Narrative:

Cleared to taxi to runway 10C and hold short at pit via taxiway west. Realized nose was beyond intersection of taxiway west and runway 10C. Stopped aircraft, asked ground and they advised pull forward, do a 180 degree turn at next intersection, then onto hold, runway 10C. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this was a late night flight and this reporter's first time into pit in many yrs. The taxi path took the aircraft south on the ramp and then south on taxiway west. This reporter believed that he was still on the taxiway, until he thought that something didn't seem right and questioned the controller if he had missed the hold line for runway 10C. He then noticed an aircraft on approach (as it turns out, the aircraft had been cleared for another runway), and made a split second decision to taxi across the area ahead. In hindsight, this reporter believes that a 'little old sign' for this area isn't good enough and that something needs to be done to make it 'cut and dry,' so that flcs know that they are approaching this area, whatever it is called.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN MD80 FLC TAXIED ACROSS THE HOLD LINES FOR THE RWY 10C SAFETY AREA AT PIT. THE FO QUERIED THE CTLR AND THE CAPT TAXIED ACROSS THIS AREA TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS AN APCHING ACFT. (THE ACFT WAS FOR ANOTHER RWY.) NO CONFLICT GARS.

Narrative: CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 10C AND HOLD SHORT AT PIT VIA TXWY W. REALIZED NOSE WAS BEYOND INTXN OF TXWY W AND RWY 10C. STOPPED ACFT, ASKED GND AND THEY ADVISED PULL FORWARD, DO A 180 DEG TURN AT NEXT INTXN, THEN ONTO HOLD, RWY 10C. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS WAS A LATE NIGHT FLT AND THIS RPTR'S FIRST TIME INTO PIT IN MANY YRS. THE TAXI PATH TOOK THE ACFT S ON THE RAMP AND THEN S ON TXWY W. THIS RPTR BELIEVED THAT HE WAS STILL ON THE TXWY, UNTIL HE THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT AND QUESTIONED THE CTLR IF HE HAD MISSED THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 10C. HE THEN NOTICED AN ACFT ON APCH (AS IT TURNS OUT, THE ACFT HAD BEEN CLRED FOR ANOTHER RWY), AND MADE A SPLIT SECOND DECISION TO TAXI ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD. IN HINDSIGHT, THIS RPTR BELIEVES THAT A 'LITTLE OLD SIGN' FOR THIS AREA ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH AND THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE IT 'CUT AND DRY,' SO THAT FLCS KNOW THAT THEY ARE APCHING THIS AREA, WHATEVER IT IS CALLED.

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.