C172 PLT FLEW INTO NIGHT WITH AN INOP TAXI AND LNDG LIGHT. HE HAD A PROP STRIKE WHEN HE HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER HE COULDN'T SEE.

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DURING PREFLT I DISCOVERED THE LNDG LIGHT WAS INOP. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED EQUIP AND I HAD A MISSION TIME TO MEET. I ELECTED TO DEPART WITHOUT THE LNDG LIGHT BEING REPLACED AT XA00 HRS PDT. SOON AFTER XE00 HRS; I LEFT THE AREA OF NORTH PORTLAND AND PROCEEDED TO AURORA STATE ARPT; TOUCHING DOWN BTWN XE20 AND XE30 HRS; JUST AS TWILIGHT WAS FADING. I EXITED THE RWY TO THE RAMP FOR FBO. I TAXIED ONTO THEIR RAMP TO CHK FOR A SELF SVC FUEL PUMP. AFTER DETERMINING THAT THERE WAS NOT SELF SVC AVAILABLE HERE; I PROCEEDED N ON A TXWY ADJACENT TO HANGARS THAT APPEARED TO EXTEND TO THE N RAMP WHERE THE OTHER AVAILABLE FUEL SOURCE WAS LOCATED. NO OBSTRUCTION WAS VISIBLE AND THIS APPEARED TO BE AN ACFT MOVEMENT AREA/TXWY. I PROCEEDED NBOUND; TAXING NORMALLY ON THE BLACKTOP/ASPHALT TXWY. LIGHT WAS SLOWLY FADING; BUT ARTIFICIAL LIGHT CAST BY OCCASIONAL LIGHT SOURCES ALONG THE TXWY ALLOWED ME TO SEE THE EDGES OF THE TXWY WHILE MOVING. AS I NEARED THE N RAMP; ABOUT 150 FT S I PASSED AN OCCUPIED HANGAR WITH A GARAGE (NOT HANGAR DOOR) DOOR OPEN FACING THE TXWY. SOME LIGHT FROM THE HANGAR SHOWN ON THE TXWY. AS I PASSED THROUGH THIS LIGHT BACK INTO DARKNESS; I STRUCK A CONCRETE HWY BARRIER PLACED PERPENDICULAR ACROSS THE TXWY. I DID NOT SEE THE BARRIER PRIOR TO IMPACT. MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT PERHAPS I STRUCK A POTHOLE IN THE TXWY. IN FACT; AFTER SHUTTING OFF ALL ELECTRIC AND FUEL; I EXITED THE ACFT AND DISCOVERED I STRUCK A BARRIER. BOTH ENDS OF THE PROP WERE BENT AND THE LOWER COWLING WAS DENTED WHERE FORWARD MOMENTUM HAD CARRIED THE ACFT INTO THE BARRIER AFTER THE PROP STRUCK. I SIMPLY DID NOT; COULD NOT; SEE THE BARRIER PRIOR TO IMPACT. THIS TXWY IS DEPICTED AS COMPLETE FROM MIDFIELD TO THE N RAMP IN THE ARPT/FACILITY DIRECTORY -- NW UNITED STATES. ADDITIONALLY THIS BARRIER HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR SOME LENGTH OF TIME AS EVIDENCED BY THE WEATHERED; DARKENED APPEARANCE. ALSO; THERE WERE NO STANDARD MARKINGS ON THE TXWY TO INDICATE IT WAS CLOSED. THE BARRIER WAS UNMARKED OR PAINTED TO MAKE IT VISIBLE AT NIGHT. AFTER EXITING THE ACFT; I OBSERVED THAT THE BARRIER BLENDED WITH THE TXWY AND SHADOWS BEHIND IT TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE IN THE DARK. OBVIOUSLY; NOT HAVING A LNDG LIGHT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MISHAP. ADDITIONALLY; THE LIGHT CONDITIONS OF DUSK -- TWILIGHT FADING TO NIGHT -- WERE PARTICULARLY BAD FOR BEING BALE TO DISTINGUISH AN OBSTRUCTION THAT HAD COLORATION THAT BLENDED WITH THE TXWY SURFACE AND THE SHADOWS BEHIND IT. AND; NEITHER THE OBSTRUCTION NOR THE TXWY WERE APPROPRIATELY MARKED TO WARN OF A HAZARD. THIS TXWY IS DEPICTED AS COMPETE FOR THE RTE I WAS TAKING IN THE UNITED STATES GOV DEPTS OF TRANSPORTATION ARPT/FACILITY DIRECTORY AND NO NOTAMED WAS PUBLISHED.