Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6; Flight Crew Total 1587; Flight Crew Type 262
Situational Awareness; Confusion; Fatigue
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Ground Incursion Runway
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airport; Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related
I was by myself; in effect test-flying/ferrying my aircraft back to...my home base.... I am [over 60] years old and retired. My habit is to sleep at night around seven hours; awakening [early in the morning]; then I almost always look forward to a 30-minute nap after lunch. On this day I woke as usual; felt I had a good night's sleep. It was a two hour drive to [the airport]. After lunch and paperwork was done; I had around a half-hour to grab a nap before I flight planned to lift off.... I went to find a place to rest. What I found was the general aviation terminal.... The only rest facility consisted of a narrow couch with no pillows; located in a room across from the training office of a local flight school. I was treated to the racket of an instructor and student discussing their cross-country trip plans and assorted small talk. After minutes of this I gave up on the idea of a nap. I went out to the plane and flew off. The 45 minute trip home was uneventful; except for the usual afternoon turbulence on the ILS localizer course. And; as usual; we were contending with F-16 and commercial traffic at that hour.... So; here I am at [60 plus] years old; deprived of a nap; changed at the last moment from [the left to the right runway] with an F16 behind me; also cleared to land. I managed to land safely in a quartering tailwind. Tower instructed me to exit at A-11; and I did so. Note that there is a rather limited strip of taxiway spanning the distance between [the left and right runways]; in the center of which is a more confined area designed to hold a general aviation-sized aircraft awaiting clearance to taxi across to A.... I just had a moment when I lost focus (my mistake) and only pulled-up to the [right runway] exit bars (i.e. dashed lines on my side);instead of crossing those bars and holding at the stop bars (solid bars on my side) for the [left runway]. Fortunately; there appeared to have been no other aircraft after me using [the right runway] while this went on. The Tower Controller saw what I had done by stopping short of the [the right runway] exit bars; called me up to instruct me where I needed to be; and I promptly complied with the instruction. I know very well to pull into this hold short area when exiting [the right runway].... I am very sensitive to safety issues. I believe my mistake was a function of my getting older; in combination with a few more distractions than I like to deal with at any one time; and my having been deprived of a restorative nap prior to leaving.... Take a page from a current hot topic in the US workplace. Set aside 'NAP ROOMS' at general aviation or FBO terminals; places with quiet; subdued lighting; and at least a lazyboy recliner if not a bed or broad sofa with a few pillows. These kinds of arrangements are a real potential life-saver for folks like me and with an aging population of pilots; likely others.
After landing on the right parallel runway; an older M-20 pilot was cleared to hold between the runways; but failed to fully clear the right parallel until prompted by the Local Controller. Pilot cited the lack of a nap prior to flight as a contributing factor.