A PVT PLT HIT A TREE WITH HIS SMA ON A NIGHT LNDG.

Narrative

ON AN IFR FLT FROM BWI TO MRN; AFTER RPTING TO RIC APCH AT 8000 FT; I NOTICED THE ARTIFICIAL HORIZON WAS NOT INDICATING PROPERLY AS COMPARED TO THE TURN AND BANK. I CHKED THE VACUUM AND IT WAS OUT OF THE GREEN (IT WAS OK AT PREFLT). I PULLED ON THE ALTERNATE VACUUM; REDUCED PWR BUT THE ALTERNATE DID NOT WORK EITHER. WHEN I REDUCED PWR; THE PANEL LIGHTS DIMMED. THE AMMETER WAS SHOWING DISCHARGE (PREFLT WAS OK). I TRIED TO CALL RIC APCH BUT THEY DID NOT RESPOND. I SWITCHED THE XPONDER TO 7600 BUT BY THEN THE BATTERY WAS READING 11.6 VOLTS. I TURNED THE SECOND COM BACK ON TO TRY RIC; BUT THE RADIO WENT INTO SELF-TEST. I HAD CHKED ALL THE FUSES AND TURNED THE MASTER SWITCH OFF AND ON. ALL LIGHTS ; RADIOS WENT DARK. BY FLASHLIGHT I LOOKED AT THE IFR CHART AND SAW THE ELEVATION OF RIC ARPT AND TURNED TOWARD THE ONE SET OF RWY END IDENTIFIER LIGHTS THAT I SAW AND BEGAN TO DSND (I WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS) TO THAT RWY. (UPON LNDG I FOUND OUT IT WAS PETERSBURG). I COULD NOT SEE ANY GAUGES EXCEPT MOMENTARILY. I DID NOT INSIST THE FLASHLIGHT BE HELD ON THE PANEL. I DSNDED TO ABOUT 1500 FT; AGAIN WITH GLIMPSES OF ALTIMETER; AND LOWERED THE GEAR BY HAND PUMPING. I WAS OVERFLYING THE APCH END OF THE RWY WHILE DOING THIS. I HAD NO VISIBILITY OF THE GND ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS DARK; NOT IMC. I SAW THE GEAR DOWN USING A FLASHLIGHT AND MADE A SHALLOW R TURN TO THE RWY. I CTLED THE AIRSPD AT ABOUT 90 KTS; AND I HAD TO MAKE A NO FLAP LNDG SO I FLEW A 'FLAT' APCH. I DID NOT SEE THE ALTIMETER BUT GAUGED HT BY RWY APPEARANCE. IT WAS REMAINING RECTANGULAR AND NOT APPEARING LARGE AT THE APCH END AND SMALLER AT THE OPPOSITE END. I HEARD A 'THUNK' (LATER FOUND TO BE SOME PART OF A TREE) AND IMMEDIATELY APPLIED PWR AND CLBED. WITHIN SECONDS I WAS AT THE RWY AND PROCEEDED TO LAND WITHOUT ANY PROBS. I CALLED FSS TO RPT DOWN OK. I LOOKED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRPLANE AND SAW NO DAMAGE. THEN SOMEONE SAW THE DAMAGE TO THE R WING LEADING EDGE AND SLIGHT DENTING OF THE R ELEVATOR. I RECALLED FSS AND RPTED THE DAMAGE. THE FAA INSPECTED IT THE NEXT MORNING AND CONSIDERED IT AN INCIDENT RATHER THAN SERIOUS DAMAGE AND/OR AN ACCIDENT. THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I WAS AWARE; OR THOUGHT TO LOOK AT OR FOR THE VASI SYS; BUT I WAS LOWER THAN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF BEING UNABLE TO SEE GAUGES OR THE GND AND DID NOT SEE THE VASI NOR DID I THINK TO LOOK FOR ONE. I WAS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT A STEEP APCH WITHOUT FLAPS AND I WAS NOT SURE OF THE RWY LENGTH AND DID NOT WANT A GAR AND DID NOT WANT TO BECOME DISORIENTED AND LOSE SIGHT OF THE ARPT. I HAD PWR THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS. I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED THE LIGHT BE HELD ON THE PANEL; BUT IT CAUSED A GLARE IN THE WINDSHIELD.