A PA32 PLT; AFTER LNDG AT VGT; MISINTERPRETED A CLRNC AND ENTERED AN ACTIVE RWY WHILE MAKING A 180 DEG TURN.

2001-12 · NASA ASRS report 531699

Date: 2001-12 · Aircraft: PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-new-txwy-indentifiers

Synopsis

A PA32 PLT; AFTER LNDG AT VGT; MISINTERPRETED A CLRNC AND ENTERED AN ACTIVE RWY WHILE MAKING A 180 DEG TURN.

Narrative

I WAS PRACTICING NIGHT LNDG WITH MY WIFE ON BOARD. THE NEW RWY 12L/30R HAS ONLY BEEN OPEN A SHORT TIME AND I HAVE NOT HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE USING THE NEW CONFIGURATION. IN ADDITION; WHERE WE HAD TXWYS A THRU C; WE NOW HAVE TXWYS A THRU L. I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME STUDYING THE NEW ARRANGEMENT; BUT IT STILL IS NOT FAMILIAR TO ME OR TO MANY ON THE ARPT. I HAD COMPLETED A LNDG ON RWY 12R. THE CTLR DIRECTED ME TO TURN LEFT AT THE NEXT TXWY AND TAXI TO RWY 12L. I THINK HE MAY HAVE SAID; 'TURN LEFT AT DELTA AND TAXI TO RWY 12L.' WHAT I DID; THEREFORE; WAS TURN LEFT ONTO 'H' THINKING IT WAS 'D' AND PROCEEDED STRAIGHT AHEAD TO THE INTXN OF RWY 12L AND 'H.' MY WIFE HEARD THE SAME INSTRUCTION AND BELIEVES I DID EXACTLY AS INSTRUCTED. WE FURTHER EXPECTED A 'CROSS RWY' CLRNC TO 'A' AT THAT POINT. I CALLED THE TWR AND SAID I WAS AT RWY 12L/30R. HE THEN TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO DELTA; TURN RIGHT; AND PROCEED TO RWY 12L. SINCE I WAS AT THE CLRNC LINE; I ASSUMED THIS WAS A CLRNC TO ENTER THE RWY AND MAKE A U-TURN. I STARTED FWD AND INFORMED THE CTLR WHAT I WAS DOING. HE TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE WAITED FOR A CLRNC TO ENTER THE RWY. I REALIZE THAT HE DID NOT TELL ME TO 'ENTER' OR TO 'CROSS' THE RWY. HOWEVER; SINCE I WAS SITTING AT THE CLRNC LINE; AND SINCE; EVEN HAD I BEEN WELL BEHIND THE LINE; THE TXWY IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH FOR MY ACFT TO MAKE A U-TURN; I BELIEVED; AS I SAID ABOVE; HIS INSTRUCTION TO 'GO BACK TO 'D'' WAS; IN EFFECT; A CLRNC TO PROCEED. THIS IS A TRYING TIME FOR EVERYONE AT VGT. AS WE AND THE CTLRS BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCS AND CONFIGURATION; PROBS WILL BECOME FEWER. FOR MY OWN PART; I WILL NEVER AGAIN CROSS A CLRNC LINE WITHOUT SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION. HOWEVER; I BELIEVE THE CTLRS NEED TO BE CLEARER IN THEIR INSTRUCTIONS AND MUST; AT ALL COSTS; RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO LEAVE IMPORTANT PARTS OUT OF THEIR CLRNCS UNTIL EVERYONE IS COMPLETELY FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW OPS.

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

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