Light Sport Aircraft
Flight Crew Sport / Recreational
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 800; Flight Crew Type 600
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Airport; Human Factors
After landing on Runway 30 I was asked to taxi off on Hotel and contact ground (frequency not given by Tower.) I taxied off onto Hotel and slowed and stopped to confirm the ground frequency before I had gone too far without ground contact.  Before I could contact ground; Tower urgently told me to taxi forward and get off the runway!  I did not know I was on the runway.  Turns out Taxiway Hotel is between the approach end of Runway 16 and Runway 30.  It is not marked well; and there are no runway markings (e.g.; centerline) there.  Also; it is weedy and unkempt; certainly not like a runway.  I had never landed on Runway 30 there and was unfamiliar with that segment of the Taxiway Hotel being online with Runway 16/34.  This seems a potentially confusing and hazardous area that is not marked as a place to not be!  Also Tower accused me of stopping on the runway; but the airport diagram shows this area of Taxiway Hotel not as runway; but just north of (and in line with) the approach end of 16.  I would suggest improved taxiway and runway markings and signage for this area of SAC.  I acknowledge now that I did not cross runway holding position markings before pausing; but I must reiterate that it was not clear to me that I was not safely on a taxiway and needed to contact ground before proceeding further.
After landing on Runway 30 at SAC LSA pilot is told to exit on Taxiway H and contact ground.  Stopping clear of Runway 30 to confirm the Ground Control frequency; the reporter is admonished for not clearing the the runway (not across the hold line).