A LOW TIME C172 PVT PLT LOSES CTL OF HIS ACFT DURING A NON QUALIFIED NIGHT LNDG AND HITS A TXWY SIGN AT FCI; VA.

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CONDITIONS INFLT WERE VISIBILITY 15 MI; CEILING 20000 FT AGL. DURING PROGRESS ACROSS THE CHESAPEAKE BAY; I HAD ANTICIPATED MY ARR IN CHESTERFIELD WITHIN THE 1 HR LIMITATION FOR DUSK LNDG. I WAS NOT CURRENT AT NIGHT. BASED ON PROGRESS INFLT; I ANTICIPATED AN ARR OF APPROX XA50 (PRIOR TO SUNSET). APPROX 10 MI TO THE NE OF FCI; I CONTACTED RIC AND WAS ASKED TO SQUAWK VFR 1200 ON THE XPONDER TO SET UP FOR LNDG AT FCI WITH MINIMAL TFC. VERIFYING WIND AT 040 DEGS AT 3 KTS AND VERIFYING WITH UNICOM AT CHESTERFIELD ON ACTIVE RWY; IT WAS NOTED THAT 15 WAS THE CURRENT ACTIVE WITH MINIMAL TFC. THE SUN HAD SET APPROX 10 MINS PRIOR TO ARRIVING IN PATTERN ALT; VISIBILITY WAS +/-7 MI. ON DOWNWIND; ABEAM THE NUMBERS; I SLOWED THE ACFT TO 85 KTS AND PUT 10 DEGS OF FLAPS IN. I EXTENDED THE DOWNWIND IN ORDER TO NOT LOSE TOO MUCH ALT AND KEPT THE ACFT AT APPROX 1000 FT. MAKING A LONG EXTENDED FINAL; I REALIZED THAT I WAS A LITTLE HIGH AND SPD WAS A LITTLE HIGH FOR FINAL APCH OF 85 KTS. I DECIDED THAT WITH THE LENGTH OF FCI; I WOULD LAND APPROX 1500 FT DOWN THE RWY AND BE SAFE RATHER THAN LAND SHORT. LNDG LIGHTS WERE ON; PULSE LIGHTS WERE ON OVER THE FINAL 40 MINS OF FLT; AND SPD WAS REDUCED ON FINAL TO APPROX 75 KTS WITH 30 DEGS OF FLAPS. I FLARED THE ACFT AT APPROX 10 FT AGL. GND EFFECT WANTED ME TO STAY IN THE AIR; BUT I LET THIS AIRSPD REDUCE NATURALLY BY PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE. GND ROLL INITIATED AT APPROX 2000 FT ONTO RWY 15; EXACT SPD ROUGHLY 55-60 KTS. IN ORDER TO NOT BRAKE HARD; I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE TO INCREASE THE ANGLE OF ATTACK. I THEN LOWERED THE NOSE AND APPLIED BRAKES AT WHICH TIME THE ACFT SEEMED TO VEER L WHICH I CORRECTED BY APPLYING R BRAKE TO CORRECT THE CTRLINE OF RWY. AFTER CORRECTION; THE ACFT TENDED TO TORQUE AND THEN TURN AGAIN TO THE L. I REALIZED THAT WE WERE MOVING TO THE L SIDE OF THE RWY AT WHICH TIME THE L BRAKE EITHER LOCKED OR MY INTUITION LOCKED THE BRAKE TO CAUSE SKIDDING. THIS INITIAL REACTION IS HARD FOR ME TO REMEMBER; SPECIFICALLY; WHICH SIT OCCURRED FIRST. THE ACFT VEERED L AND I REALIZED THAT THE TXWY E SIGN WAS IN MY PATH. I CORRECTED THE DIRECTION OF THE ACFT TO THE L AS BEST POSSIBLE AT THAT LATE JUNCTURE. WE STRUCK THE ECHO SIGN WITH THE R WING SUPPORT AND WHEEL FAIRING COMING TO REST 25 FT PAST THE DAMAGED SIGN. I SHUT DOWN THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY AND CHKED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE. ALTHOUGH I SAW COSMETIC DAMAGE ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT; I DID NOT SEE ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. I STARTED UP THE ACFT ENSURING MY PAX WAS SAFE AND UNHURT AND TAXIED TO THE FBO HANGAR WHERE 3 MECHS WERE CLOSING DOWN THE ARPT HANGAR; READY TO GO HOME. UPON EVALUATION BY ACFT MECHS AND STAFF; ALL DAMAGE TO ACFT WAS COSMETIC ONLY.