Narrative:

I was parked at indianapolis international airport. I was flying a C310 with 4 passenger on board. One passenger, who was a new-hire pilot with our company and observing the flight, sat up front with me and operated the radios. We called ground control and were instructed to taxi to runway 5R. Having flown into indianapolis at least 40 or 50 times over the last 10 yrs, I immediately drew a mental picture in my mind as to the location of the runway and proceeded to taxi. Unfortunately, the mental picture I had took me to runway 23L as diagrammed on the attached sheet. Unaware that I was at the wrong location I conducted the run-up and pretkof checklist holding short of the runway. I then advised the pilot that was with me to tell tower that we were ready for takeoff. He asked me what runway we were departing from and I told him runway 5L. I even recall looking at the runway identifier sign and seeing runway 5L-23R which confirmed my belief that I was at runway 5L.just as I had instructed, the pilot flying with me called the tower and advised them that we were ready for takeoff on runway 5R. The tower instructed us to taxi into position and hold and we taxied into position on runway 23L. As soon as I lined up on the centerline I reached for the heading indicator to adjust the heading bug in anticipation of a heading assignment to fly after takeoff. It was at this moment that I realized that I was at the opposite end of the runway. At about that same time, the tower also realized where we were and advised us to taxi clear of the runway. We immediately taxied back off of the runway and continued to the opposite end for departure on runway 5R via the parallel taxiway. This incident was caused by an improper mental map that went unchked. I had no reason to question my mental picture because the taxi instructions that I was given took me exactly where I thought I should be going. I had the airport diagram in front of me as I taxied. I referenced the diagram to locate and identify txwys as I taxied out because I was unfamiliar with them. However, I did not use the diagram to locate the runway because I knew, or at least I thought I knew, where the runway was located. What may have further fueled my reliance on my mental map was the fact that the majority of my previous departures from indianapolis have been from runway 23L. A few have been from runways 23R and 32 but I have never departed runways 5R or 5L. The incident could have easily been adverted had I paid more attention to the runway 5L-23R sign. It clearly showed that I was on the wrong end of the runway. However, I was confident as to my location and seeing runway 5L on the sign only solidified my beliefs. After the incident the other passenger/pilot stated that he thought the taxi to the runway 'seemed very short,' but was unaware that we were not at runway 5R. In the future I will not only verify my taxi route on the airport diagram, but also the runway location and orientation. In addition, I will avoid using one source of information, such as a mental picture, to the exclusion of other sources of information, such as runway signs and airport diagrams.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 05R. THE PLT TAXIED TO WHERE HE USUALLY TAXIS, WHICH WAS RWY 23L. THE TAXI SIGN SUPPORTED HIS ERROR BY READING RWY 05R-23L. WHEN LINING UP FOR TKOF THE PLT ALIGNED HIS COMPASS AND REALIZED AT THAT TIME HE WAS ORIENTED THE WRONG WAY. THE CTLR AT THE SAME TIME TOLD HIM TO CLR THE RWY AND TAXI TO RWY 05R WHICH HE DID.

Narrative: I WAS PARKED AT INDIANAPOLIS INTL ARPT. I WAS FLYING A C310 WITH 4 PAX ON BOARD. ONE PAX, WHO WAS A NEW-HIRE PLT WITH OUR COMPANY AND OBSERVING THE FLT, SAT UP FRONT WITH ME AND OPERATED THE RADIOS. WE CALLED GND CTL AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 5R. HAVING FLOWN INTO INDIANAPOLIS AT LEAST 40 OR 50 TIMES OVER THE LAST 10 YRS, I IMMEDIATELY DREW A MENTAL PICTURE IN MY MIND AS TO THE LOCATION OF THE RWY AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MENTAL PICTURE I HAD TOOK ME TO RWY 23L AS DIAGRAMMED ON THE ATTACHED SHEET. UNAWARE THAT I WAS AT THE WRONG LOCATION I CONDUCTED THE RUN-UP AND PRETKOF CHKLIST HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY. I THEN ADVISED THE PLT THAT WAS WITH ME TO TELL TWR THAT WE WERE READY FOR TKOF. HE ASKED ME WHAT RWY WE WERE DEPARTING FROM AND I TOLD HIM RWY 5L. I EVEN RECALL LOOKING AT THE RWY IDENTIFIER SIGN AND SEEING RWY 5L-23R WHICH CONFIRMED MY BELIEF THAT I WAS AT RWY 5L.JUST AS I HAD INSTRUCTED, THE PLT FLYING WITH ME CALLED THE TWR AND ADVISED THEM THAT WE WERE READY FOR TKOF ON RWY 5R. THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD AND WE TAXIED INTO POS ON RWY 23L. AS SOON AS I LINED UP ON THE CTRLINE I REACHED FOR THE HDG INDICATOR TO ADJUST THE HDG BUG IN ANTICIPATION OF A HDG ASSIGNMENT TO FLY AFTER TKOF. IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT THAT I REALIZED THAT I WAS AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY. AT ABOUT THAT SAME TIME, THE TWR ALSO REALIZED WHERE WE WERE AND ADVISED US TO TAXI CLR OF THE RWY. WE IMMEDIATELY TAXIED BACK OFF OF THE RWY AND CONTINUED TO THE OPPOSITE END FOR DEP ON RWY 5R VIA THE PARALLEL TXWY. THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY AN IMPROPER MENTAL MAP THAT WENT UNCHKED. I HAD NO REASON TO QUESTION MY MENTAL PICTURE BECAUSE THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS THAT I WAS GIVEN TOOK ME EXACTLY WHERE I THOUGHT I SHOULD BE GOING. I HAD THE ARPT DIAGRAM IN FRONT OF ME AS I TAXIED. I REFED THE DIAGRAM TO LOCATE AND IDENT TXWYS AS I TAXIED OUT BECAUSE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THEM. HOWEVER, I DID NOT USE THE DIAGRAM TO LOCATE THE RWY BECAUSE I KNEW, OR AT LEAST I THOUGHT I KNEW, WHERE THE RWY WAS LOCATED. WHAT MAY HAVE FURTHER FUELED MY RELIANCE ON MY MENTAL MAP WAS THE FACT THAT THE MAJORITY OF MY PREVIOUS DEPS FROM INDIANAPOLIS HAVE BEEN FROM RWY 23L. A FEW HAVE BEEN FROM RWYS 23R AND 32 BUT I HAVE NEVER DEPARTED RWYS 5R OR 5L. THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN ADVERTED HAD I PAID MORE ATTN TO THE RWY 5L-23R SIGN. IT CLRLY SHOWED THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG END OF THE RWY. HOWEVER, I WAS CONFIDENT AS TO MY LOCATION AND SEEING RWY 5L ON THE SIGN ONLY SOLIDIFIED MY BELIEFS. AFTER THE INCIDENT THE OTHER PAX/PLT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE TAXI TO THE RWY 'SEEMED VERY SHORT,' BUT WAS UNAWARE THAT WE WERE NOT AT RWY 5R. IN THE FUTURE I WILL NOT ONLY VERIFY MY TAXI RTE ON THE ARPT DIAGRAM, BUT ALSO THE RWY LOCATION AND ORIENTATION. IN ADDITION, I WILL AVOID USING ONE SOURCE OF INFO, SUCH AS A MENTAL PICTURE, TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHER SOURCES OF INFO, SUCH AS RWY SIGNS AND ARPT DIAGRAMS.

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.