Narrative:

I am writing this form in regards to the event that took place in baton rouge, la on march, mon 2004. I am a first officer for air carrier X airlines. On the night of march mon, I was the PNF on flight abcd from XXX to btr. After landing in btr on runway 13, captain taxied the aircraft to the ramp. On taxiway delta, we had passed the last blue lit taxiway edge light and the captain began to make his slow right turn into the ramp area. During the turn, the taxi/recog lights began to illuminate a black non lit taxi sign. The captain continued to turn to avoid the object and subsequently taxied into a clear area that we both realized was a grassy area. The captain brought the aircraft to a safe stop and we contacted ATC. The captain then informed the flight attendant of the situation as well as the passenger. Very shortly thereafter, maintenance was at the aircraft and they towed the aircraft to the gate. No damage was done to the plane and all passenger deplaned uninjured. This taxiing event was a result of a number of blue taxiway edge identifier lights being out. These out of service lights were on the edge of delta and the edge ramp area. They were not notamed out and at night those lights being out gave a false sense of where the start of the ramp area actually was. I feel that if those blue edge lights, as well as the taxiway identifier sign (that was also out of service), would have been notamed out of service that this taxiing event would not have occurred. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: taxiing on D taxiway, the crew was expecting a right turn onto the ramp area. A string of taxiway marker lights and a sign marking the ramp were out. The crew thought they were turning onto a ramp area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW FOUND TXWY LIGHTS ON THE R SIDE OF TXWY D WERE NOT ILLUMINATED, AND THE SIGN MARKING THE RAMP WAS ALSO NOT ILLUMINATED. THE CREW TAXIED INTO THE GRASS AREA AS A RESULT.

Narrative: I AM WRITING THIS FORM IN REGARDS TO THE EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN BATON ROUGE, LA ON MARCH, MON 2004. I AM A FO FOR ACR X AIRLINES. ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH MON, I WAS THE PNF ON FLIGHT ABCD FROM XXX TO BTR. AFTER LNDG IN BTR ON RWY 13, CAPT TAXIED THE ACFT TO THE RAMP. ON TXWY DELTA, WE HAD PASSED THE LAST BLUE LIT TXWY EDGE LIGHT AND THE CAPT BEGAN TO MAKE HIS SLOW R TURN INTO THE RAMP AREA. DURING THE TURN, THE TAXI/RECOG LIGHTS BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE A BLACK NON LIT TAXI SIGN. THE CAPT CONTINUED TO TURN TO AVOID THE OBJECT AND SUBSEQUENTLY TAXIED INTO A CLEAR AREA THAT WE BOTH REALIZED WAS A GRASSY AREA. THE CAPT BROUGHT THE ACFT TO A SAFE STOP AND WE CONTACTED ATC. THE CAPT THEN INFORMED THE FA OF THE SITUATION AS WELL AS THE PAX. VERY SHORTLY THEREAFTER, MAINT WAS AT THE ACFT AND THEY TOWED THE ACFT TO THE GATE. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE PLANE AND ALL PAX DEPLANED UNINJURED. THIS TAXIING EVENT WAS A RESULT OF A NUMBER OF BLUE TXWY EDGE IDENTIFIER LIGHTS BEING OUT. THESE OUT OF SERVICE LIGHTS WERE ON THE EDGE OF DELTA AND THE EDGE RAMP AREA. THEY WERE NOT NOTAMED OUT AND AT NIGHT THOSE LIGHTS BEING OUT GAVE A FALSE SENSE OF WHERE THE START OF THE RAMP AREA ACTUALLY WAS. I FEEL THAT IF THOSE BLUE EDGE LIGHTS, AS WELL AS THE TXWY IDENTIFIER SIGN (THAT WAS ALSO OUT OF SERVICE), WOULD HAVE BEEN NOTAMED OUT OF SERVICE THAT THIS TAXIING EVENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: TAXIING ON D TXWY, THE CREW WAS EXPECTING A R TURN ONTO THE RAMP AREA. A STRING OF TXWY MARKER LIGHTS AND A SIGN MARKING THE RAMP WERE OUT. THE CREW THOUGHT THEY WERE TURNING ONTO A RAMP AREA.

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.