Narrative:

Landed runway 4 at hou. Told to continue on runway to taxiway B and contact ground. Exited at taxiway B and called ground. We were going to the FBO, which is directly across from taxiway B. I had been to hou a couple of weeks earlier in the daytime and knew about the construction on the ramp areas and how poorly the entrance to the FBO is marked. I had briefed the copilot and we had written down the closure from the ATIS and looked at the taxi diagram. We were prepared, or so we thought! Ground said taxi on taxiway Z to the right which we did. Then she said another right -- we, I stopped because that would have taken us to runway 22. I turned left and told ground we had the FBO in sight and could continue. She said, no go right. Well, a right turn would have put me in the grass and I told her so. She then asked our position and I told her -- we were directly opposite the FBO's ramp and I could clearly see the taxi entrance. She wasn't sure where we were but finally said she had no one (airliner) coming out of the concourse so go ahead and taxi as we wanted. We proceed to enter the FBO's ramp with no problem. I was thinking, initially, there must be construction in the ramp since she had us going the long way around the outside. I'm not sure the problem. But, this area is poorly (to put it mildly) marked -- in the day let alone at night. As a footnote, let me add a company airplane arrived 2 hours later and had an even worse time. They were unfamiliar and ground ended up getting them completely down taxiway a towards runway 22 (where I refused to turn right, they went). Fortunately, ground warned them of the access road and they finally found the ramp via the taxiway. Poor visibility and an inexperienced crew may result in an aircraft in the grass or on a runway given these poorly marked areas. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: an hou tower specialist revealed there is construction on the airport. However, it is limited to the southwest ramp area, between txwys H1 and east. The area in question, the northeast ramp, including taxiway B northward to FBO is free of construction and should pose no hazard to taxiing. It was also noted that hou is an old airport with many crossing runways/txwys, requiring vigilance, at all times, by both controllers and flight crew's.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE40 CREW, AFTER LNDG AT HOU, REFUSED TO ACCEPT TAXI CLRNC, STATING THE CLRNC 'WOULD HAVE PUT HIM IN THE GRASS.' ANOTHER CLRNC WAS ISSUED.

Narrative: LANDED RWY 4 AT HOU. TOLD TO CONTINUE ON RWY TO TXWY B AND CONTACT GND. EXITED AT TXWY B AND CALLED GND. WE WERE GOING TO THE FBO, WHICH IS DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM TXWY B. I HAD BEEN TO HOU A COUPLE OF WKS EARLIER IN THE DAYTIME AND KNEW ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION ON THE RAMP AREAS AND HOW POORLY THE ENTRANCE TO THE FBO IS MARKED. I HAD BRIEFED THE COPLT AND WE HAD WRITTEN DOWN THE CLOSURE FROM THE ATIS AND LOOKED AT THE TAXI DIAGRAM. WE WERE PREPARED, OR SO WE THOUGHT! GND SAID TAXI ON TXWY Z TO THE R WHICH WE DID. THEN SHE SAID ANOTHER R -- WE, I STOPPED BECAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US TO RWY 22. I TURNED L AND TOLD GND WE HAD THE FBO IN SIGHT AND COULD CONTINUE. SHE SAID, NO GO R. WELL, A R TURN WOULD HAVE PUT ME IN THE GRASS AND I TOLD HER SO. SHE THEN ASKED OUR POS AND I TOLD HER -- WE WERE DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE FBO'S RAMP AND I COULD CLRLY SEE THE TAXI ENTRANCE. SHE WASN'T SURE WHERE WE WERE BUT FINALLY SAID SHE HAD NO ONE (AIRLINER) COMING OUT OF THE CONCOURSE SO GO AHEAD AND TAXI AS WE WANTED. WE PROCEED TO ENTER THE FBO'S RAMP WITH NO PROB. I WAS THINKING, INITIALLY, THERE MUST BE CONSTRUCTION IN THE RAMP SINCE SHE HAD US GOING THE LONG WAY AROUND THE OUTSIDE. I'M NOT SURE THE PROB. BUT, THIS AREA IS POORLY (TO PUT IT MILDLY) MARKED -- IN THE DAY LET ALONE AT NIGHT. AS A FOOTNOTE, LET ME ADD A COMPANY AIRPLANE ARRIVED 2 HRS LATER AND HAD AN EVEN WORSE TIME. THEY WERE UNFAMILIAR AND GND ENDED UP GETTING THEM COMPLETELY DOWN TXWY A TOWARDS RWY 22 (WHERE I REFUSED TO TURN R, THEY WENT). FORTUNATELY, GND WARNED THEM OF THE ACCESS ROAD AND THEY FINALLY FOUND THE RAMP VIA THE TXWY. POOR VISIBILITY AND AN INEXPERIENCED CREW MAY RESULT IN AN ACFT IN THE GRASS OR ON A RWY GIVEN THESE POORLY MARKED AREAS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AN HOU TWR SPECIALIST REVEALED THERE IS CONSTRUCTION ON THE ARPT. HOWEVER, IT IS LIMITED TO THE SW RAMP AREA, BTWN TXWYS H1 AND E. THE AREA IN QUESTION, THE NE RAMP, INCLUDING TXWY B NORTHWARD TO FBO IS FREE OF CONSTRUCTION AND SHOULD POSE NO HAZARD TO TAXIING. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT HOU IS AN OLD ARPT WITH MANY XING RWYS/TXWYS, REQUIRING VIGILANCE, AT ALL TIMES, BY BOTH CTLRS AND FLC'S.

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.