PA44 INSTRUCTOR AND TRAINEE HIT A TXWY LIGHT.

Narrative

ON EVENING OF JUL/XA/99; I AND A STUDENT OF MINE FLEW FROM DAYTONA BEACH TO OKEECHOBEE ARPT FOR A REFUELING STOP ON OUR WAY TO KEY WEST; FL. THE FLT AND LNDG WERE NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. WHEN WE LANDED WE PROCEEDED S ON THE MAIN TXWY TOWARDS THE FUEL RAMP AREA. THE ARPT IS A SMALL UNCTLED MOSTLY DARK LIGHTED ARPT. AS MY STUDENT AND I TAXIED S WE TURNED OFF ONTO THE WRONG TXWY INTXN AND STOPPED. THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD AND WIND CALM. THE INTXN WAS LARGE ENOUGH WHERE I COULD SAFELY TURN THE ACFT 120 DEGS TO THE L AND PROCEED BACK ONTO THE MAIN TXWY. BEFORE I STARTED THE TURN; I NOTED 2 TXWY LIGHTS TO THE L AND BEHIND THE ACFT AT ABOUT 15 FT. ALSO; I THOUGHT THE POS OF THOSE 2 LIGHTS SEEMED RATHER FAR FROM WHERE THE EDGE OF THE GRASS STATED. I ESTIMATED THE DISTANCE THE LIGHTS WERE FROM THE EDGE OF THE GRASS TO A BE ABOUT 10-15 FT. INCIDENTALLY; BTWN THE 2 LIGHTED TAXI LIGHTS WERE WEEDS GROWING THROUGH THE PAVEMENT. AS I STARTED MY TURN TO THE L KEEPING IN MY SIGHT THE 2 LIGHTS BEHIND ME; THE R PROP STRUCK THE UNNOTICEABLE AND UNLIT THIRD TXWY LIGHT AT THE INTXN. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE PLANE AND LOOKED BEHIND THE R WING AND SHINED MY FLASHLIGHT ON AN AREA 10 FT BEHIND THE ACFT AND SAW THE DAMAGED TXWY LIGHT. NEXT I PROCEED TO THE LIGHTED RAMP JUST THE NEXT INTXN DOWN AND STOPPED AND SURVEYED THE DAMAGE. THE R PROP HAD ABOUT A HALF-INCH MISSING OFF OF THE TIPS AND A FEW NICKS ON THE BLADES. I THEN LOOKED AT THE DAMAGE OF THE TAXI LIGHT AND THE TOP HALF WAS SHEARED OFF. LASTLY I CALLED MY SCHOOL'S DISPATCH PHONE NUMBER AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBS AND GROUNDED THE PLANE. THE NEXT DAY A MECH INSPECTED AND REPLACED THE R PROP. IN CONCLUSION SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT LED UP TO THE PROP STRIKE WERE THE UNFAMILIAR TXWY INTXN LOCATIONS BY BOTH MY STUDENT AND ME AND THE UNLIT TXWY LIGHT. AT THE TIME OF THE FLT I WAS FULLY RESTED AND FATIGUE PLAYED NO FACTOR. THE ARPT WAS QUITE DARK AND THE PERCEPTION OF THE TXWY LIGHTS WERE HARD TO SEE. I ALSO BELIEVE THE SET BACK OF THE TXWY LIGHTS ON THE INTXNS ARE TOO FAR AWAY FROM WHERE THE GRASS LINE STARTS. WITH ONLY 1 LNDG LIGHT ON IT IS SOMETIMES EASIER TO NOTICE THE OUTLINE OF THE GRASS FIRST THAN THE TAXI LIGHTS. THE FACT STILL STANDS THAT I NEVER SAW THE THIRD UNLIT TXWY LIGHT. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EVENTS THAT LED UP TO THE PROP STRIKE IN MENTION.