Narrative:

At night, oct/wed/96, we landed on runway 14R at ord, joined taxiway B and were cleared to taxi to our gate. Rain had ended just before our arrival and all txwys and ramps were wet. As we approached taxiway A17 I looked down to switch to air carrier X ramp frequency to request clearance into the alley for gate X. As I called, I looked ahead to see if the alley was clear. Satisfied that the alley was clear, and having received clearance from air carrier X to enter the alley and proceed to the gate, I directed my attention outside the aircraft and immediately realized something was wrong. The captain was already braking as I told him to stop, and once the brake was set we realized we could not proceed. Blue taxiway edge lights were close aboard on both sides. Just under the right side of the nose I could see the back side of what I later determined was the A18 sign for traffic sbound on taxiway B. Further right I couldn't make out much in the glare from the international terminal's external illumination reflecting off the wet taxiway and ramp area to our right. In the distance ahead I could see several green taxiway centerline lights near taxiway A21 and taxiway B. That's when I realized the taxiway B centerline lights near us were not illuminated, and determined we were somewhere within the no taxi area bounded by txwys a, B, A18, and A19. We communicated our predicament to ground control, and found they were not aware of the taxiway B centerline light outage. Air carrier Y operations dispatched a tow tractor, wing walkers, and wheel walkers, and we were towed to our gate. One of the air carrier Y mechanics who helped tow us in came up into the jetway to inform us that there had been no damage to any ground equipment, lights, or signs, and no damage to the aircraft. I believe this taxiway excursion would not have occurred if: 1) the taxiway B centerline lights had been illuminated, or 2) the taxiway B centerline lights had been listed as OTS on the ATIS, or 3) the ramps and txwys had been dry, which would have eliminated the glare from the international terminal's exterior lighting, thereby giving us a better chance to see the reflectors on the eastern edge of taxiway B in that location. Supplemental information from acn 350606: as we taxied towards our concourse on taxiway B I noticed extreme light glare off the ground from the international terminal. We were taxiing slowly as we approached the southeast corner of the domestic ramp area where taxiway B starts curving north. I lost all reference to centerline and was still searching for visual cues as I stopped the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY LIGHTING OUT CAUSED FLC TO BECOME DISORIENTED ON THEIR TXWY POS. NIGHT, REFLECTION OF ARPT LIGHTS ON WET PAVEMENT CONTRIBUTED. FLC STOPPED ACFT AND WERE TOWED INTO GATE WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE.

Narrative: AT NIGHT, OCT/WED/96, WE LANDED ON RWY 14R AT ORD, JOINED TXWY B AND WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO OUR GATE. RAIN HAD ENDED JUST BEFORE OUR ARR AND ALL TXWYS AND RAMPS WERE WET. AS WE APCHED TXWY A17 I LOOKED DOWN TO SWITCH TO ACR X RAMP FREQ TO REQUEST CLRNC INTO THE ALLEY FOR GATE X. AS I CALLED, I LOOKED AHEAD TO SEE IF THE ALLEY WAS CLR. SATISFIED THAT THE ALLEY WAS CLR, AND HAVING RECEIVED CLRNC FROM ACR X TO ENTER THE ALLEY AND PROCEED TO THE GATE, I DIRECTED MY ATTN OUTSIDE THE ACFT AND IMMEDIATELY REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE CAPT WAS ALREADY BRAKING AS I TOLD HIM TO STOP, AND ONCE THE BRAKE WAS SET WE REALIZED WE COULD NOT PROCEED. BLUE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS WERE CLOSE ABOARD ON BOTH SIDES. JUST UNDER THE R SIDE OF THE NOSE I COULD SEE THE BACK SIDE OF WHAT I LATER DETERMINED WAS THE A18 SIGN FOR TFC SBOUND ON TXWY B. FURTHER R I COULDN'T MAKE OUT MUCH IN THE GLARE FROM THE INTL TERMINAL'S EXTERNAL ILLUMINATION REFLECTING OFF THE WET TXWY AND RAMP AREA TO OUR R. IN THE DISTANCE AHEAD I COULD SEE SEVERAL GREEN TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS NEAR TXWY A21 AND TXWY B. THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED THE TXWY B CTRLINE LIGHTS NEAR US WERE NOT ILLUMINATED, AND DETERMINED WE WERE SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE NO TAXI AREA BOUNDED BY TXWYS A, B, A18, AND A19. WE COMMUNICATED OUR PREDICAMENT TO GND CTL, AND FOUND THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE TXWY B CTRLINE LIGHT OUTAGE. ACR Y OPS DISPATCHED A TOW TRACTOR, WING WALKERS, AND WHEEL WALKERS, AND WE WERE TOWED TO OUR GATE. ONE OF THE ACR Y MECHS WHO HELPED TOW US IN CAME UP INTO THE JETWAY TO INFORM US THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO DAMAGE TO ANY GND EQUIP, LIGHTS, OR SIGNS, AND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. I BELIEVE THIS TXWY EXCURSION WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED IF: 1) THE TXWY B CTRLINE LIGHTS HAD BEEN ILLUMINATED, OR 2) THE TXWY B CTRLINE LIGHTS HAD BEEN LISTED AS OTS ON THE ATIS, OR 3) THE RAMPS AND TXWYS HAD BEEN DRY, WHICH WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE GLARE FROM THE INTL TERMINAL'S EXTERIOR LIGHTING, THEREBY GIVING US A BETTER CHANCE TO SEE THE REFLECTORS ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF TXWY B IN THAT LOCATION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 350606: AS WE TAXIED TOWARDS OUR CONCOURSE ON TXWY B I NOTICED EXTREME LIGHT GLARE OFF THE GND FROM THE INTL TERMINAL. WE WERE TAXIING SLOWLY AS WE APPROACHED THE SE CORNER OF THE DOMESTIC RAMP AREA WHERE TXWY B STARTS CURVING N. I LOST ALL REF TO CTRLINE AND WAS STILL SEARCHING FOR VISUAL CUES AS I STOPPED THE ACFT.

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.