A CONFUSED PVT PLT IN A PA28 MAKES A 180 DEG TURN ON THE TXWY AFTER CLRING THE RWY AT FRG. HE IS STOPPED BY THE CTLR JUST AS HE CROSSES THE HOLD LINE; FOR A SECOND TIME. IT WAS A MOONLESS LIGHT.

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IT WAS A DARK; MOONLESS NIGHT WHEN I WAS LNDG ON RWY 32 OF REPUBLIC ARPT. I WAS CLRED TO LAND; ON FINAL; WHEN I HEARD THAT ANOTHER ACFT; A STOP-AND-GO TRAINER; WAS CLRED TO LAND BEHIND ME AND THAT HE WAS 3/4 - 1 MI BEHIND ME. I LANDED WITH FULL FLAPS AND SLOWED DOWN TO TAXI SPD BEFORE THE FIRST TURNOFF. ATC ADVISED ME TO EXIT THE RWY AT TXWY A5; WHICH WAS THE FIRST TURNOFF. I NEVER EXITED ON TXWY A5 BEFORE; AND SINCE IT WAS VERY DARK; I WAS TAXIING SLOWLY; SEARCHING FOR THE TURNOFF. I REACHED THE A5 EXIT; TURNED OFF THE RWY ONTO TXWY A5. THE A5 TURNOFF SEEMED UNUSUAL TO ME SINCE I TURNED APPROX 150 DEGS INSTEAD OF 90 DEGS. AS I TURNED OFF THE RWY; I WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE TWR TO TAXI TO PARKING WITH THE TWR. AS I WAS TAXIING; I COULD NOT SEE VERY MUCH AND THOUGHT I WAS TAXIING THE WRONG WAY. I DECIDED THAT I MISSED THE CORRECT TXWY TO TAXI TO THE PARKING AREA. THEN; I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TURNING 180 DEGS TO GO BACK AND FIND THE CORRECT TXWY THAT WOULD TAKE ME TO PARKING. INSTEAD; I SEE THE SOLID WHITE RWY EDGE LINE 30 FT IN FRONT OF ME AND AN AIRPLANE LNDG. A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE THAT; ATC INSTRUCTED ME TO STOP THE AIRPLANE; WHICH I DID. THE OTHER AIRPLANE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY; AFTER WHICH I WAS GIVEN PROGRESSIVES BY ATC AND TAXIED TO PARKING UNEVENTFULLY. I FOUND OUT THAT THE TURNOFF WAS INDEED ABOUT 150 DEGS AND THERE WAS A LOT MORE TO GO TO CLR THE RWY BECAUSE THE HOLD LINE IS SOME DISTANCE AWAY. IT TURNS OUT I NEVER CLRED THE RWY. IF IT WAS A BIGGER PLANE LNDG; WITH THE WINGSPAN WIDER THAN THE RWY; I MIGHT NOT BE HERE TODAY. I THANK DEARLY THE CTLR WHO WAS ATTENTIVE ENOUGH TO WATCH ME. I LEARNED THAT IF NOT SURE; I WILL ALWAYS GIVE ATC A CALL BEFORE MAKING A DRASTIC MANEUVER SUCH AS A 180 DEG TURN. ALSO; I WILL TAXI FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES ON THE TURNOFF TO CROSS THE HOLD LINE; NOT JUST THINK THAT I WILL CROSS IT WHEN GETTING OFF THE RWY. ALSO; I WILL ALWAYS STAY ON THE YELLOW LINE; EVEN WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM A RWY TO TXWY.