Cardinal 177/177RG
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown; Ground Incursion Runway
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Airport; Human Factors
I was training a Controller on the Local Control West (LCW) position. The trainee was doing well. I watched the C177 taxi out and looked at his departure strip to double check what my trainee was checking. I saw the C177 do almost a complete 180 on Taxiway Lima near the approach end of Runway 13R to do a run up. The C177 called ready for departure. The trainee acknowledged and issued the hold short instruction. The pilot of the C177 read back the instruction completely with hold short; runway; and callsign. Then we discussed the operation developing for [Runway] 13L with an aircraft in position and an aircraft turning a shorter right base than expected for 13L. We started discussing the need to spin the aircraft of final to ensure departure-departure spacing and arrival-departure spacing. At this point I noticed the C177 had taxied across the 13R hold line. I took over the position by giving the aircraft on final for 13L a left 270 to rejoin the final and then instructed the C177 to make a 180 and taxi back across the hold line. I made two or three more transmissions and then gave the position back to the trainee. I then advised the FLM to initiate a possible pilot deviation. When the C177 crossed the non-standard hold line for Runway 13R; there were no aircraft inbound for runway 13R. The Runway 13R hold line is in a non-standard location from the runway edge. No other Tower controlled airport in the country has a hold line 477 FT from the runway edge. I believe the non-standard location of this line caused the pilot to look for a hold line in a more standard location from the runway edge. I recommend that the FAA Airports Division re-evaluate this hold line in accordance with the TERPs manual and recommend the design for the 13L hold short line be re-evaluated.
DAL Controller described a runway incursion event on Runway 13R claiming the non-standard distance of the line form the runway is problematic and changes should be considered.