Interview Q: Exit onto closed taxiway?

[PA28Heavy]

Trying to figure out what they want here:

You just landed at a non-towered airport (or the tower is closed) at night, and exit the runway at the next taxiway, only to discover the taxiway is closed. The aircraft is half on/half off the runway. What do you do?

My take:

This is the kind of thing I would expect to hear on ATIS or NOTAMed, but if that fails...
We can't use reverse thrust to back out, risk of FOD is too great. I would call dispatch and check if there is any kind of line service there, to send out a tug. If not I would call our dispatcher and flight service and inform them, to minimize arrivals to the runway. I would think anywhere that an RJ flies there would be some kind of line service available, but I believe this question is designed to check how you think, rather than a specific answer. Any ideas? This question is from an interview gouge.

 

[TIS]

So what's the question?

The first thing I'm wondering is which seat you're in. How you handle it depends on that first.

If you are in the left seat just get the plane off the closed taxiway and on to a taxiway that's open.

If you're in the right seat you might need to do anything from stomping in the brakes to simply backing up the captain as he performs whatever maneuver it takes to get the plane back where it belongs.

Closed taxiways are barricaded and usually lit. Whether you read the NOTAM or missed it you should still be able to avoid bumbling on to a closed piece of pavement on your own.

So which seat are you in and how is it that the closure is so obscured as to be effectively invisible? These are questions you need answers to before you begin describing your solution.

TIS

 

[Mel Sharples]

This is definitely one of those "lesser of all evils" questions.

I would have to say assuming you aren't going to run into any barricades, get the plane off the runway. Sitting on any runway for an extended period of time ain't my idea of a good time, especially at a non-towered airport.

I think they are looking to see that you do the safest thing without having total disregard for rules. In other words, get the plane OFF the runway and then call dispatch and fess up. Take care of the immediate danger and then own up to the legal responsibilities.

You don't want to say, "too late, just keep going" but at the same time you don't want to say, "keep sitting half on the runway with passengers until you figure it out."

All of these "interview" questions are designed to put you into a bad situation to see how you deal with it. Safety first, but at the same time don't over-react. Don't hurt anyone or bend any metal, but remember the airline is a business and if you screw up, own up to it.

Good luck....



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[Standby 1]

This is definitely one of those "lesser of all evils" questions.

I would have to say assuming you aren't going to run into any barricades, get the plane off the runway. Sitting on any runway for an extended period of time ain't my idea of a good time, especially at a non-towered airport.

I think they are looking to see that you do the safest thing without having total disregard for rules. In other words, get the plane OFF the runway and then call dispatch and fess up. Take care of the immediate danger and then own up to the legal responsibilities.

You don't want to say, "too late, just keep going" but at the same time you don't want to say, "keep sitting half on the runway with passengers until you figure it out."

All of these "interview" questions are designed to put you into a bad situation to see how you deal with it. Safety first, but at the same time don't over-react. Don't hurt anyone or bend any metal, but remember the airline is a business and if you screw up, own up to it.

Good luck....



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Good response. I was asked this question when I interviewed. Said that since the tower was closed, one of us would monitor the CTAF freq and make continual announcements for any local traffic while the other called dispatch for assistance.

Simple answer, I know, but it worked for me.




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