CREW ON ACR DC9 AT LAS RECEIVED TAXI CLRNC TO FOLLOW AN ACR B757 TO THE RWY. DURING TAXI; THE DC9 INADVERTENTLY TAXIED INTO A DRAINAGE AREA RESULTING IN SHUTTING DOWN AND DEPLANING PAX ONTO BUSSES BACK TO THE TERMINAL. RPTR CLAIMS RAMP WAS POORLY LIT.

Narrative

ACR #1 WAS PARKED AT GATE XX. THE FO CONTACTED RAMP CTL FOR PUSH CLRNC; WE PUSHED AT XA45. THE PUSH CREW HAD THE ACFT FACING SE ON THE RAMP NEAR SPOT 4. WE STARTED BOTH ENGS AND COMPLETED THE AFTER START CHKLIST. AT THAT TIME THE FO CALLED RAMP CTL FOR TAXI. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO GO TO SPOT 3 AND CONTACT GND ON 121.1. UPON REACHING SPOT 3; FO CALLED GND FOR TAXI CLRNC WITH INFO AND A SPECIAL REQUEST FOR RWY 25L DEP. GND INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO FOLLOW ACR #2; TAXI RWY 25L VIA TXWY C; HOLD SHORT RWY 25R AT A2. WE REQUESTED GND TO RECONFIRM THAT THE ACR #2 B757 PASSING US FROM R TO L WAS IN FACT THE TFC TO FOLLOW. THEY CONFIRMED AND WE PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW THE B757 TO WHAT I BELIEVED WAS TXWY C TO MAKE OUR WAY TO RWY 25L. WHILE TAXIING; I FELT AN UNUSUAL RUMBLE IN THE TAIL AND I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. THE APU AUTOMATICALLY SHUT DOWN. WE HAD COME TO A STOP IN AN AREA S OF SPOT 3. THE ENTIRE AREA WAS NOT PROPERLY LIT; THERE WEREN'T ANY TXWY EDGE LIGHTS OR ADEQUATE MARKINGS. THIS LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE AREA WAS PART OF THE RAMP AND TXWY B WAS TXWY C. I PROCEEDED TO APCH THE TXWY STRAIGHT AHEAD TO FOLLOW; AS INSTRUCTED; WHEN I TAXIED INTO AN AREA I LATER FOUND OUT WAS USED FOR DRAINAGE PURPOSES. MY TAXI LIGHTS WERE ON. BOTH THE FO AND I KEPT LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD OUTSIDE. THERE WAS NO WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE THE DRAINAGE AREA FROM THE TXWY OR RAMP AS THE CONTRAST/COLOR WAS CONSISTENTLY THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE AREA. THIS ALSO PROVED TO BE TRUE DURING THE DAYLIGHT; SO ONE CAN IMAGINE HOW THE PROBS; I STATED ABOVE; ESCALATED AT NIGHT. I HAVE NOW BECOME AWARE OF PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT INSUFFICIENT LIGHTING AT LAS; TO THE ARPT AUTHS.