ALLEGED UNCONVENTIONAL FIELD MARKINGS AND HOLD SHORT LINES FOR RWY 28 AND RWY 23.

Date: 1998-05 · Aircraft: DC-9 50

Anomalies: other-no-specific-anomaly-occurred|other-unspecified

Synopsis

ALLEGED UNCONVENTIONAL FIELD MARKINGS AND HOLD SHORT LINES FOR RWY 28 AND RWY 23.

Narrative

ON TAXI TO RWY 23L AT CLE WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO UTILIZE THE 'BROWN' RTE. THE BROWN RTE IS EXPLAINED IN THE CODED TAXI RTE SECTION OF OUR COMMERCIAL CHART MANUALS. THE FO AND I DISCUSSED AND BRIEFED THE ROUTING TO RWY 23L BEING CAUTIOUS OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL FIELD MARKINGS AND HOLD SHORT LINES. AS WE APCHED THE HOLD SHORT BAR ON RWY 28 FOR TKOF ON RWY 23L I WAS POSITIONING THE ACFT IN A MANNER THAT I COULD MONITOR VISUALLY THE INBOUND TFC LNDG ON RWY 23R&L. AS I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES AND MAKING A SLIGHT R TURN; THE CTLR XMITTED 'XYZ STOP; XYZ STOP.' AT THAT POINT IN TIME I WAS ALREADY IN THE PROCESS OF STOPPING THE ACFT. WHEN THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN; DUE THE VIGOR IN THE CTLR'S VOICE; I TOOK MY L HAND OFF THE STEERING CTL WHEEL TO PICK UP THE HAND-HELD MIKE TO RESPOND AND ASSURE HIM OF COMPLIANCE. THE SLIGHT MOVEMENT OF THE ACFT NOSE BACK TO THE L (DUE TO A CTRING MECHANISM) WHEN I RELEASED THE NOSE STEERING WHEEL MAY HAVE GIVEN THE TWR CTLR THE IMPRESSION WE WERE XING THE HOLD SHORT BAR. AT NO POINT OF THE TAXI WERE WE UNAWARE OF OUR POS. SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE POOR MARKINGS IN CLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR RWY WOULD TO BE INCREASE THE LIGHTING INTENSITY OF THE CTRLINE LIGHTS ALONG WITH MAYBE A FLASHING RED LIGHT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE HOLD SHORT BAR. THIS HOLD SHORT BAR ALSO BECOMES UNFAMILIAR BECAUSE OF THE UNCOMMON DISTANCE FROM THE TKOF RWY FOR WHICH IT IS DESIGNED FOR ACFT TO HOLD SHORT. ANOTHER OBSERVATION WOULD BE THAT THE TWR CAN GET A VISUAL ILLUSION OF WHAT THE ACFT IS ACTUALLY DOING DUE TO THE ANGLE OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE TO THE TWR'S LINE OF SIGHT. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENING WITH THE SUN AT THE LEVEL IT WAS ALONG WITH THE TWR CTLR LOOKING TO THE WNW INTO THE SUN; HE/SHE MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY JUDGING THE ACTUAL POS OF THE ACFT. WITH THE HIGH AMOUNT OF PROBS IN THE PAST AT THIS EXACT POINT; I SUGGEST MORE RESOURCES ARE UTILIZED TO COME UP WITH A MORE FRIENDLY HOLD SHORT BAR. THIS AREA PUTS AN UNACCEPTABLE AMOUNT OF VISUAL AWARENESS RESPONSIBILITY ON THE CTL TWR AND COULD LEAD THEM TO MAKE HASTY INSTRUCTIONS BASED ON VISUAL ILLUSIONS.

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