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Lost in fog (also Garmin Safetaxi)

I have to report myself although it’s kind of embarrassing thing

I got lost yesterday in fog during taxing on departure from LYBE. The fog was quite solid, low-vis procedure was in force and when taxing from taxiway G and turning left to taxiway A, I missed to actually turn at A – I turned before it and continued to taxi on extended apron. The intermediate stops signs were on my right hand side and I correctly read them back to ATC. Suddenly I reached end of apron and realized I was taxing paralel to taxiway. You can imagine me trying to explain ATC what I did. ATC sent “follow me” car to rescue me and to escort me to runway.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

It’s not embarrassing at all. Taxiing in low visibility can be much harder in some respects than flying in it. You did the right thing. Stop, figure out where you are and ask ATC for help.

London area

I think it is a very good lesson. How many of us review airport markings regularly? In low vis they can help to tell you if you are on a taxiway or not. I find taxiing at large airports hard in small aircraft even in CAVOK conditions.

EGTK Oxford

I can do that anytime in 10km+ vis (and have done many times)

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

My most embarrassing moment was a landing in Lisbon in darkness.

We had been doing three legs that day for a total of 8 hrs in the air (although not all with me as PIC) and I was quite tired. I was landing on RWY 21 and was told to taxi to my parking position via RWY 17. This should have been a left turn at the runway intersection. Since I was landing in a southerly direction — “downwards” on the airport chart — I turned the chart upside down for easier reference so that the turn direction would correspond to the direction of RWY 17 on the chart. (I was tired. Adrenalin had kept me going through the approach, but once we touched down I relaxed and that was not a good move.) When I came to the runway intersection I “turned the chart upside down” once more in my head so that I concluded that RWY 17 was to the right — so I turned to the right…

TWR noticed immediately and a “follow-me” car was quickly dispatched.

The embarrassment was not so much that I took the wrong turn, but the reasoning behind it…

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 22 Jan 16:50
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

In Iraklion, Greece, they mow the lawn so that you can barely see the taxi signs from an A320 cockpit but have no chance from a small GA aircraft. I once got lost there (during CAVOK daytime) and I had a very hard time making ATC understand that there are no taxi signs. Only after takeoff I saw that there were taxi signs, just perfectly well hidden

Taxiing is the most stressful part of LVOs for me. It’s just not always obvious at all, and there are certain places which have layouts were you really need to think like the designer to get it right, and not everybody thinks the same.

Even in perfect weather and uncomplicated airfields taxiing can be a pain. I remember one time getting instructions from ATC which I wasn’t expecting, and I queried them but they ASSURED me that our company had been on to them and they were leading us the right way. 5 minutes later we were nose in in a dead end with no room to turn facing a hanger door when we were supposed to be picking up pax at the handling agent. Very apologetic ATC and a tug later it was sorted.

United Kingdom

Emir,

Maybe I missed something, but any any major airport, you should have a yellow centreline marking on all taxiways. No line – no taxiway. Or was it too foggy to see it, even if it was right in front of you?

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I was too concentrated not to enter the runway via intersection C (that’s where G ends and you turn to A or enter runway) and I was able to follow intermediate signs on A – so I missed to notice no yellow line

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

Airborne Again, I have also made a similar mistake in the dark at Lisbon. It’s a very poorly laid out airport, and the lighting of the cross runway as a taxiway makes confusion likely if you have a low eye height like a bizjet or light single/twin.

Taxiing at large airports is frequently the most stressful part of a flight. Barcelona in particular raises my blood pressure significantly. LAHSO operations in the U.S. make it even worse for me.

London area
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