Narrative:

The morals of this incident are: 1) there is no such thing as being over-prepared; and 2) CRM is a 2-WAY street. Having flown into st. Augustine airport (sgj) earlier in the day; I planned to take off into the pattern at night to regain my night currency and then return to my home field. Given the smallness of sgj; I anticipated no problems with taxi out; even though I had never flown there at night. But; in my mind; I expected that my taxi clearance would take me down the west side of runway 2 and then to parallel runway 13/31 for a wbound takeoff. On closer examination of the airport plan later on; I realized that this route did not exist; but it was to that route that I had oriented myself subconsciously already. But; ground gave me an unexpected clearance of delta 3 to delta to delta 1. I quickly checked my AFD which; of course; did not indicate taxiway numbers. Since I could see delta 3 ahead of me; I decided to taxi down it until I saw delta. Once on D3; however; the confusion of lights and the odd angles of taxiway and runway intxns consequent to the unusual layout of runways 2 and 6 confused me and; angling in the direction I thought would bring me to the continuation of D3; I found myself taxiing down runway 2 with no immediate way off. I immediately notified ground control that I was 'lost' and needed some help. The controller's response was not helpful. She did give me guidance off the runway; but she also gave me a chiding and distracting lecture on the color of runway and taxiway lights and the importance of knowing them. Chagrined; put off by the ground controller's response; and experiencing a sort of 2-DIMENSIONAL spatial disorientation among the lights; I made another false start onto runway 6; then found delta and; in the darkness; overshot the somewhat faded hold line for runway 31 by about 10 ft; advised the tower thereof and cleared a 180 degree turn and taxied clear of the runway environment. Given my yrs of experience as a pilot; this ws an embarrassingly bad performance. I am fully aware that I should have been more aware of the taxiway plan of the field and/or taken a firmer control of the situation and demanded progressive taxi instructions. Trying to minimize the fuss and just bull my way through turned what should have been a minor situation into one that left me embarrassed and the tower staff wondering if they should clear this doddering old fart for takeoff. At the same time; I do think that the ground controller should have been more aware of the situation and spent more time getting me down the road than on lecturing me about light colors; which she seemed to presume was the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LIGHT AIRCRAFT PILOT ATTEMPTS TO TAXI AT SGJ AFTER DARK WITHOUT AN AIRPORT DIAGRAM. A RUNWAY INCURSION OCCURS ON EACH OF THE THREE RUNWAYS WHILE TAXIING TO RUNWAY 31.

Narrative: THE MORALS OF THIS INCIDENT ARE: 1) THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BEING OVER-PREPARED; AND 2) CRM IS A 2-WAY STREET. HAVING FLOWN INTO ST. AUGUSTINE ARPT (SGJ) EARLIER IN THE DAY; I PLANNED TO TAKE OFF INTO THE PATTERN AT NIGHT TO REGAIN MY NIGHT CURRENCY AND THEN RETURN TO MY HOME FIELD. GIVEN THE SMALLNESS OF SGJ; I ANTICIPATED NO PROBS WITH TAXI OUT; EVEN THOUGH I HAD NEVER FLOWN THERE AT NIGHT. BUT; IN MY MIND; I EXPECTED THAT MY TAXI CLRNC WOULD TAKE ME DOWN THE W SIDE OF RWY 2 AND THEN TO PARALLEL RWY 13/31 FOR A WBOUND TKOF. ON CLOSER EXAM OF THE ARPT PLAN LATER ON; I REALIZED THAT THIS RTE DID NOT EXIST; BUT IT WAS TO THAT RTE THAT I HAD ORIENTED MYSELF SUBCONSCIOUSLY ALREADY. BUT; GND GAVE ME AN UNEXPECTED CLRNC OF DELTA 3 TO DELTA TO DELTA 1. I QUICKLY CHKED MY AFD WHICH; OF COURSE; DID NOT INDICATE TXWY NUMBERS. SINCE I COULD SEE DELTA 3 AHEAD OF ME; I DECIDED TO TAXI DOWN IT UNTIL I SAW DELTA. ONCE ON D3; HOWEVER; THE CONFUSION OF LIGHTS AND THE ODD ANGLES OF TXWY AND RWY INTXNS CONSEQUENT TO THE UNUSUAL LAYOUT OF RWYS 2 AND 6 CONFUSED ME AND; ANGLING IN THE DIRECTION I THOUGHT WOULD BRING ME TO THE CONTINUATION OF D3; I FOUND MYSELF TAXIING DOWN RWY 2 WITH NO IMMEDIATE WAY OFF. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED GND CTL THAT I WAS 'LOST' AND NEEDED SOME HELP. THE CTLR'S RESPONSE WAS NOT HELPFUL. SHE DID GIVE ME GUIDANCE OFF THE RWY; BUT SHE ALSO GAVE ME A CHIDING AND DISTRACTING LECTURE ON THE COLOR OF RWY AND TXWY LIGHTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THEM. CHAGRINED; PUT OFF BY THE GND CTLR'S RESPONSE; AND EXPERIENCING A SORT OF 2-DIMENSIONAL SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AMONG THE LIGHTS; I MADE ANOTHER FALSE START ONTO RWY 6; THEN FOUND DELTA AND; IN THE DARKNESS; OVERSHOT THE SOMEWHAT FADED HOLD LINE FOR RWY 31 BY ABOUT 10 FT; ADVISED THE TWR THEREOF AND CLRED A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. GIVEN MY YRS OF EXPERIENCE AS A PLT; THIS WS AN EMBARRASSINGLY BAD PERFORMANCE. I AM FULLY AWARE THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE TXWY PLAN OF THE FIELD AND/OR TAKEN A FIRMER CONTROL OF THE SITUATION AND DEMANDED PROGRESSIVE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE FUSS AND JUST BULL MY WAY THROUGH TURNED WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MINOR SITUATION INTO ONE THAT LEFT ME EMBARRASSED AND THE TWR STAFF WONDERING IF THEY SHOULD CLEAR THIS DODDERING OLD FART FOR TKOF. AT THE SAME TIME; I DO THINK THAT THE GND CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND SPENT MORE TIME GETTING ME DOWN THE ROAD THAN ON LECTURING ME ABOUT LIGHT COLORS; WHICH SHE SEEMED TO PRESUME WAS THE PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.