FLC OF B737-400 HAS DIFFICULTY KEEPING TAXI SIGNS IN SIGHT DURING DEP FROM PIT.

Date: 1997-02 · Aircraft: B737-400

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

FLC OF B737-400 HAS DIFFICULTY KEEPING TAXI SIGNS IN SIGHT DURING DEP FROM PIT.

Narrative

SINCE PIT WAS IN AN EASTERLY FLOW DUE TO A WINTER RAIN STORM; THE ATIS LISTED RWYS 10C AND 14 FOR DEPS. I EXPECTED RWY 10C; IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN I HAD USED IT IN THE PAST AND NEVER USED RWY 14. THE COMPANY LOAD CTL ALSO EXPECTED US TO USE RWY 10C AND SENT US THE WT AND BAL FOR RWY 10C ON THE ACARS. AFTER PUSHBACK AND ENG START WE TAXIED FROM THE RAMP AREA TOWARD TXWY V6 AND CONTACTED GND CTL. WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 14 VIA TXWYS T; E; AND S. I TURNED R ON TXWY T AND PROCEEDED S TOWARD TXWY E. I LOOKED L AND SAW THE TXWY E SIGN ON THE R SIDE OF THE DEICE PAD. SINCE MOST TXWY SIGNS ARE ON THE L SIDE OF TXWYS I ASSUMED THIS ONE WAS ALSO. ADDING TO THE CONFUSION WAS THE FACT THAT IN THIS AREA TXWY E IS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE DEICE PAD. I CONTINUED S TO MAKE THE NEXT L TURN; THUS PLACING THE TXWY E SIGN ON MY L AS I TURNED E. APCHING THE NEXT INTXN; IT APPEARED TO LOOK VERY MUCH LIKE A RWY; SO I STOPPED WITH MY NOSE JUST SHORT OF WHAT WAS RWY 10C WHITE EDGE STRIPE. DURING THIS PHASE OF THE TAXI; THE FO HAD BEEN BUSY TALKING TO LOAD CTL GETTING THE WT AND BAL FOR RWY 14. JUST AS I APCHED RWY 10C; SHE ALSO NOTICED THAT THIS DID NOT LOOK RIGHT AND MADE A COMMENT TO ME TO THAT EFFECT. THE GND CTLR; BY THEN NOTICED THAT I HAD MISSED TXWY E AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'YOU MISSED TXWY E; OH I SEE YOU'RE ALREADY OUT ON THE RWY; THAT'S OK; JUST TURN L ON RWY 10C AND CONTINUE TAXIING TO TXWY S.' IN FACT I HAD NOT CROSSED THE WHITE RWY EDGE STRIPE. I DO NOT RECALL SEEING THE STANDARD ICAO LIGHTED WHITE ON RED RWY SIGN OR A ORANGE FLASHING LIGHT THAT DENOTES A RWY INTXN WITH A TXWY. NOR IN THE DARK AND RAIN DID I NOTICE A YELLOW PAINTED HOLD LINE ON THE TXWY; PRIOR TO RWY 10C. TO SAY THE LEAST THIS IS A CONFUSING AREA ON A TAXI ROUTING THAT IS UNFAMILIAR BECAUSE IT'S SELDOM USED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPT OF FLT HAS RECENTLY BEEN BACK INTO PIT AND OBSERVED THAT THE TAXI SIGNS ARE ADEQUATE AND PROPERLY LOCATED. HE ALSO OBSERVED THAT THERE IS A YELLOW FLASHING LIGHT THAT IS EASILY SEEN JUST BEFORE XING RWY 10C. HE DIDN'T SEE THESE SIGNS BEFORE AS IT WAS DARK AND RAINING AT THE TIME. HE WAS ALSO CONVINCED THAT THE TAXI SIGNS WOULD BE ON THE L SIDE OF HIS ACFT; SO HE SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME LOOKING OUT THE L WINDOW AND HAD THE FO LOOKOUT THE R SIDE. HOWEVER; THE FO WAS BUSY WITH HEAD DOWN WORKING THE ACARS GETTING WTS FOR DEP. CAPT SAW NONE OF THESE SIGNS BEFORE AS HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT TO THE L OF THE ACFT. CAPT SEES NO PROB WITH THE ADEQUACY OF THE RWY AND TXWY SIGNS.

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