RWY INCURSION. A TAXIING C172RG PLT COMPLAINS OF THE LACK OF PROPER TXWY GUIDANCE IN A NIGHT OP AT HIO; OR.

Narrative

I HAD TRAVELED WITH A SECOND PLT TO HIO; A REGIONAL ARPT; TO MEET WITH A CHK-OUT PLT OF A LCL AVIATION CHARITY GROUP. I HAD COMPLETED THIS BUSINESS AND WAS ON MY WAY HOME WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. I WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TXWYS OF THIS ARPT; ALTHOUGH I HAD REVIEWED WITH THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON THE BACK OF MY APCH PLATE. IT WAS NIGHTFALL WHEN I STARTED BACK TO MY HOME ARPT AND A THIN LAYER OF GND MIST WAS STARTING TO FORM. TYPICAL TO MANY ARPTS; THE PAINTED TXWY LINES WERE SOMEWHAT WEATHERED AND I WAS HAVING SLIGHT DIFFICULTY FOLLOWING THE YELLOW CTRLINE. HAVING TAXIED THE SAME RTE EARLIER IN THE DAY AS PART OF THE CHKOUT; I THOUGHT THAT I WAS PREPARED TO MAKE THE SAME TAXI UNASSISTED. I RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI FROM THE TWR BASE TO RWY 30; WHICH INCLUDED THE CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 2/20. I READ BACK THE CLRNC INCLUDING CONFIRMATION THAT WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS RWY 2/20. WHEN I REACHED RWY 2/20; I CONFIRMED THE XING POINT USING THE RED RWY SIGN. ON THE FAR SIDE OF RWY 2/20; THERE WAS AN INTXN OF 2 TXWYS. ALSO; THE INTXN OF RWY 12/30 AND RWY 2/20 WAS VERY NEAR THIS TXWY INTXN. THIS CREATED A FAIRLY LARGE AREA VOID OF BLUE TAXI LIGHTS AND YELLOW TXWY IDENT SIGNS. ALSO GIVEN THIS COINCIDENCE ON THE RWY AND TXWY INTXN; THE YELLOW CTRLINES BROKE OFF INTO A CONFUSING SET OF PATHWAYS. MIDWAY ACROSS RWY 2/20 WE BEGAN TO LOOK FOR THE NEAREST ROW OF BLUE TAXI LIGHTS. WE LOCATED WHAT WE THOUGHT WERE THE CORRECT TXWY LIGHTS (THEY APPEARED VERY CLOSE TO A DIRECT LINE WITH OUR DIRECTION WHEN WE ENTERED ONTO RWY 2/20) AND PROCEEDED TOWARDS THEM. IN OUR MOMENTARY CONFUSION AND OUR FOCUS ON THE TXWY LIGHTS WE DID NOT NOTICE THAT WE COMPLETED THE XING OF RWY 2/20. UNFORTUNATELY; THE ROW OF TXWY LIGHTS WERE ON THE FAR SIDE OF RWY 12/30 AND WE UNINTENTIONALLY ENTERED ONTO RWY 30. WHEN WE DISCOVERED OUR MISTAKE IT WAS QUICKER TO CLR THE ACTIVE RWY BY COMPLETELY XING RWY 30. AFTER WE CONFIRMED OUR NEW POS; WE HELD SHORT AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED HIO GND CTL TO CONFESS OUR SINS AND REQUEST ASSISTANCE. IT WAS A SUNDAY EVENING AND THERE HAD BEEN VERY LITTLE TFC SO THE TONE FROM THE CTLR WAS VERY CALM AND SHE WAS EVEN APOLOGETIC FOR NOT CATCHING US BEFORE I MADE MY MISTAKE. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE SIT AND COMPLETED THE TAXI WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT TAKING NOTE WHERE I HAD MADE THE WRONG TURN. IT WAS VERY UNNERVING AS TO HOW QUICKLY OUR SIT HAD DETERIORATED AND THUS CAUSING ME TO INADVERTENTLY STUMBLE ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY. IN THE PAST I'VE NEVER BEEN SHY ABOUT ASKING FOR 'PROGRESSIVES' AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT; BUT HAVING TAXIED THE SAME RTE IN THE DAY I HAD UNDUE CONFIDENCE THAT I COULD REPEAT THIS OP AFTER DARK. I HAVE NEVER EVEN COME CLOSE TO THIS SORT OF INCIDENT IN THE PAST AND I'M SURE THAT THIS CONTRIBUTED TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COMPLACENCY. HOWEVER; IT IS ALSO SOMEWHAT CONCERNING TO ME THAT AT THE POINT ALONG THIS TAXI RTE WHERE THE RTE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW; THERE ARE TOO FEW POSITIONAL AND DIRECTIONAL AIDS TO FOLLOW.