Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 59; Flight Crew Total 4861; Flight Crew Type 1814
Situational Awareness; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification
Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown; Ground Excursion Taxiway
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; General Police / Security Involved
Chart Or Publication; Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
The First Officer and I flew to DCA. Upon landing; we were issued to taxi from J to P to parking. We taxied down Juliet and joined Papa. As Papa wrapped around the airline terminal we came nose to nose with a CRJ being tugged (we both stopped well before any hazard was evident). We stopped; as did they; and we called Ground and asked them about the aircraft being tugged in front of us. The Controller replied; 'Oh; he is going to join Kilo then proceed.' We both had to move a little to opposite sides so he could tug around us. After that aircraft was out of the way; we noticed we were sitting at the intersection of Kilo and Papa (they run side by side on the airport diagram). In front of us was the DCA Fire Station (to our left); 2 air carrier aircraft parked and powered down in the middle of the ramp/gate area (to our right); and both K and P Taxiway lines came to an end. We could see the FBO about 100-200 yards straight in front of us past the station and air carrier planes. To our right another line started back up heading to the gate area; but was not marked anywhere as to what it was for. The First Officer pointed on the pavement there were numbers that resembled gate entrances. This particular intersection is not marked a hot spot. The only NO TAXI restricted area on the airport diagram was slightly behind us in the gate area. Since we were confused we remained stationary and contacted Ground for a progressive taxi to the FBO. The Controller replied in a relaxed tone; 'Just keep going straight and you will see the FBO up on your right.' That looked as if it would keep us out of the gate area; and taxi near the fire station. The only markings on the ground that were clearly visible were lines that looked like lanes for each truck to pull out of the bay. We taxied into the FBO. After an hour on the ground; a DCA truck pulled up and a gentlemen with a DCA badge got out. He asked if I was the Captain and I replied that I was. He told me that the Chief of the fire station reported a plane had crossed the area in front of the station (which later this gentleman told me was restricted). He was polite; but asked what happened. I explained we stopped for another aircraft; and then asked for a progressive and followed ATC's instructions to the ramp. He mentioned that Papa actually makes a right turn where we went straight and he figured we had asked for help being unfamiliar with the airport (he watched the video and saw us stopped for some time). He also mentioned that they have had an issue with aircraft just cutting across the ramp to the FBO when the gate area is empty (which he admitted definitely was not the case here being there were 2 planes in the middle of the area we had to go). We told him that aside from the ATC instructions; we also did not see any clear signs for Papa continuing. The airport diagram does not show Papa turning right and hugging the wall by the gate area. He said he would check it out and get back to me. The man mentioned they were just trying to figure out how to improve airport operations in this area of the airport. After 20 minutes he returned. He told me; 'Well; I went over there; and any sign of the taxiway has been completely removed.' Although there was a centerline that was meant to be Papa; he agreed that there was a complete lack of taxiway signs or markings; and ATC should not have told us to go that route. He was going to submit a report to have the area painted. Also; the center line that he mentioned was Papa was not continuous with the Papa center line we followed in. It was broken; and looked like a completely separate taxi line that leads to a gate. You cannot follow the Papa line markings continuously without the line ending and restarting in another spot (which was not marked Papa anywhere). He said that the whole situation was a dead issue and nothing is going to come of it. After acknowledging where they need to improve on repainting the surface to clarify what is Papa and Kilo; he stated he needed to call the Tower to clarify to them where they should instruct people to taxi. On the way out; we looked out at the fire station (we took the route he told us too); and the First Officer said she could barely make out a very faint orange faded line in the pavement but she had to really strain to see it. In my opinion; this is the causes of this issue; and the gentlemen from DCA seemed to agree. The airport diagram does not appropriately mark the full route of Taxiway Papa; the center line breaks; and resumes and there is absolutely no markings to indicate that Papa resumes anywhere on the field after that K/P Intersection (as the diagram shows them both ending in the spot); the markings in front of the fire station that would show a non taxi area (which is not depicted on the airport diagram like other non taxi areas at DCA) are completely faded and need to be more visible; and ATC gave incorrect progressive instructions to the flight crew.
A charter crew became confused on DCA Taxiway P at K when they moved off the taxiway centerline for opposite direction traffic and then; because the P centerline was not visible; they taxied to FBO parking through the fire house area.