AIR TAXI LNDG ON RWY WITH FIRST 5 LIGHTS INOP HITS EXPOSED CONCRETE POST.

Date: 1994-05 · Aircraft: PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control

Synopsis

AIR TAXI LNDG ON RWY WITH FIRST 5 LIGHTS INOP HITS EXPOSED CONCRETE POST.

Narrative

I ENTERED L TFC FOR RWY 35 AT ALLAKAKET ARPT (AET) WHILE ON A FLT CARRYING 5 PAX FROM FAIRBANKS INTL ARPT; AK (FAI). I NOTICED MANY OF THE RWY LIGHTS WERE DAMAGED BEYOND WORKING ORDER DUE TO VANDALISM. THE FIRST 5 RWY LIGHTS OF RWY 35 ON THE L (WEST) SIDE OF THE RWY DAMAGED OR MISSING AND AT LEAST 1 LIGHT ON THE R (EAST) SIDE OF THE RWY HAD ITS CONCRETE BASE EXPOSED APPROX 6 INCHES ABOVE THE RWY. UPON LNDG I USED A SOFT FIELD LNDG TECHNIQUE KEEPING THE NOSEWHEEL HIGH; THEREFORE; LIMITING FORWARD VISIBILITY. THE ACFT STRUCK THE CONCRETE BASE CAUSING THE R MAIN GEAR TO BE SEVERED FROM THE ACFT AND DAMAGE TO THE WING LEADING EDGE; AND HORIZ STABILATOR. BETTER ARPT SECURITY IS NEEDED IN MANY ALASKA ARPTS AS WELL AS BETTER SUPERVISION OF ARPT MAINT BY FAA PERSONNEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES IT WAS VERY HARD TO JUDGE THE CTRLINE AS THE FIRST 5 LIGHTS ON L SIDE WERE INOP. THERE IS SOME SOFT SAND ON THE R SIDE ; WHICH NO DOUBT HELPED PULL THE ACFT IN THAT DIRECTION. THIS IS A STATE OPERATED ARPT; BUT IS NOT ATTENDED AT ALL TIMES. THE VILLAGE IS A 'DRY' ONE AND WHEN THE CITIZENS GET SOME ALCOHOL THEY GO ON A RAMPAGE AND DESTROY THINGS. THE ARPT IS NOT IMMUNE. THE CONCRETE POST WAS STICKING UP SO HIGH BECAUSE WINTER RAINS WASHED AWAY PART OF THE SURROUNDING SURFACE AND LEFT THE POST EXPOSED. NTSB AUTHORIZED RPTR TO MOVE THE ACFT FROM THE RWY.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.