AN ACR BE-1900D FLC TAXIED ONTO RWY 18-36 AT CLE WITHOUT AUTH DURING A NIGHT OP WITH FALLING SNOW AND WITH THEIR VISION FURTHER OBSCURED BY DEICING FLUID. THE GND CTLR WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE SIT WITHOUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES; HOWEVER; THE FLC FEELS THAT THE LIGHTING; MARKING AND GENERAL DESIGN OF THE INTXN MAY LEAD TO FUTURE INCURSIONS.
Synopsis
AN ACR BE-1900D FLC TAXIED ONTO RWY 18-36 AT CLE WITHOUT AUTH DURING A NIGHT OP WITH FALLING SNOW AND WITH THEIR VISION FURTHER OBSCURED BY DEICING FLUID. THE GND CTLR WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE SIT WITHOUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES; HOWEVER; THE FLC FEELS THAT THE LIGHTING; MARKING AND GENERAL DESIGN OF THE INTXN MAY LEAD TO FUTURE INCURSIONS.
Narrative
CLE ARPT; CONDITIONS NIGHT; LIGHT SNOW; DEICE FLUID ON WINDOWS. AFTER DEICING; WE CALLED GND ON THE N SIDE OF PAD #X. WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO RWY 5L VIA TXWY AL; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 5R AT TXWY N. WE TURNED L ONTO TXWY A AND IN THE INTXN OF TXWY A; L; R; RWY 18/36; AND RWY 5R/23L; GND TOLD US TO STOP. WE STOPPED; NOT KNOWING WHY. WE BOTH LOOKED AROUND TO MAKE SURE OF OUR POS. BOTH OF US FELT THAT WE HAD NOT REACHED TXWY L. WE STOPPED ON RWY 18/36 AND COULD SEE ACFT PARKED ON PAD #Y TO OUR L. AFTER 1 ACFT LANDED AND TURNED OFF BEFORE REACHING THE INTXN WE WERE IN; GND TOLD US TO TAXI ONTO RWY 5R; BACK-TAXI TO TXWY M; AND REJOIN TXWY L. AT THAT TIME WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD JUST PASSED TXWY L. WE WERE STILL IN A POS TO TURN L AND JOIN TXWY L; BUT WE FOLLOWED GND INSTRUCTION. IN MY OPINION; AT NIGHT THAT INTXN IS POORLY MARKED AND NEEDS MORE LIGHTED SIGNS; EVEN FOR SOMEONE THAT KNOWS THE LAYOUT OF THE ARPT. I HAVE HEARD OF ONE CREW THAT HAD TROUBLE THERE PRIOR TO US AND THE FAA IS LOOKING INTO IT. THE NIGHT AFTER OUR PROB I WITNESSED A DC9 HAVE THE SAME PROB THERE. ZOB SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT THAT IS A DIFFICULT INTXN AT NIGHT. TAXI INSTRUCTION AT NIGHT SHOULD NOT INCLUDE TXWY A-L OR TXWY R-L AND IF GIVEN; ATC SHOULD ADVISE PLTS OF THE DIFFICULT INTXN. PLTS SHOULD TAKE MORE CARE AND CAUTION WHEN APCHING THAT INTXN. IN MY OPINION; CLE HAS MORE TFC THAN IT CAN HANDLE AND ATC IS PUSHED TO THE LIMITS EVERY DAY. A DIFFICULT INTXN IS ONE THING BOTH ATC AND PLTS CAN DO WITHOUT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT OF THIS BE-1900D SAID THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE CLE ARPT; BUT RARELY USES THIS TAXI RTE. HE SAID THAT SINCE THIS EPISODE HE HAS TALKED TO THE TWR CTLRS; THE DEICE TEAM AND COMPANY MGMNT ABOUT THESE EVENTS. HE HAS DECIDED TO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRANSIT THIS PART OF THE ARPT AT NIGHT. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE LIGHTING WAS NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH IN THIS AREA AND THAT THERE IS A TRIANGLE OF LIGHTS (APPARENTLY A TYPE OF TFC ISLAND) THAT CREATED CONFUSION ABOUT THE PROPER TXWY. HE SAID THAT HE WENT AROUND THIS TRIANGLE AND ENDED UP ON RWY 18/36. HOWEVER; HE ALSO SAID THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE WINDSCREEN WIPED OFF AFTER THE DEICING WAS COMPLETE BECAUSE IMPAIRED FORWARD VISION WAS A FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.