M20E PLT HAS DIFFICULTY WITH PBI RWY 27L RECOGNITION WHILE DISTR BY PAX CONDITION AND WX FACTORS; CAUSING DEP DELAYS AFTER EXECUTING A GAR.
Synopsis
M20E PLT HAS DIFFICULTY WITH PBI RWY 27L RECOGNITION WHILE DISTR BY PAX CONDITION AND WX FACTORS; CAUSING DEP DELAYS AFTER EXECUTING A GAR.
Narrative
WAS ON VFR FLT FOLLOWING. GIVEN INSTRUCTION TO CONTACT TWR AND WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 27L. RWY 27R WAS CLRLY VISIBLE; BUT I COULD NOT SEE RWY 27L. RWY 9L IS A BIT OBSCURED. AFTER RE-VECTORING; WAS ABLE TO SEE RWY 27L; BUT WAS ASKED TO GIVE THE TWR A CALL. ACFT WERE HELD UNTIL SIT RESOLVED. THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS. ALSO WAS SOME DISTR IN COCKPIT FROM PAX WITH INTENSE EARACHE WHILE DSNDING FROM ALT; MADE COCKPIT VERY BUSY. THIS PLT THINKS THAT RWY 27L NEEDS BETTER MARKINGS. THE TWR; WHEN PHONED AS REQUESTED; INDICATED THEY WERE CONCERNED AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBS WERE. I EXPLAINED THAT RWY 27L WAS JUST NOT VISIBLE FROM THE POINT THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THAT IT WAS HIS FIRST TIME INTO PBI; THAT HE RECEIVED VECTORS TO THE ARPT AND THAT WX CONDITIONS; RWY LOCATION; PAX ILLNESS; AND THE AFTERNOON SUN POS 'CONSPIRED' TO CAUSE HIS PROB IN FINDING THE RWY. THE RPTR'S PROB IS THAT HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE RWY 27L BECAUSE OF ITS POS; REF OTHER RWYS AND ITS MUCH NARROWER WIDTH. THE RPTR ADVISED THAT BIGGER; MORE PROMINENT NUMBERING MIGHT HELP IN RWY RECOGNITION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.