ACR FLT CREW; CITING CHARTS UNKNOWINGLY TAXIED THROUGH A RECENTLY DESIGNATED 'NO TAXI AREA' AT TNCM.

2007-10 · NASA ASRS report 759684

Date: 2007-10 · Aircraft: Large Transport · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: other-restricted-arpt-ramp-area

Synopsis

ACR FLT CREW; CITING CHARTS UNKNOWINGLY TAXIED THROUGH A RECENTLY DESIGNATED 'NO TAXI AREA' AT TNCM.

Narrative

DURING LNDG ROLL; JULIANNA TWR TOLD US TO EXPEDITE OUR BACK TAXI; THEN TO EXIT THE RWY AT TXWY DELTA; AND PROCEED DIRECTLY TO OUR GATE; WHICH WAS BASICALLY A STRAIGHT SHOT; UPON EXITING AT TXWY DELTA. UNKNOWNST TO ME; TNCM ARPT AUTHORITY; AS OF JUST LAST WEEK; DESIGNATED A PORTION OF THE RAMP BETWEEN TXWY DELTA AND GATE AS A PARKING AREA. I WAS INFORMED BY THE ARPT AUTHORITY THAT WHEN EXITING AT TXWY DELTA; ONE MUST MAKE A LEFT TURN TO TXWY C; THEN MAKE A U-TURN TO PROCEED TO GATE; WHEREBY AVOIDING THIS RATHER INCONSPICUOUS NEW PARKING AREA. JULIANNA TWR MADE NO ATTEMPT TO EITHER STOP ME; OR TURN ME; TO AVOID THIS AREA; WHICH WAS COMPLETELY VOID OF ANY AND ALL ACFT/VEHICLES. TNCM COMMERCIAL CHART MAKES NO MENTION OF THIS 'NEW PARKING AREA' IN THE GENERAL; ARRIVAL; OR DEPARTURE NOTES. TNCM COMMERCIAL CHART DOES NOT MAKE IT CLEAR AS TO ANY RESTRICTED 'NO TAXI AREA.' THE TNCM FIELD REPORT ALSO MAKES NO MENTION OF THIS NEW AREA. THESE TWO GENTLEMEN ADMITTED TO HEARING TWR'S TAXI INSTRUCTIONS FOR ME TO CLEAR THE RWY AT TXWY DELTA AND PROCEED STRAIGHT TO GATE; YET THEY MADE NO ATTEMPT TO ADVISE OR CORRECT TWR'S INSTRUCTIONS SO AS TO AVOID THIS AREA. ONLY AFTER THE FACT; DID THEY COME ABOARD MY ACFT; DURING DEPLANING I MIGHT ADD; TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH ME. NEITHER OF THESE GENTLEMEN INTRODUCED THEMSELVES NOR SHOWED ANY ID UNTIL I ASKED FOR IT. I FOUND BOTH OF THESE ACTS TO BE VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. THEY ALSO ADMITTED THAT THIS SAME THING HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALL WEEK. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT THE ARPT AUTHORITY WOULD HAVE STRAIGHTENED THIS OUT WITH TNCM TWR/GND CTL. INSTEAD; IT APPEARED TO ME THAT THIS WAS A 'BAIT AND TRAP' SCENARIO FOR AIRCREWS. I SHOWED THESE GENTLEMEN ALL OF MY COMMERCIAL CHART PAGES IN SUPPORT OF MY ACTIONS; ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER TO THESE MEN. IT IS MY SUGGESTION THAT UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT THE TNCM PAGES CAN BE UPDATED; THAT AT LEAST THE TNCM FIELD REPORT MAKE NOTE OF THIS AREA SO AS TO PREVENT MY COLLEAGUES FROM MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE REPORTER STATED THAT NEITHER TAXI INSTRUCTIONS FROM TOWER; AIRPORT DIAGRAMS; COMPANY PROVIDED INFORMATION; NOR NOTAMS INDICATED THE EXISTENCE OF THIS RECENTLY DESIGNATED PARKING AREA. IT WAS ONLY AFTER TWO INDIVIDUALS FROM THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY QUESTIONED THE FLT CREW'S ACTIONS THAT THIS NEW PARKING AREA WAS IDENTIFIED. ACFT ARE APPARENTLY PROHIBITED FROM TAXIING THROUGH THIS AREA. THE AREA IS APPARENTLY AN IRREGULAR SHAPED AREA; DELINEATED BY A RED PAINTED LINE. ITS LOCATION IS DIRECTLY BETWEEN TAXIWAY 'D' AND THE TERMINAL GATES. IF THE FLT HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO EXIT THE RWY AT TAXIWAY 'C;' THE AREA WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. APPARENTLY THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY HAD BEEN MONITORING TAXI INSTRUCTIONS; BUT DID NOT NOTIFY THE TOWER THAT PERHAPS THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE CLARIFIED SO THIS AREA WOULD BE AVOIDED.

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

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