conflict-ground-conflict|critical|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-unspecified|other-runway-or-taxiway-excursion

Synopsis

AN ACR MLG RAN OVER A TXWY LIGHT ON LEAVING THE RWY. ERROR ADMITTED.

Narrative

ACFT WAS INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ACROSS TXWY BOUNDARY LINE WHILE EXITING RWY. ROUTINE ILS APCH TO SFO RWY 19L AT NIGHT WITH LIGHT RAIN. FO DECELERATED AFTER LNDG INTENDING TO EXIT THE RWY AT TXWY F. ALTHOUGH BRAKING WAS NOT EXCESSIVE; ACFT WAS SLOWED TO NEAR ZERO FORWARD MOTION APPROX ABEAM TXWY EXIT WHEN THE FO SIGNALED FOR CHANGE OF CTL. AS I COMPLETED THE EXIT TURN AND BEGAN TO CTR THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING TILLER; THE FO RPTED THAT IT APPEARED WE HAD CROSSED THE TXWY BOUNDARY (ON THE S SIDE OF TXWY F NEAR THE RWY EDGE). SIMULTANEOUSLY; I OBSERVED THE TXWY BOUNDARY LINE ABOUT TO PASS UNDER THE NOSE AND A TXWY LIGHT THAT WOULD PASS L OF THE L MAIN GEAR. I SLOWED TO A NEAR STOP AND ASKED THE FO TO OPEN HIS WINDOW IF NECESSARY TO ASSURE THAT WE WOULD REMAIN CLR OF OTHER TXWY LIGHTS. CLRING THE RWY WE RPTED THE BRAKING ACTION AS GOOD; HOWEVER; THE VISIBILITY WAS POOR. AFTER ARR; I ASKED THE FO TO INSPECT ALL 4 MAIN TIRES AND HE RPTED NO DAMAGE AND NORMAL PRESSURE. THE ACFT WAS TAKEN OTS DUE TO AN INOP WINDSHIELD WIPER ON THE CAPT'S FORWARD WINDSHIELD THAT HAD FAILED ENRTE. WE CHANGED ACFT FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE FLT TO RNO. THE NEXT MORNING; RETURNING TO SFO; WE OBSERVED A DAMAGED TXWY LIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF THE S SIDE OF TXWY F NEAR RWY 19L. I RPTED OUR INCIDENT OF THE PREVIOUS NIGHT TO THE CHIEF PLT IMMEDIATELY AFTER ARR. IN ADDITION TO THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ABOVE; I AM UNFAMILIAR WITH EXITING TXWY F. LNDG RWY 19L/R IS UNUSUAL AND TXWY F IS ONLY ABOUT 4500 FT FROM THE THRESHOLD. ALSO; IT IS AN UNUSUAL RWY EXIT BECAUSE IT BISECTS THE RWY AT A SLIGHTLY ACUTE ANGLE BUT HAS THE APPEARANCE OF A NORMAL PERPENDICULAR TXWY. THIS PUTS THE ROLL-OUT SIDE OF THE TXWY BOUNDARY LINE AND LIGHTS CLOSER TO THE TXWY CTRLINE THAN YOU WOULD EXPECT WITH A PERPENDICULAR TXWY. I CANNOT BE CERTAIN THAT THESE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED AS THEY WERE NOT VISIBLE UNTIL WE WERE ON TOP OF THEM. ADDITIONALLY; ALTHOUGH THERE IS REGULAR LITERATURE FROM THE COMPANY DISCOURAGING EARLY RWY EXITS; THERE CONTINUES TO BE INCENTIVES TO MAKE THESE EXITS. NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS REDUCING EXPOSURE TO LONGER TAXI RTES; ESPECIALLY WITH MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS. THIS INCIDENT IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE BENEFITS OF STAYING FURTHER TOWARD THE CTR OF THE ENVELOPE AND RESISTING THE TEMPTATION TO MAKE AN EARLIER RWY EXIT.

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