Narrative:

First time to vgt. First departure from vgt. Morning rush hour with great number of sight-seeing aircraft (in excess of 9 at run-up area alone). Low morning sun, numerous aircraft behind me. Clearance delivery man was also ground control and may have been tower all in one. Ground frequency jammed with delivery and control. I did not feel it was prudent to ask for progressive, I just tucked in behind the conga line to runway 7. Some aircraft were also using runway 12. Everyone seemed to be stopping in one place to do run-up. So I did too. Aircraft were in a 3/4 circle facing inwards. Signs for run-up area were blocked, as were the signs for the runway, which were also blocked by the mob of aircraft. Constant high speed radio talk. When the aircraft in front of me moved, I followed until I noticed my nose passing over black/yellow (faded) paint bars. I jammed on the brakes before my body passed over hold short lines. Note: sun was low and in my face at this time. Finally got hold of ground, and he proceeded to read me the riot act with a 2 part chorus. I agreed that I made a mistake. He had me taxi across runway 7 and park between runway 7 and runway 12 where he read me the riot act again with 4 part chorus this time. I attempted to, but gave up quickly any defense of my action such as radio frequency jam, large amount of aircraft who do this rush hour 7 days a week, unfamiliar airport, low sun, blocked signage, faded hold short paint. He then gave me a phone number to call and released me to runway 7. At farmington, NM, I called. I got a very friendly person who told me that vgt has the 5TH highest runway incursion incidents in the country and that the local FSDO is tightfisted with the funds to make needed improvements. (Opinion: head game at work, with me taking the rap in order to get more funding. End of opinion.) how to avoid or improve the condition that led me up to making an error: ground should have, on initial call-up, had me taxi to runway 7 via taxiway A2 thereby not daisy-chaining with the other aircraft to runway 12 via taxiway A1. More people should be staffing the tower so the people there are not so overworked as this guy was. Hangars should be moved or removed and clear taxi lanes created instead of the poor conditions that exist at runway 7/12 end. This large, undefined, paved run-up area needs to be re-thought. A new and exclusive taxi lane for the many sight-seeing aircraft should be created thereby keeping the tourist like me from daisy-chaining into an error. A separate ground frequency (unpublished) should be set aside for these commercial sightseers. Ground control did not and could not work for me with the frequency jam as it now exists. Yes, I made a mistake, but it was way too easy a mistake to make.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C206 COMMERCIAL PLT'S TALE OF A RWY INCURSION MIXED WITH TFC JAMS AND FREQ CONGESTION AT VGT, NV.

Narrative: FIRST TIME TO VGT. FIRST DEP FROM VGT. MORNING RUSH HR WITH GREAT NUMBER OF SIGHT-SEEING ACFT (IN EXCESS OF 9 AT RUN-UP AREA ALONE). LOW MORNING SUN, NUMEROUS ACFT BEHIND ME. CLRNC DELIVERY MAN WAS ALSO GND CTL AND MAY HAVE BEEN TWR ALL IN ONE. GND FREQ JAMMED WITH DELIVERY AND CTL. I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS PRUDENT TO ASK FOR PROGRESSIVE, I JUST TUCKED IN BEHIND THE CONGA LINE TO RWY 7. SOME ACFT WERE ALSO USING RWY 12. EVERYONE SEEMED TO BE STOPPING IN ONE PLACE TO DO RUN-UP. SO I DID TOO. ACFT WERE IN A 3/4 CIRCLE FACING INWARDS. SIGNS FOR RUN-UP AREA WERE BLOCKED, AS WERE THE SIGNS FOR THE RWY, WHICH WERE ALSO BLOCKED BY THE MOB OF ACFT. CONSTANT HIGH SPD RADIO TALK. WHEN THE ACFT IN FRONT OF ME MOVED, I FOLLOWED UNTIL I NOTICED MY NOSE PASSING OVER BLACK/YELLOW (FADED) PAINT BARS. I JAMMED ON THE BRAKES BEFORE MY BODY PASSED OVER HOLD SHORT LINES. NOTE: SUN WAS LOW AND IN MY FACE AT THIS TIME. FINALLY GOT HOLD OF GND, AND HE PROCEEDED TO READ ME THE RIOT ACT WITH A 2 PART CHORUS. I AGREED THAT I MADE A MISTAKE. HE HAD ME TAXI ACROSS RWY 7 AND PARK BTWN RWY 7 AND RWY 12 WHERE HE READ ME THE RIOT ACT AGAIN WITH 4 PART CHORUS THIS TIME. I ATTEMPTED TO, BUT GAVE UP QUICKLY ANY DEFENSE OF MY ACTION SUCH AS RADIO FREQ JAM, LARGE AMOUNT OF ACFT WHO DO THIS RUSH HR 7 DAYS A WEEK, UNFAMILIAR ARPT, LOW SUN, BLOCKED SIGNAGE, FADED HOLD SHORT PAINT. HE THEN GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL AND RELEASED ME TO RWY 7. AT FARMINGTON, NM, I CALLED. I GOT A VERY FRIENDLY PERSON WHO TOLD ME THAT VGT HAS THE 5TH HIGHEST RWY INCURSION INCIDENTS IN THE COUNTRY AND THAT THE LCL FSDO IS TIGHTFISTED WITH THE FUNDS TO MAKE NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS. (OPINION: HEAD GAME AT WORK, WITH ME TAKING THE RAP IN ORDER TO GET MORE FUNDING. END OF OPINION.) HOW TO AVOID OR IMPROVE THE CONDITION THAT LED ME UP TO MAKING AN ERROR: GND SHOULD HAVE, ON INITIAL CALL-UP, HAD ME TAXI TO RWY 7 VIA TXWY A2 THEREBY NOT DAISY-CHAINING WITH THE OTHER ACFT TO RWY 12 VIA TXWY A1. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE STAFFING THE TWR SO THE PEOPLE THERE ARE NOT SO OVERWORKED AS THIS GUY WAS. HANGARS SHOULD BE MOVED OR REMOVED AND CLR TAXI LANES CREATED INSTEAD OF THE POOR CONDITIONS THAT EXIST AT RWY 7/12 END. THIS LARGE, UNDEFINED, PAVED RUN-UP AREA NEEDS TO BE RE-THOUGHT. A NEW AND EXCLUSIVE TAXI LANE FOR THE MANY SIGHT-SEEING ACFT SHOULD BE CREATED THEREBY KEEPING THE TOURIST LIKE ME FROM DAISY-CHAINING INTO AN ERROR. A SEPARATE GND FREQ (UNPUBLISHED) SHOULD BE SET ASIDE FOR THESE COMMERCIAL SIGHTSEERS. GND CTL DID NOT AND COULD NOT WORK FOR ME WITH THE FREQ JAM AS IT NOW EXISTS. YES, I MADE A MISTAKE, BUT IT WAS WAY TOO EASY A MISTAKE TO MAKE.

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.