B737 FLT CREW REPORTS RWY EXCURSION AT APPROACH END OF RWY 24L; LAX; AFTER TAXI BACK DUE TO POOR LIGHTING AND LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH TAXI ROUTE USED DURING CONSTRUCTION.

Narrative

APCH AND LNDG AT LAX WERE UNEVENTFUL. EXITED AT REVERSE Y AND WHILE XING RWY 24L; RECEIVED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO BACK-TAXI ON RWY 24L AND EXIT AT TXWY V. WHILE APCHING THE END (APCH END) OF RWY 24L; I WAS UNABLE TO IDENT TXWY V UNTIL WE WERE ABEAM IT. THERE WERE NO END OF RWY LIGHTS OR TURNOFF LIGHTS VISIBLE FROM OUR DIRECTION. I TOLD THE CAPT TO STOP; BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. THE CAPT SMOOTHLY BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A STOP BUT THE NOSE GEAR HAD PASSED THE END OF RWY 24L. WHILE TURNING BACK TO TXWY V; THE R MAIN GEAR ALSO WENT PAST THE END OF THE RWY. NONE OF THE GEAR LEFT A PAVED SURFACE AT ANY TIME. WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI TO THE GATE. WE TERMINATED THE ACFT DUE TO THE MAINT ISSUE. THE CAPT INFORMED MAINT AND I DID A MORE THOROUGH POSTFLT OF THE LNDG GEAR AND FOUND NOTHING ABNORMAL. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO OUR NEW ACFT TO COMPLETE THE FINAL LEG. THE LAST LEG AFFORDED US TIME TO THOROUGHLY DEBRIEF THE EVENT; WHICH THE CAPT DID PROFESSIONALLY. 2 PRIMARY ISSUES WERE THE LATE TAXI CLRNC/BACK TAXIING ON AN ACTIVE RWY AND THE POOR LIGHTING AT THE END OF THE RWY. LAX IS BUSY; EVEN AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT. WE WERE ALMOST ALL THE WAY ACROSS RWY 24L WHEN GIVEN THE BACK TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. THERE ARE NO LIGHTS TO INDICATE THE END OF THE RWY WHEN YOU ARE BACK TAXIING. THE N INTXN OF TXWY V AND RWY 24L IS POORLY LIT. FIRST; THE LIGHTING AT LAX NEEDS TO BE MORE VISIBLE AT THE END OF RWY 24L FOR BACK TAXI OPS WHICH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE. SECOND; TAXI INSTRUCTIONS COULD BE MORE CLR GIVEN THIS ABNORMAL TAXI RTE. AFTER DEBRIEFING; IT WAS EVIDENT THE CAPT WAS NOT 100% SURE OF THE TURN DIRECTION ON TXWY V. 'BACK TAXI TO THE END OF 24L AND TURN L ON V...' WOULD HAVE SOLVED THIS CONFUSION. FOR ME; I LEARNED A LESSON IN MONITORING TAXIING. I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE I NEEDED TO GIVE DIRECTION TO THE CAPT WHILE TAXIING. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM TO SLOW DOWN MUCH SOONER TO ACCOUNT FOR REACTION TIME AND BRAKING; IE; DON'T WAIT UNTIL HE WOULD HAVE TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO MAKE THE TURN.