Narrative:

Cleared to taxi to runway 28 via taxiway a at bwi. Leaving the cargo area I could not see the yellow taxi line due to glare off of wet ground surface. The first officer who had been flying this route all week directed me around some 'cones' that had been placed on the ramp. Turns out we taxied into an area being excluded from taxi operations by placement of lighted cones. Many of the lights in the cones were inoperative so cones could not be readily discerned. Once in the prohibited area, I could see where I belonged and taxied back to the yellow line. Taxi continued normally from there to the runway. No damage to aircraft or airport grounds. Factors: some unlighted safety cones made it difficult in the rain to see the marked off area. Conditions were excellent for ground disorientation. Overconfident first officer. New captain unfamiliar with bwi cargo area. Leaving cargo area, we should have requested progressive taxi instructions. This may not have helped, however, as conditions of visibility from cockpit were poor. Area in question needs blue taxi lights and green taxiway centerline lighting or flood lighting of the entire area would help. Also could find no airport NOTAM warning of flare cones. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he turned in the report mainly to cover himself since he did hear something from the tower about taxi but did not know if it was meant for him. He stated that he would have probably gone ok if he had not placed confidence in his first officer for directing a turn to the wrong side of the lighted cones since, or asked tower if he still did not know. He further stated that the yellow line was visible after the lighting glare had gone away. Since he was the only aircraft taxiing at that time of night, there was no problem with frequency congestion in getting help from the tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN LGT ACCIDENTLY TAXIED INTO AN UNAUTH TXWY AREA DURING NIGHT OPS. NOTICING THE ERROR, HE TURNED BACK TO THE APPROVED TAXI RTE.

Narrative: CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 28 VIA TXWY A AT BWI. LEAVING THE CARGO AREA I COULD NOT SEE THE YELLOW TAXI LINE DUE TO GLARE OFF OF WET GND SURFACE. THE FO WHO HAD BEEN FLYING THIS RTE ALL WEEK DIRECTED ME AROUND SOME 'CONES' THAT HAD BEEN PLACED ON THE RAMP. TURNS OUT WE TAXIED INTO AN AREA BEING EXCLUDED FROM TAXI OPS BY PLACEMENT OF LIGHTED CONES. MANY OF THE LIGHTS IN THE CONES WERE INOP SO CONES COULD NOT BE READILY DISCERNED. ONCE IN THE PROHIBITED AREA, I COULD SEE WHERE I BELONGED AND TAXIED BACK TO THE YELLOW LINE. TAXI CONTINUED NORMALLY FROM THERE TO THE RWY. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT OR ARPT GROUNDS. FACTORS: SOME UNLIGHTED SAFETY CONES MADE IT DIFFICULT IN THE RAIN TO SEE THE MARKED OFF AREA. CONDITIONS WERE EXCELLENT FOR GND DISORIENTATION. OVERCONFIDENT FO. NEW CAPT UNFAMILIAR WITH BWI CARGO AREA. LEAVING CARGO AREA, WE SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. THIS MAY NOT HAVE HELPED, HOWEVER, AS CONDITIONS OF VISIBILITY FROM COCKPIT WERE POOR. AREA IN QUESTION NEEDS BLUE TAXI LIGHTS AND GREEN TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTING OR FLOOD LIGHTING OF THE ENTIRE AREA WOULD HELP. ALSO COULD FIND NO ARPT NOTAM WARNING OF FLARE CONES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE TURNED IN THE RPT MAINLY TO COVER HIMSELF SINCE HE DID HEAR SOMETHING FROM THE TWR ABOUT TAXI BUT DID NOT KNOW IF IT WAS MEANT FOR HIM. HE STATED THAT HE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY GONE OK IF HE HAD NOT PLACED CONFIDENCE IN HIS FO FOR DIRECTING A TURN TO THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LIGHTED CONES SINCE, OR ASKED TWR IF HE STILL DID NOT KNOW. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE YELLOW LINE WAS VISIBLE AFTER THE LIGHTING GLARE HAD GONE AWAY. SINCE HE WAS THE ONLY ACFT TAXIING AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT, THERE WAS NO PROB WITH FREQ CONGESTION IN GETTING HELP FROM THE TWR.

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.