MD80S ACFT TAXIING FROM NEW TERMINAL RAMP AT NIGHT AND RAIN HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING TXWY RWY MARKINGS AND DISTRS WHICH RESULTED IN ALMOST TAXIING ONTO ACTIVE RWY.

Date: 1997-10 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model

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

Synopsis

MD80S ACFT TAXIING FROM NEW TERMINAL RAMP AT NIGHT AND RAIN HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING TXWY RWY MARKINGS AND DISTRS WHICH RESULTED IN ALMOST TAXIING ONTO ACTIVE RWY.

Narrative

IT IS DECEPTIVE TAXIING OUT AT NIGHT IN STANDING RAIN FROM DCA GATE XX ONTO THE NEW RESTRUCTURED RAMP. TAXI CLRNC WAS TXWY JC RWY 36 HOLD SHORT OF RWY 3. THE NEW COMMERCIAL CHART PAGE DISPLAYS A WHITE HASHED INFIELD AREA THAT DOES NOT REALLY EXIST; BUT RATHER IT IS A PAINTED AREA OF THE SAME FLAT SURFACE. 3 THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY DISTR US: 1) I WAS MAKING A WIDER THAN NORMAL CROSS COCKPIT TURN AROUND A B727 PUSHED INTO THE RAMP. 2) OTHER ACFT BRIGHT LNDG LIGHTS WERE REFLECTING ON TOP OF THE STANDING RAIN AND OBSCURING RAMP MARKINGS; AND 3) AN ABNORMAL CALL FROM THE AFT FLT ATTENDANT RPTING NOISE AND FUMES JUST AS WE WERE SHUTTING DOWN THE APU. SUDDENLY ON THE L FRONT OF THE ACFT I COULD SEE RWY LINES. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT SHORT OF RWY 36 AT TXWY M. REPEAT -- I STOPPED SHORT OF THE ACTIVE RWY 36 AS I COULD STILL SEE THE RWY EDGE LINE ILLUMINATED BY MY NOSE TAXI LIGHT. DCA WAS CALLING FIRST TO ASK IF WE KNEW WHERE WE WERE AND IF WE HAD ROOM TO TURN BACK INTO TXWY J; THEN CLRING US ONTO THE RWY TO BACK TAXI AND RIGHT OFF TXWY G TO RESUME TAXI TO DEP. ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT; RAIN; SNOW; ETC OBSCURING THESE FLAT RAMP AREAS ARE VISUALLY DECEPTIVE.

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