Narrative:

We started pushback. There was an inbound flight waiting to park at what I thought would be the gate we vacated, so I instructed the pushback crew to push us back, nose facing north, far enough to allow the incoming aircraft to have plenty of room to park. We stopped the pushback facing parallel to runway 15-33 and adjacent to gate (see runway-ramp diagram attached). The inbound aircraft ended up parking at gate. Although there was room to clear wing tips, I could see the turn was going to be so tight there might be a chance of 'dusting off' the working crew and equipment. I asked the pushback crew to push us back further. They acknowledged they had already disconnected the tow bar. Then I told the person on the headset to stand by the parked aircraft's wing tip and wave me off as soon as my wing was clear, hoping to minimize the angle of the turnout. While I was coordinating with the ground crew, I instructed my first officer to advise ground control that we may complete our turnout in close proximity to runway 15-33. After completion of engine start and checklist, we completed the turnout successfully and started taxiing to the announced active runway 15. Ground control made runway 33 available to expedite our departure and asked if we would like to taxi across runway 33 to the west side. We acknowledged we would do that. The east side of runway 33 is easily accessible and an aircraft may enter or exit the runway without obstruction or defined taxi lanes from any point along the parking ramp area. I checked the ramp diagrams on the 10-7 and 10-9 pages (see copies attached) and assumed the west side was just as accessible. There were no lighted taxi lanes or lighting of any kind on the west side. Upon reaching the west side of runway 33, I found myself in what appeared to be a no-taxi area marked by short round cylinders stuck into the ground (see runway-ramp diagram attached). To my left was an unlighted, box-like, taxiway sign without a visible letter or number on it. I could not swing my nose left for fear of hitting the sign and I couldn't see enough to the right to make out obstructions so ielected to continue into the no-taxi area enough to turn around the taxiway sign to the left and back onto the runway. The surface appeared to be all cement hard surface. After clearing the sign and reentering the runway, I taxied to the approach end of runway 33 and turned into what appeared to be a runup area on the west side. This area was too narrow to turn around so I continued following a yellow taxi line to parallel runway 33 on the west side. I spotted what appeared to be a short taxiway back to the runway about 50 yards ahead. I decided to use this taxiway to execute a 90/270 turn to reverse direction on the parallel and return to hold short of runway 33. It was during this process that the tower asked what our intentions were and we acknowledged we were just trying to turn around. Upon reaching the 'hold short' line we were cleared into 'position and hold' and then cleared for 'immediate takeoff' traffic was on short final for runway 8. I refused takeoff clearance so as to complete our 'before takeoff checklist' as we had not had a chance to complete these items earlier. We finally took off. At approximately 2000 ft on climb out, the tower asked us if our aircraft was ok. I acknowledged everything appeared normal and that I would follow up when we arrived at san francisco. The flight proceeded normally to san francisco with a block arrival PDT, gate. Mechanics and supervisory personnel met the aircraft. I reviewed what had happened at burbank. The aircraft was inspected for damage and none was found. 2 areas need to be addressed by this incident. First, there is a need for better taxi lane markings and/or lighting at burbank airport, especially if there are areas of 'no-taxi' or unlighted obstructions to taxi. These areas then need to be properly depicted on our taxiway charts so we know the taxiway layout. If they are for 'general aviation only,' then a statement on the chart should indicate this. Secondly, during pushback, with the first officer talking to ATC ground control and the captain talking to the pushback crew, ramp control is lost or cut out of the picture if we need toclarify what might be happening in the parking area. In this case, a contact with operations might have clarified where the inbound flight was going to park and we could have better coordinated our pushback.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF MLG TAXIED DIAGONALLY ACROSS RWY AT BUR. MISSED THE ENTRANCE TO THE TAXIWAY, IN MAKING A TURN AROUND ACFT ALLEGEDLY HIT SOME GND OBSTRUCTION.

