FLC OF A SAAB 340 HAS A TXWY EXCURSION DUE TO WX CONDITIONS; NIGHT OP AND POOR TXWY MARKINGS.

Date: 1998-10

Anomalies: other-runway-or-taxiway-excursion|other-unspecified

Synopsis

FLC OF A SAAB 340 HAS A TXWY EXCURSION DUE TO WX CONDITIONS; NIGHT OP AND POOR TXWY MARKINGS.

Narrative

THE PROB AROSE ON THE GND AT CLL. AFTER LNDG RWY 16; WE WERE TAXIING TO THE GATE BY WAY OF TXWY C1; THEN ACROSS RWY 28 ON TXWY C. WHEN TURNING FROM TXWY C TO TXWY A; THE ACFT PULLED TO THE L AND WE STOPPED. WHEN I FIRST FELT A VIBRATION ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT; I THOUGHT WE HAD A FLAT TIRE; BUT AS THE ACFT PULLED TO THE L; I REALIZED WE WERE IN THE GRASS OFF THE TXWY. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS WAS THE RAIN. IT HAD RAINED ALL DAY IN CLL. WE WERE DELAYED COMING IN DUE TO TSTMS AND WE LANDED AND WERE TAXIING IN A MODERATE RAINSHOWER. OUR WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED WELL AT KEEPING OUR WINDSHIELD CLR; BUT THE TXWYS HAD A LOT OF STANDING WATER; AND DUE TO THE STANDING WATER; MY TAXI LIGHT WAS REFLECTED BACK; MAKING IT HARD TO SEE THE ALREADY DIM PAINTED CTRLINE TAXI LINE. I BELIEVED I WAS ON THE CTRLINE; BUT APPARENTLY I WAS NOT. I WAS TAXIING VERY SLOW DUE TO THE DARKNESS AND THE RAIN; AND WAS SHOCKED TO FIND WE WENT OFF THE PAVEMENT. AS FOR CORRECTIVE ACTIONS; I THINK LINES PAINTED ON THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT WOULD HAVE HELPED. ALSO; A BRIGHTER PAINTED CTRLINE. ALSO; I HAVE ONLY FLOWN INTO CLL RECENTLY; AND UNTIL THIS HAPPENED; I DID NOT KNOW IT HAD HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES BEFORE. IF I HAD KNOWN; I WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE CAREFUL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE ARPT MGR IS THE PERSON WHO INDICATED THIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE. HE WAS PRESENT BECAUSE THE ACFT HAD TO BE TOWED OUT OF THE GRASS AREA. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED ON THE TXWY. SOME OF THE TXWYS HAVE BEEN EXPANDED; NEAR THE END OF RWY 16. THEY HAVE BEEN REPAVED AND VISIBLE LINES PAINTED. RPTR HOPES THAT THIS WILL BE CONTINUED TO OTHER TXWYS. THE TXWY EDGE LINES WOULD BE HELPFUL BECAUSE THE TXWY LIGHTS ARE SET BACK AND IT IS HARD TO TELL WHERE THE EDGE IS.

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