Narrative:

This morning at approximately XA30 an aircraft crew started the engines to repos our aircraft from the hangar to the gate at syr. Visibility was poor (1 1/4 SM) and there was blowing snow and was snowing quite heavily at the time. The captain was taxiing aircraft slowly for obvious reasons and we were told to take taxiway H to taxiway north, then hold short of runway 28. We passed and saw the sign for taxiway H [we passed it], then we saw a freshly cleared path -- assuming it was the taxiway -- we turned on it. This turned out, however, to be a service road that used to be a taxiway. As we taxied, we saw taxiway lights to our left and we realized we were not on the taxiway. The captain attempted to stop aircraft and turn towards taxiway (to the left) but it ended up there was a grass strip between service road and taxiway, and our aircraft got stuck. We had to be towed. Visibility was extremely poor that morning -- it was dark, snowing, blowing snow, etc. The area is also poorly marked and the taxiway sign for taxiway H is in the wrong place. Ironically, the manager at the hangar told us this was a major problem and had written FAA in the past to get this changed, but no action had been taken.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TXWY EXCURSION AT SYR, NY, WHEN A PLOWED SURFACE ROAD IS MISTAKEN FOR AN UNPLOWED TXWY. ARPT SIGNAGE WAS A PROB.

Narrative: THIS MORNING AT APPROX XA30 AN ACFT CREW STARTED THE ENGS TO REPOS OUR ACFT FROM THE HANGAR TO THE GATE AT SYR. VISIBILITY WAS POOR (1 1/4 SM) AND THERE WAS BLOWING SNOW AND WAS SNOWING QUITE HEAVILY AT THE TIME. THE CAPT WAS TAXIING ACFT SLOWLY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS AND WE WERE TOLD TO TAKE TXWY H TO TXWY N, THEN HOLD SHORT OF RWY 28. WE PASSED AND SAW THE SIGN FOR TXWY H [WE PASSED IT], THEN WE SAW A FRESHLY CLRED PATH -- ASSUMING IT WAS THE TXWY -- WE TURNED ON IT. THIS TURNED OUT, HOWEVER, TO BE A SVC ROAD THAT USED TO BE A TXWY. AS WE TAXIED, WE SAW TXWY LIGHTS TO OUR L AND WE REALIZED WE WERE NOT ON THE TXWY. THE CAPT ATTEMPTED TO STOP ACFT AND TURN TOWARDS TXWY (TO THE L) BUT IT ENDED UP THERE WAS A GRASS STRIP BTWN SVC ROAD AND TXWY, AND OUR ACFT GOT STUCK. WE HAD TO BE TOWED. VISIBILITY WAS EXTREMELY POOR THAT MORNING -- IT WAS DARK, SNOWING, BLOWING SNOW, ETC. THE AREA IS ALSO POORLY MARKED AND THE TXWY SIGN FOR TXWY H IS IN THE WRONG PLACE. IRONICALLY, THE MGR AT THE HANGAR TOLD US THIS WAS A MAJOR PROB AND HAD WRITTEN FAA IN THE PAST TO GET THIS CHANGED, BUT NO ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN.

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.