Narrative:

While departing gate at dfw we started engines and were told by ramp tower to taxi via taxiway el and contact his end. We were approaching our spot when ground control told us that we were taxiing onto a ground controled taxiway. There were no ramp markings to indicate this and the terminology used to differentiate this procedure is too vague. Taxiway ek is similar in design to taxiway el, however, we use standard procedures for those hold points. I would recommend that either the terminology used by the ramp tower be more specific and/or that the note pages be revised to more clearly indicate the proper procedure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC INADVERTENTLY TAXIED ONTO CTLED AREA WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.

Narrative: WHILE DEPARTING GATE AT DFW WE STARTED ENGS AND WERE TOLD BY RAMP TWR TO TAXI VIA TXWY EL AND CONTACT HIS END. WE WERE APCHING OUR SPOT WHEN GND CTL TOLD US THAT WE WERE TAXIING ONTO A GND CTLED TXWY. THERE WERE NO RAMP MARKINGS TO INDICATE THIS AND THE TERMINOLOGY USED TO DIFFERENTIATE THIS PROC IS TOO VAGUE. TXWY EK IS SIMILAR IN DESIGN TO TXWY EL, HOWEVER, WE USE STANDARD PROCS FOR THOSE HOLD POINTS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT EITHER THE TERMINOLOGY USED BY THE RAMP TWR BE MORE SPECIFIC AND/OR THAT THE NOTE PAGES BE REVISED TO MORE CLRLY INDICATE THE PROPER PROC.

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.