Narrative:

My PA30 was parked at a new FBO ramp on the south side of the east/west runway. All other FBO's are on the north side of the runway where the parallel taxiway is located. There is not a parallel taxiway on the south side of the runway. Ground traffic from south ramp must access the active runway to back taxi. The new ramp is directly adjacent to the active runway with no taxiway in between. This is a new facility and strangely located to pilots who have customarily visited this airport in the past. There is new tower in operation on the field. The tower controller also handles ground control. I started the engines on my PA30/right for departure eastbound from cobb county-mccollum field in the atlanta, GA area. The active runway was runway 27. I contacted ground control on the tower frequency after taxiing to the painted line on the ramp which I thought was the divider between the ramp and the taxiway. I received clearance to 'taxi to runway 27.' after looking both ways and observing a cessna 310 taxiing slowly on the blacktop which was closest to me and the area I thought was the taxiway, I taxied out and turned east on this 'taxiway' which I later discovered was runway 9/27. Another pilot came on the radio in a calm voice and asked the tower operator what was going on. I scanned the area looking for anything unusual and also looking for the runway and other traffic. I observed a small aircraft on about a 1 1/2 mi final which appeared to be lined up for the strip on which I was taxing to the east. The controller then came on the radio scolding me for taxiing onto an active runway. I quickly turned 180 degrees and taxied off the runway and onto the parallel taxiway on the north side of the runway. The controller asked the approaching aircraft to go around however this apparently was precautionary. As I was off the runway and well down the taxiway before the approaching aircraft would have landed on the active runway. There was no near miss and no imminent danger to any of the aircraft in the vicinity. The controller cleared me to taxi 'to runway 27.' this clearance indicated to me that the controller saw me and that I should proceed to taxi. I did not realize I was sitting at the entrance to the active runway and that I should receive a further clearance to taxi across the active runway. I feel the controller should have included holding instructions or clearance to cross the active runway in his initial clearance to me due to the fact I was already sitting at the entrance to the runway when I received the clearance to taxi. South ramp is a new facility and is located in an oddly situated position on the airport. I now know there is no taxiway between the ramp and the active runway. I did not realize there was no taxiway past the ramp holding line when I taxied to this point. I observed no prominent marking at the runway entrance to inform me, the pilot, that I was about to enter the runway which is right next to the ramp without a taxiway in between. This airport has operated without a tower until recently. In prior operations at this airport the 'rules of the road' and the 'see and be seen' methods of operation in accordance with far's has prevailed. With the addition of the control tower, pilots are taught to obey the controller. I believe this event was caused by a combination of events beginning with: the controllers abbreviated clearance to taxi without detailed instructions regarding crossing the runway, the absence of a prominent sign, marking the runway entrance at the new south ramp, my observation of the presence of another aircraft which appeared to be taxiing on the strip which I believed to be the taxiway, my remembering that this airport has a parallel taxiway existing from the FBO to the threshold of the runway and my initial belief I was on this taxiway. I apologized for the error, taxied off the runway and onto the parallel taxiway and departed the area without further incident. No damage was done and no near miss occurred.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH RWY ENTRY OP BY A PA-30.