Narrative: WE STARTED PUSHBACK. THERE WAS AN INBOUND FLT WAITING TO PARK AT WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE THE GATE WE VACATED, SO I INSTRUCTED THE PUSHBACK CREW TO PUSH US BACK, NOSE FACING N, FAR ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE INCOMING ACFT TO HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM TO PARK. WE STOPPED THE PUSHBACK FACING PARALLEL TO RWY 15-33 AND ADJACENT TO GATE (SEE RWY-RAMP DIAGRAM ATTACHED). THE INBOUND ACFT ENDED UP PARKING AT GATE. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ROOM TO CLR WING TIPS, I COULD SEE THE TURN WAS GOING TO BE SO TIGHT THERE MIGHT BE A CHANCE OF 'DUSTING OFF' THE WORKING CREW AND EQUIP. I ASKED THE PUSHBACK CREW TO PUSH US BACK FURTHER. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THEY HAD ALREADY DISCONNECTED THE TOW BAR. THEN I TOLD THE PERSON ON THE HEADSET TO STAND BY THE PARKED ACFT'S WING TIP AND WAVE ME OFF AS SOON AS MY WING WAS CLR, HOPING TO MINIMIZE THE ANGLE OF THE TURNOUT. WHILE I WAS COORDINATING WITH THE GND CREW, I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO ADVISE GND CTL THAT WE MAY COMPLETE OUR TURNOUT IN CLOSE PROX TO RWY 15-33. AFTER COMPLETION OF ENG START AND CHKLIST, WE COMPLETED THE TURNOUT SUCCESSFULLY AND STARTED TAXIING TO THE ANNOUNCED ACTIVE RWY 15. GND CTL MADE RWY 33 AVAILABLE TO EXPEDITE OUR DEP AND ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE TO TAXI ACROSS RWY 33 TO THE W SIDE. WE ACKNOWLEDGED WE WOULD DO THAT. THE E SIDE OF RWY 33 IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND AN ACFT MAY ENTER OR EXIT THE RWY WITHOUT OBSTRUCTION OR DEFINED TAXI LANES FROM ANY POINT ALONG THE PARKING RAMP AREA. I CHKED THE RAMP DIAGRAMS ON THE 10-7 AND 10-9 PAGES (SEE COPIES ATTACHED) AND ASSUMED THE W SIDE WAS JUST AS ACCESSIBLE. THERE WERE NO LIGHTED TAXI LANES OR LIGHTING OF ANY KIND ON THE W SIDE. UPON REACHING THE W SIDE OF RWY 33, I FOUND MYSELF IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NO-TAXI AREA MARKED BY SHORT ROUND CYLINDERS STUCK INTO THE GND (SEE RWY-RAMP DIAGRAM ATTACHED). TO MY L WAS AN UNLIGHTED, BOX-LIKE, TAXIWAY SIGN WITHOUT A VISIBLE LETTER OR NUMBER ON IT. I COULD NOT SWING MY NOSE L FOR FEAR OF HITTING THE SIGN AND I COULDN'T SEE ENOUGH TO THE R TO MAKE OUT OBSTRUCTIONS SO IELECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE NO-TAXI AREA ENOUGH TO TURN AROUND THE TAXIWAY SIGN TO THE L AND BACK ONTO THE RWY. THE SURFACE APPEARED TO BE ALL CEMENT HARD SURFACE. AFTER CLRING THE SIGN AND REENTERING THE RWY, I TAXIED TO THE APCH END OF RWY 33 AND TURNED INTO WHAT APPEARED TO BE A RUNUP AREA ON THE W SIDE. THIS AREA WAS TOO NARROW TO TURN AROUND SO I CONTINUED FOLLOWING A YELLOW TAXI LINE TO PARALLEL RWY 33 ON THE W SIDE. I SPOTTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SHORT TAXIWAY BACK TO THE RWY ABOUT 50 YARDS AHEAD. I DECIDED TO USE THIS TAXIWAY TO EXECUTE A 90/270 TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION ON THE PARALLEL AND RETURN TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 33. IT WAS DURING THIS PROCESS THAT THE TWR ASKED WHAT OUR INTENTIONS WERE AND WE ACKNOWLEDGED WE WERE JUST TRYING TO TURN AROUND. UPON REACHING THE 'HOLD SHORT' LINE WE WERE CLRED INTO 'POS AND HOLD' AND THEN CLRED FOR 'IMMEDIATE TKOF' TFC WAS ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 8. I REFUSED TKOF CLRNC SO AS TO COMPLETE OUR 'BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST' AS WE HAD NOT HAD A CHANCE TO COMPLETE THESE ITEMS EARLIER. WE FINALLY TOOK OFF. AT APPROX 2000 FT ON CLBOUT, THE TWR ASKED US IF OUR ACFT WAS OK. I ACKNOWLEDGED EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL AND THAT I WOULD FOLLOW UP WHEN WE ARRIVED AT SAN FRANCISCO. THE FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY TO SAN FRANCISCO WITH A BLOCK ARR PDT, GATE. MECHS AND SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL MET THE ACFT. I REVIEWED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AT BURBANK. THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND NONE WAS FOUND. 2 AREAS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY THIS INCIDENT. FIRST, THERE IS A NEED FOR BETTER TAXI LANE MARKINGS AND/OR LIGHTING AT BURBANK ARPT, ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE AREAS OF 'NO-TAXI' OR UNLIGHTED OBSTRUCTIONS TO TAXI. THESE AREAS THEN NEED TO BE PROPERLY DEPICTED ON OUR TAXIWAY CHARTS SO WE KNOW THE TAXIWAY LAYOUT. IF THEY ARE FOR 'GENERAL AVIATION ONLY,' THEN A STATEMENT ON THE CHART SHOULD INDICATE THIS. SECONDLY, DURING PUSHBACK, WITH THE FO TALKING TO ATC GND CTL AND THE CAPT TALKING TO THE PUSHBACK CREW, RAMP CTL IS LOST OR CUT OUT OF THE PICTURE IF WE NEED TOCLARIFY WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING IN THE PARKING AREA. IN THIS CASE, A CONTACT WITH OPS MIGHT HAVE CLARIFIED WHERE THE INBOUND FLT WAS GOING TO PARK AND WE COULD HAVE BETTER COORDINATED OUR PUSHBACK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.