RWY INCURSION AS A CPR C172 PLT ERRS IN HIS TAXI PROCS AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT AT MTN; MD.

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ON THE DAY IN QUESTION I FLEW MY BOSS AND THE OWNER OF ANOTHER COMPANY TO MARTIN STATE ARPT (MTN) IN OUR COMPANY'S C172 FOR THE PURPOSE OF ATTENDING A MEETING. UPON COMPLETION OF OUR BUSINESS WE RETURNED TO THE ARPT FOR THE FLT HOME RIGHT AROUND DUSK. THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP NEAR THE TWR. 2 COLLEAGUES WHO HAD ATTENDED THE MEETING WITH US; AND WERE LCL TO THE ARPT; WERE ALSO THERE TO SEE US OFF. AS I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT; ONE OF THE LCL GENTLEMEN ADVISED THAT I COULD TAXI TO INTXN C AND DEPART FROM THERE AS IT WAS CLOSER THAN GOING TO THE END OF RWY 15. I PERFORMED A PREFLT INSPECTION AND WE THEN BOARDED THE ACFT. I CALLED GND CTL FOR A TAXI CLRNC. MY CLRNC WAS SIMPLY 'TAXI TO THE RWY.' THERE WERE LINE SVC PEOPLE WORKING ON THE RAMP SO I LEFT THE TAXI LIGHT OFF SO AS NOT TO BLIND THEM. I THEN TAXIED TO THE EDGE OF THE RAMP AND TURNED INTO INXN C. AS MY TAXI LIGHT WAS STILL OFF I DID NOT SEE THAT THE HOLD SHORT LINE WAS RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE RAMP INSTEAD OF CLOSER TO THE RWY WHERE I EXPECTED IT TO BE. AS A RESULT I HAD TAXIED APPROX 20-30 FT PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE WHEN I CALLED GND TO ASK FOR INTXN C DEP. THE GND CTLR THEN ADVISED ME THAT I HAD GONE PAST THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND SHOULD TURN AROUND AND TAXI BACK. I TAXIED BACK BEHIND THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND CALLED THE TWR TO ASK FOR AN INTXN C DEP. THE TWR CTLR ADVISED ME THAT MY ROTATING BEACON WAS NOT OPERATING AND THAT THEY DID NOT SEE ME UNTIL AFTER I TAXIED OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THE CTLR THEN CLRED ME FOR TKOF FROM INTXN C AND WE DEPARTED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT WERE THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT; BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT; FAILING TO TURN ON THE TAXI LIGHT ONCE THE AIRPLANE HAD TURNED AWAY FROM PEOPLE; AND NOT CHKING THE OP OF THE ROTATING BEACON DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION.