GND INCIDENT IN A NIGHT OP. OBSTRUCTION LIGHT OUTAGE LIGHTING STANDARDS NOT VISIBLE UNLIGHTED UNMARKED TXWY CONDITION OBSTRUCTION.

Date: 1996-01 · Aircraft: PA-23-250 Aztec

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|other-unspecified

Synopsis

GND INCIDENT IN A NIGHT OP. OBSTRUCTION LIGHT OUTAGE LIGHTING STANDARDS NOT VISIBLE UNLIGHTED UNMARKED TXWY CONDITION OBSTRUCTION.

Narrative

I AM WRITING TO RPT AN EVENT THAT OCCURRED AT THE VERO BEACH ARPT. YESTERDAY MORNING; AT APPROX XX15 AM; MY WIFE AND I BEGAN WHAT WAS TO BE AN IFR FLT TO BOCA RATON IN MY PERSONAL ACFT; AZTEC. WE TAXIED OUT AND PROCEEDED INTO THE BLUE LIGHTED TXWY C3 WHEN THE L ENG STRUCK AN UNMARKED BARRICADE THAT EVIDENTLY WAS POSITIONED ON THE L SIDE OF THE TXWY. LATER THAT MORNING; I LEARNED FROM AN EMPLOYEE THAT ANOTHER BARRICADE; WHICH WAS INTENDED TO GUARD THE R SIDE OF THE TXWY; HAD BEEN BLOWN DOWN BY THE WIND. THAT SIT HAD NOT BEEN CORRECTED AT THE TIME I ENTERED THE TXWY. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE PROP WAS EXPERIENCED. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT A SIMILAR EVENT OCCURRED LAST NIGHT WITH TOMAHAWK AND I MENTION THIS IN CASE IT HAS NOT BEEN BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THERE HAS BEEN ARPT CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT VRB; WITH RWY 29L/11R BEING CLOSED AS A RESULT OF THIS ACTIVITY. TXWY C3 IS CLOSED AND THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE 'UNSEEN' BARRIERS; TO CLOSE OFF THAT TXWY. THERE WERE LIGHTING DEVICES ATTACHED TO THE BARRIERS BUT NO LIGHTS WERE APPARENT IN THE EARLY MORNING DARKNESS. THE TWR WAS CLOSED. RPTR HAS NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE ARPT MGR; LETTING HIS INSURANCE COMPANY HANDLE THE DETAILS. HE DID STATE THAT THERE ARE NOW 4 OR 5 BRIGHTLY LIT BARRICADES ON TXWY C3. HE WOULD STILL LIKE ASRS TO PURSUE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NOT AND IS NOT NOW ANY NOTAM REGARDING THESE BARRICADES AND THE CLOSURE OF TXWY C3.

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