Narrative:

Aircraft plted by myself bumped into service truck while taxiing at los angeles international airport (lax). While taxiing from the ramp to runway 24 left, I realized that the txwys where I was located were not clearly marked and that service vehicles were all over the field. Being unfamiliar with lax, I asked for 'progressive taxi' and was issued a detailed instruction that began with instruction to taxi west on taxiway 'kilo inner.' the taxiway is not clearly marked and runs parallel to a service road. The only separation between the taxiway and service road is the painted lines that are difficult to see. As I taxied west on kilo inner, I noticed that there were no taxiway signs so asked for progressive taxi again. Ground control was very busy and instructed me to just keep taxiing ahead and follow kilo inner. As I approached an intersection, I slowed down as it was difficult to see any taxiway lines or markings and I was unfamiliar with the area. As I continued west, ground control told me I was too far west and entering the service road and needed to be further right to stay on taxiway kilo inner. I stopped the aircraft, looked ahead and saw vehicles in front of the aircraft. I checked right as there were vehicles to the right of the taxiway as well (diagram attached). As I slowly rolled forward and began to turn right, I was very concerned about clearing a sign off the right wing and of the vehicles to the right. I cleared myself again to the right and continued forward. As I checked back ahead and to the left wing, a service truck had moved closer. As I stopped the aircraft, the left wing leading edge bumped the forward left side hood of the truck, just above the headlight. I had the truck back up and I told ground I needed to taxi back to the ramp, which I did. No one was hurt and there was minor damage to the aircraft wing. A ferry permit was issued and I flew the aircraft back to farmington, NM, without incident. Reports were filled out by mr X superintendent of operations and the lapd. I pointed out to mr X that there were no signs in the area to designate taxiway kilo inner. He showed me where a sign was supposed to be located and said a jet had blasted it over and it had not been replaced yet. He also stated that 737 aircraft had taxied on the same service road I had entered and the 737's had caused vehicles on the road to maneuver off the road. This is understandable as the missing sign is in a location that would tell pilots to veer right in order to stay on taxiway kilo inner and the taxiway line was worn and hard to see. I was dissatisfied with ground control and felt they were not providing adequate progressive taxi instructions until I was already on the service road. I was anticipating instructions for left or right turns, but it did not happen that way. In the future, I'll stop and wait until I am positive of the direction to taxi. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that he has no further knowledge of the conditions at lax or if any changes have been made. Superintendent with whom he spoke seemed resigned with the situation. As indicated the sign had blown down over a month before and no effort had occurred to replace it even though many such problems had taken place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CHARTER SMT HAS MEETING WITH GND VEHICLE DUE SVC ROAD AND TXWY XING.

Narrative: ACFT PLTED BY MYSELF BUMPED INTO SVC TRUCK WHILE TAXIING AT LOS ANGELES INTL ARPT (LAX). WHILE TAXIING FROM THE RAMP TO RWY 24 L, I REALIZED THAT THE TXWYS WHERE I WAS LOCATED WERE NOT CLRLY MARKED AND THAT SVC VEHICLES WERE ALL OVER THE FIELD. BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH LAX, I ASKED FOR 'PROGRESSIVE TAXI' AND WAS ISSUED A DETAILED INSTRUCTION THAT BEGAN WITH INSTRUCTION TO TAXI W ON TXWY 'KILO INNER.' THE TXWY IS NOT CLRLY MARKED AND RUNS PARALLEL TO A SVC ROAD. THE ONLY SEPARATION BTWN THE TXWY AND SVC ROAD IS THE PAINTED LINES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE. AS I TAXIED W ON KILO INNER, I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE NO TXWY SIGNS SO ASKED FOR PROGRESSIVE TAXI AGAIN. GND CTL WAS VERY BUSY AND INSTRUCTED ME TO JUST KEEP TAXIING AHEAD AND FOLLOW KILO INNER. AS I APCHED AN INTXN, I SLOWED DOWN AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE ANY TXWY LINES OR MARKINGS AND I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. AS I CONTINUED W, GND CTL TOLD ME I WAS TOO FAR W AND ENTERING THE SVC ROAD AND NEEDED TO BE FURTHER R TO STAY ON TXWY KILO INNER. I STOPPED THE ACFT, LOOKED AHEAD AND SAW VEHICLES IN FRONT OF THE ACFT. I CHKED R AS THERE WERE VEHICLES TO THE R OF THE TXWY AS WELL (DIAGRAM ATTACHED). AS I SLOWLY ROLLED FORWARD AND BEGAN TO TURN R, I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT CLRING A SIGN OFF THE R WING AND OF THE VEHICLES TO THE R. I CLRED MYSELF AGAIN TO THE R AND CONTINUED FORWARD. AS I CHKED BACK AHEAD AND TO THE L WING, A SVC TRUCK HAD MOVED CLOSER. AS I STOPPED THE ACFT, THE L WING LEADING EDGE BUMPED THE FORWARD L SIDE HOOD OF THE TRUCK, JUST ABOVE THE HEADLIGHT. I HAD THE TRUCK BACK UP AND I TOLD GND I NEEDED TO TAXI BACK TO THE RAMP, WHICH I DID. NO ONE WAS HURT AND THERE WAS MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WING. A FERRY PERMIT WAS ISSUED AND I FLEW THE ACFT BACK TO FARMINGTON, NM, WITHOUT INCIDENT. RPTS WERE FILLED OUT BY MR X SUPERINTENDENT OF OPS AND THE LAPD. I POINTED OUT TO MR X THAT THERE WERE NO SIGNS IN THE AREA TO DESIGNATE TXWY KILO INNER. HE SHOWED ME WHERE A SIGN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LOCATED AND SAID A JET HAD BLASTED IT OVER AND IT HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED YET. HE ALSO STATED THAT 737 ACFT HAD TAXIED ON THE SAME SVC ROAD I HAD ENTERED AND THE 737'S HAD CAUSED VEHICLES ON THE ROAD TO MANEUVER OFF THE ROAD. THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLE AS THE MISSING SIGN IS IN A LOCATION THAT WOULD TELL PLTS TO VEER R IN ORDER TO STAY ON TXWY KILO INNER AND THE TXWY LINE WAS WORN AND HARD TO SEE. I WAS DISSATISFIED WITH GND CTL AND FELT THEY WERE NOT PROVIDING ADEQUATE PROGRESSIVE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS UNTIL I WAS ALREADY ON THE SVC ROAD. I WAS ANTICIPATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR L OR R TURNS, BUT IT DID NOT HAPPEN THAT WAY. IN THE FUTURE, I'LL STOP AND WAIT UNTIL I AM POSITIVE OF THE DIRECTION TO TAXI. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS NO FURTHER KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONDITIONS AT LAX OR IF ANY CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE. SUPERINTENDENT WITH WHOM HE SPOKE SEEMED RESIGNED WITH THE SIT. AS INDICATED THE SIGN HAD BLOWN DOWN OVER A MONTH BEFORE AND NO EFFORT HAD OCCURRED TO REPLACE IT EVEN THOUGH MANY SUCH PROBS HAD TAKEN PLACE.

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.