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Old 27th Dec 2013, 11:56
  #308 (permalink)  
FullWings
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tring, UK
Posts: 1,847
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Looking at that picture, the fact that the taxiway narrows quite a bit was probably contributory to the accident. If you weren't aware of how much the width reduced and/or the size of the building, you could easily get the impression that there was room to get by as there is plenty of grass between the edge of the tarmac and the brick wall. The scale is consistent but wrong - add in that it was dark and there's lots of holes in the cheese waiting to get you. If the taxiway carried on at the same width, it would be much more apparent that something was not right: "Hey! That building's close!"

Green lights to follow and stop bars like LHR, SIN and some other airfields would be a good way of reducing the likelihood of going down the wrong route. Just stop bars at critical points (runway entries, narrow taxiways, etc.) would be a start...
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