PLT OF SMT STRUCK TXWY MARKER SIGN DURING BEGINNING OF TKOF ROLL RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE 3 BLADES OF 1 PROP AND SKIN DAMAGE TO THE UNDER SIDE OF A WING FLAP.
Synopsis
PLT OF SMT STRUCK TXWY MARKER SIGN DURING BEGINNING OF TKOF ROLL RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE 3 BLADES OF 1 PROP AND SKIN DAMAGE TO THE UNDER SIDE OF A WING FLAP.
Narrative
PLT INITIATED AN IFR FLT FROM BATON ROUGE; LA; TO MCCOMB; MS (MCB) TO REPOS FOR AN AIR TAXI FLT. THE ACFT; A 1981 PIPER PA-31-350 CHIEFTAIN; WAS TAXIED FROM THE RAMP VIA TXWY 'F' TO THE HOLD LINE AT RWY 31 WHERE A ROUTINE ENG CHK AND TKOF CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. SINCE THE OUTSIDE WINDOWS WERE COVERED WITH CONDENSATION (DEW) AND THE INSIDE WINDOWS WERE CONSTANTLY FOGGING UP; THIS PLT WAS INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVATING THE L SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WIPING THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS TO MAINTAIN FORWARD VISIBILITY. WHEN A TKOF CLRNC WAS RECEIVED; THIS PLT TAXIED ONTO THE RWY TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH A WHITE LINE THAT CONSTITUTED PART OF AN ARROW DEPICTING THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD THAT WAS KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH RWY 31. WHEN THE WHITE LINE WAS OBSERVED; THE ACFT WAS TURNED TO THE R TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE CTR OF THE RWY. WHILE TKOF PWR WAS BEING APPLIED AND THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD; THE L PROP CONTACTED AN OBJECT. THE PWR WAS RETARDED AND THE ACFT TURNED TO THE L TO RETURN TO THE END OF THE RWY THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP VIA TXWY 'F.' THE CTL TWR WAS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED OF THE ABORTED TKOF; THE COLLISION WITH AN UNIDENTED OBJECT; AND THIS PLT'S INTENTIONS TO RETURN TO THE RAMP. THE CTL TWR CLOSED THE RWY FOR INSPECTION BY CFR (CRASH-FIRE-RESCUE). THIS PLT INSPECTED THE ACFT AND DETERMINED THAT ALL 3 BLADES OF THE L PROP HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE AND THAT A PIECE OF THE OBJECT HAD BOUNCED UP FROM THE RWY SURFACE TO DAMAGE THE SKIN OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE FLAP. AFTER RETURNING TO THE SCENE; THIS PLT OBSERVED THAT THE WHITE LINE THAT HAD BEEN USED FOR RWY CTRLINE ALIGNMENT WAS ACTUALLY THE L SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE; WHICH EXTENDED THROUGH INTXN OF RWY 31 AND TXWY 'B' TO THE SE END OF THE RWY. THE OBJECT STRUCK WAS AN UNLIGHTED TXWY SIGN THAT FACED THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (NW). THE R SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE DID NOT EXTEND THROUGH THE INTXN OF RWY 31 AND TXWY 'F' TO THE SE END OF THE RWY. THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW DID NOT BEGIN NEAR THE SE END OF THE RWY AS IMPLIED BY THE AIRMEN'S INFO MANUAL: ATC -- SECTION I; B. AERONAUTICAL LIGHTING AND OTHER ARPT VISUAL AIDS: ARPT MARKING AIDS; G. DISPLACED THRESHOLD -- '...WHITE ARROWS ARE LOCATED ALONG THE CTRLINE IN THE AREA BTWN THE BEGINNING OF THE RWY AND DISPLACED THRESHOLD...' IT IS THIS PLT'S OPINION THAT THE ABSENCE OF THE R SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE ESTABLISHED THE PERCEPTION THAT THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW WOULD BE THE FIRST WHITE LINE TO COME INTO VIEW. WHEN THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW DID NOT COME INTO VIEW; THE L SIDE RWY STRIPE WITH ADDITIONAL PAVEMENT EXTENDING BEYOND IT PRESENTED THE PERCEPTION THAT THE ACFT WAS POSITIONED ON THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY. THE DIFFUSED GLARE OF SURROUNDING RWY LIGHTING WAS ESSENTIALLY IGNORED IN FAVOR OF THE WHITE LINE PERCEIVED TO BE THE BEST REF TO THE CTRLINE OF THE RWY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.