2 PLTS FLYING AN AA5B LAND AT HWO; FL; AND TURN OFF THE ACTIVE RWY IN AN AREA WHERE THE TXWY IS NOT WELL LIT. THEY REVERSE COURSE TO TAXI BACK AND DON'T REALIZE HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO AN ACFT ON ITS TKOF ROLL.
Synopsis
2 PLTS FLYING AN AA5B LAND AT HWO; FL; AND TURN OFF THE ACTIVE RWY IN AN AREA WHERE THE TXWY IS NOT WELL LIT. THEY REVERSE COURSE TO TAXI BACK AND DON'T REALIZE HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO AN ACFT ON ITS TKOF ROLL.
Narrative
AFTER LNDG RWY 36L; TAXIED ONTO DARK 45 DEG EXIT TXWY; BECAME LOST IN THE LIGHTS AND TAXIED NEAR THE RWY PAST HOLD SHORT LINE; AND ANOTHER ACFT PASSED CLOSE ON HIS TKOF ROLL. WE THEN TAXIED TO THE EDGE OF THE RWY AND NOTIFIED TWR WE WERE ON RWY EDGE. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO ORIENT OURSELVES AND TAXIED TO THE RAMP. WE NEVER RPTED CLR OF RWY 36 TO THE TWR; OR SWITCHED FREQS. MORE PROMINENT MARKINGS TO THE TXWY FROM THE RWY WOULD HELP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR IDENTED THE ACFT FLOWN AS A GRUMMAN TRAVELER (AA5). IT WAS ALSO STATED THAT AS THEY TURNED OFF THE RWY; THE TRAVELER LNDG LIGHTS ARE NOT AIMED FOR BEST TXWY ILLUMINATION. AS THEY TURNED AROUND TO TAXI BACK; THEY MISSED THE TXWY SIGNAGE THAT IDENTED THE PROPER LOCATION FOR THE TXWY. PLTS FELT THAT SIGNAGE FOR RWY AND TXWY WERE WEAK ONLY IN THAT AREA. ALSO; IF THE ACFT LNDG LIGHTS WERE AIMED A LITTLE DIFFERENT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE TXWY MUCH BETTER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 392598: WE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS NO TXWY FOR THAT EXIT. DECIDED TO MAKE 180 DEG TURN AND TAXI TOWARDS VISIBLE AND LABELED TXWY. WE HAD NOT CONFIRMED WITH TWR THAT WE WERE CLR OF RWY 36L. APPARENTLY HE (CTLR) CLRED OTHER ACFT FOR TKOF. SOON AS WE SAW LNDG LIGHTS; NOTIFIED TWR WE WERE NOT CLR OF RWY. I'M NOT SURE TWR REALIZED WHAT HAPPENED (OR THE OTHER ACFT FOR THAT MATTER). WE TAXIED TO EDGE OF RWY AND SAW OTHER ACFT FLY BY. PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT TO RAMP. BETTER TXWY MARKINGS WOULD HAVE HELPED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.