C177 LNDG AT MLI IS INSTRUCTED TO EXIT VIA RWY 5-23 BUT ERRS AND EXITS VIA RWY 9-27.
Synopsis
C177 LNDG AT MLI IS INSTRUCTED TO EXIT VIA RWY 5-23 BUT ERRS AND EXITS VIA RWY 9-27.
Narrative
I HAD LANDED IN GOOD NIGHT VFR CONDITIONS ON RWY 31; SHORT OF THE INTXN OF RWYS. GND TOLD ME TO TURN L ON RWY 5 TO TAXI TO THE FBO. I AM A PVT PLT WITH IFR RATING AND NIGHT CURRENT; BUT I HAVE LITTLE EXPERIENCE TAXIING AT LARGE ARPTS AT NIGHT. I BECAME DISORIENTED AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE 3 RWYS; AND TAXIED ONTO RWY 9/27 W INSTEAD OF RWY 5/23 SW. THE CTLR CORRECTED ME AFTER I WAS SEVERAL HUNDRED FT DOWN RWY 27; AND GAVE ME NEW INSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI OFF OF RWY 27 ON A TXWY TO THE FBO. ON THAT TXWY; I WAS FRUSTRATED AND PREOCCUPIED BY MY ACCIDENTAL RWY INCURSION; AND NEARLY MADE ANOTHER MISTAKE BY ALMOST TAXIING ONTO ANOTHER TXWY. AT THIS POINT; THE CTLR SAID; 'OK; I'M GOING TO SHUT DOWN THE ENTIRE ARPT AND YOU CAN TAXI WHEREVER YOU WANT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE RAMP.' I ADMIT MY ERROR; BUT I CERTAINLY DIDN'T FIND THIS SARCASTIC REMARK HELPFUL. I BELIEVE I AM A GOOD AND CAREFUL PLT AND THIS (MY FIRST RWY INCURSION) EMBARRASSED ME. I'M OBVIOUSLY FORTUNATE THAT TFC WAS VERY LIGHT THIS NIGHT AND THAT OTHER RWYS WEREN'T BEING USED. TO MY KNOWLEDGE; THERE WERE NO OTHER PLANES IN THE PATTERN OR TAXIING AT THIS TIME. MY MISTAKE WAS DUE TO MY INEXPERIENCE IN TAXIING AT LARGE ARPTS; IN A PLANE LOW TO THE GND; AT NIGHT. THE CONFUSING LAYOUT OF MLI; WITH ITS 3 MUTUALLY INTERSECTING RWYS; WAS DEFINITELY A FACTOR. ASKING THE GND CTLR TO TURN UP THE LIGHTS OF RWY 5/23 AS I WAS APCHING WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE HELPED ME MAKE THE PROPER TURN. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE XCHKED MY DIRECTIONAL GYRO INDICATION AS I MADE MY TURN ONTO RWY 27. I PLAN TO DO MORE NIGHT FLTS TO LARGER ARPTS IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE MY GND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN TAXI MODE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.