Narrative: MY PA30 WAS PARKED AT A NEW FBO RAMP ON THE S SIDE OF THE E/W RWY. ALL OTHER FBO'S ARE ON THE N SIDE OF THE RWY WHERE THE PARALLEL TXWY IS LOCATED. THERE IS NOT A PARALLEL TXWY ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY. GND TFC FROM S RAMP MUST ACCESS THE ACTIVE RWY TO BACK TAXI. THE NEW RAMP IS DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE ACTIVE RWY WITH NO TXWY IN BTWN. THIS IS A NEW FACILITY AND STRANGELY LOCATED TO PLTS WHO HAVE CUSTOMARILY VISITED THIS ARPT IN THE PAST. THERE IS NEW TWR IN OP ON THE FIELD. THE TWR CTLR ALSO HANDLES GND CTL. I STARTED THE ENGS ON MY PA30/R FOR DEP EBOUND FROM COBB COUNTY-MCCOLLUM FIELD IN THE ATLANTA, GA AREA. THE ACTIVE RWY WAS RWY 27. I CONTACTED GND CTL ON THE TWR FREQ AFTER TAXIING TO THE PAINTED LINE ON THE RAMP WHICH I THOUGHT WAS THE DIVIDER BTWN THE RAMP AND THE TXWY. I RECEIVED CLRNC TO 'TAXI TO RWY 27.' AFTER LOOKING BOTH WAYS AND OBSERVING A CESSNA 310 TAXIING SLOWLY ON THE BLACKTOP WHICH WAS CLOSEST TO ME AND THE AREA I THOUGHT WAS THE TXWY, I TAXIED OUT AND TURNED E ON THIS 'TXWY' WHICH I LATER DISCOVERED WAS RWY 9/27. ANOTHER PLT CAME ON THE RADIO IN A CALM VOICE AND ASKED THE TWR OPERATOR WHAT WAS GOING ON. I SCANNED THE AREA LOOKING FOR ANYTHING UNUSUAL AND ALSO LOOKING FOR THE RWY AND OTHER TFC. I OBSERVED A SMALL ACFT ON ABOUT A 1 1/2 MI FINAL WHICH APPEARED TO BE LINED UP FOR THE STRIP ON WHICH I WAS TAXING TO THE E. THE CTLR THEN CAME ON THE RADIO SCOLDING ME FOR TAXIING ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY. I QUICKLY TURNED 180 DEGS AND TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY ON THE N SIDE OF THE RWY. THE CTLR ASKED THE APCHING ACFT TO GAR HOWEVER THIS APPARENTLY WAS PRECAUTIONARY. AS I WAS OFF THE RWY AND WELL DOWN THE TXWY BEFORE THE APCHING ACFT WOULD HAVE LANDED ON THE ACTIVE RWY. THERE WAS NO NEAR MISS AND NO IMMINENT DANGER TO ANY OF THE ACFT IN THE VICINITY. THE CTLR CLRED ME TO TAXI 'TO RWY 27.' THIS CLRNC INDICATED TO ME THAT THE CTLR SAW ME AND THAT I SHOULD PROCEED TO TAXI. I DID NOT REALIZE I WAS SITTING AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE ACTIVE RWY AND THAT I SHOULD RECEIVE A FURTHER CLRNC TO TAXI ACROSS THE ACTIVE RWY. I FEEL THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS OR CLRNC TO CROSS THE ACTIVE RWY IN HIS INITIAL CLRNC TO ME DUE TO THE FACT I WAS ALREADY SITTING AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE RWY WHEN I RECEIVED THE CLRNC TO TAXI. S RAMP IS A NEW FACILITY AND IS LOCATED IN AN ODDLY SITUATED POS ON THE ARPT. I NOW KNOW THERE IS NO TXWY BTWN THE RAMP AND THE ACTIVE RWY. I DID NOT REALIZE THERE WAS NO TXWY PAST THE RAMP HOLDING LINE WHEN I TAXIED TO THIS POINT. I OBSERVED NO PROMINENT MARKING AT THE RWY ENTRANCE TO INFORM ME, THE PLT, THAT I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE RWY WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE RAMP WITHOUT A TXWY IN BTWN. THIS ARPT HAS OPERATED WITHOUT A TWR UNTIL RECENTLY. IN PRIOR OPS AT THIS ARPT THE 'RULES OF THE ROAD' AND THE 'SEE AND BE SEEN' METHODS OF OP IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR'S HAS PREVAILED. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE CTL TWR, PLTS ARE TAUGHT TO OBEY THE CTLR. I BELIEVE THIS EVENT WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF EVENTS BEGINNING WITH: THE CTLRS ABBREVIATED CLRNC TO TAXI WITHOUT DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING XING THE RWY, THE ABSENCE OF A PROMINENT SIGN, MARKING THE RWY ENTRANCE AT THE NEW S RAMP, MY OBSERVATION OF THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER ACFT WHICH APPEARED TO BE TAXIING ON THE STRIP WHICH I BELIEVED TO BE THE TXWY, MY REMEMBERING THAT THIS ARPT HAS A PARALLEL TXWY EXISTING FROM THE FBO TO THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY AND MY INITIAL BELIEF I WAS ON THIS TXWY. I APOLOGIZED FOR THE ERROR, TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY AND DEPARTED THE AREA WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE AND NO NEAR MISS OCCURRED.

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.