C172 PLT FOLLOWS TXWY LINES WHICH LEAD INTO A CULVERT. TXWY LIGHTS WERE OTS. TXWY CONDITION NO LIGHTING CONSTRUCTION.

Narrative

WHILE TAXIING TO THE RAMP I LINED THE ACFT WITH THE TXWY SIGN F TO THE FBO. JUST AS I REALIZED THE ACFT WAS OFF THE HARDTOP THE ACFT SLID DOWN A SLIGHT DECLINE (APPROX 12 FT) TO AN OPEN DRAIN CULVERT. THE PROP HIT THE CONCRETE. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT TO THE ACFT. THE FBO EMPLOYEE WHO TOWED THE ACFT ADVISED ANOTHER ACFT WAS INVOLVED IN A SIMILAR EVENT AT THE SAME PLACE WITHIN THE PAST YR. AN ATC TWR SUPVR ADVISED ME TO CALL THE NTSB; WHICH I DID. MR X ADVISED ME NO RPT WAS NECESSARY; THE EVENTS DID NOT MEET THEIR CRITERIA FOR RPTING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED INCIDENT WITH THE FAA. THEY INFORMED HIM THAT HE WAS ABOUT THE THIRD ACFT TO HAVE TROUBLE IN THAT AREA. SINCE THIS INCIDENT THERE HAS BEEN ANOTHER WITH A CARAVAN IN WHICH THE ENTIRE NOSE OF THE ACFT WENT INTO THE CULVERT WITH SEVERE DAMAGE. FAA CONSIDERS THIS AN INCIDENT. THIS TXWY USED TO CONTINUE ONWARD BUT THE PROPERTY WAS PURCHASED BY A MAJOR CARGO CARRIER AND WAS EXPANDED INTO A LARGE RAMP WITH THE CULVERT ACROSS THE AREA LEADING INTO THE RAMP. THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT THE TXWY LIGHTS WERE OTS. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROB WITH THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. RPTR FOLLOWED THE LINE WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT AND THIS LED HIM INTO THE CULVERT. RPTR INDICATED THE WHOLE PROB COULD BE ELIMINATED BY PLACING A GRATE OVER THE CULVERT SO NOSEWHEELS WOULD NOT DROP; AND OF COURSE BY IMPROVING THE TXWY LIGHTING. FAA WILL CONTACT THE ARPT MGMNT.