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Approach to runway at night. No runway lights operating, icing, no airspeed, results in hard landing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 174871 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199103 |
| Day | Fri |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : rnc |
| State Reference | TN |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 2 Eng, Retractable Gear |
| Flight Phase | landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 10 flight time total : 360 flight time type : 50 |
| ASRS Report | 174871 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical inflight encounter : weather other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | faa : investigated other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
It all started with a normal IFR flight. I was cruising at 10000'. Over cha I noticed the rotating beacon of cha. Then, as I came over into tn, I noticed an overcast condition. (No problem, right?) then, as I was in my descent toward rnc, I called ZME and asked them what the reports were concerning wind and ceiling at bna and dxv. They told me that bna was C5 and snowing, and that csv was M7. So I said to myself, 'still no problem, rnc is lower than csv--I should make it under the overcast.' I did make it, but I noticed due to the snow that I was picking up some rime ice. But, I thought, 'maybe I won't pick up too much during my descent.' then, once I got below the overcast, I noticed that it was snowing at rnc as well. Then the problem of finding the runway at rnc--it was nighttime, snowing, windy and the runway lights were out. (Bad situation, right?) I finally figured out where the runway was, but it is hard to tell how to line up with a black runway with just a few white lines on a dark, windy, snowy night, west/O runway lights, until you are almost right over it. And then with the wind making it hard to keep it lined up, it is quite a tough job. I did make it over the runway, and did get it over the centerline, and that is when it happened. The wind changed on me (wind shear, maybe), or I got too slow due to the fact that I had lost my airspeed indication because of icing several mins earlier. At that moment the aircraft felt like it just went straight down for a few ft, for a harder landing than I ever want to experience again. It did do some damage to the left landing gear, the left wing and the propeller on the left side. I would highly recommend that rnc should fix all of the runway lights immediately, and permanently (this is not the only time that I have landed at rnc with no runway lights. It just so happened that nothing ever happened to me before this time. But, I will be reporting any airport from now on that does not have proper operating runway lights when they are listed as having runway lights), to prevent this type of event, or a worse event to happen to another pilot. By the way, the runway lights being out was not reported to FSS as a NOTAM until several days after this event.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: APCH TO RWY AT NIGHT. NO RWY LIGHTS OPERATING, ICING, NO AIRSPEED, RESULTS IN HARD LNDG.
Narrative: IT ALL STARTED WITH A NORMAL IFR FLT. I WAS CRUISING AT 10000'. OVER CHA I NOTICED THE ROTATING BEACON OF CHA. THEN, AS I CAME OVER INTO TN, I NOTICED AN OVCST CONDITION. (NO PROB, RIGHT?) THEN, AS I WAS IN MY DSNT TOWARD RNC, I CALLED ZME AND ASKED THEM WHAT THE RPTS WERE CONCERNING WIND AND CEILING AT BNA AND DXV. THEY TOLD ME THAT BNA WAS C5 AND SNOWING, AND THAT CSV WAS M7. SO I SAID TO MYSELF, 'STILL NO PROB, RNC IS LOWER THAN CSV--I SHOULD MAKE IT UNDER THE OVCST.' I DID MAKE IT, BUT I NOTICED DUE TO THE SNOW THAT I WAS PICKING UP SOME RIME ICE. BUT, I THOUGHT, 'MAYBE I WON'T PICK UP TOO MUCH DURING MY DSNT.' THEN, ONCE I GOT BELOW THE OVCST, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS SNOWING AT RNC AS WELL. THEN THE PROB OF FINDING THE RWY AT RNC--IT WAS NIGHTTIME, SNOWING, WINDY AND THE RWY LIGHTS WERE OUT. (BAD SITUATION, RIGHT?) I FINALLY FIGURED OUT WHERE THE RWY WAS, BUT IT IS HARD TO TELL HOW TO LINE UP WITH A BLACK RWY WITH JUST A FEW WHITE LINES ON A DARK, WINDY, SNOWY NIGHT, W/O RWY LIGHTS, UNTIL YOU ARE ALMOST RIGHT OVER IT. AND THEN WITH THE WIND MAKING IT HARD TO KEEP IT LINED UP, IT IS QUITE A TOUGH JOB. I DID MAKE IT OVER THE RWY, AND DID GET IT OVER THE CENTERLINE, AND THAT IS WHEN IT HAPPENED. THE WIND CHANGED ON ME (WIND SHEAR, MAYBE), OR I GOT TOO SLOW DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAD LOST MY AIRSPD INDICATION BECAUSE OF ICING SEVERAL MINS EARLIER. AT THAT MOMENT THE ACFT FELT LIKE IT JUST WENT STRAIGHT DOWN FOR A FEW FT, FOR A HARDER LNDG THAN I EVER WANT TO EXPERIENCE AGAIN. IT DID DO SOME DAMAGE TO THE LEFT LNDG GEAR, THE LEFT WING AND THE PROP ON THE LEFT SIDE. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT RNC SHOULD FIX ALL OF THE RWY LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY, AND PERMANENTLY (THIS IS NOT THE ONLY TIME THAT I HAVE LANDED AT RNC WITH NO RWY LIGHTS. IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT NOTHING EVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE THIS TIME. BUT, I WILL BE RPTING ANY ARPT FROM NOW ON THAT DOES NOT HAVE PROPER OPERATING RWY LIGHTS WHEN THEY ARE LISTED AS HAVING RWY LIGHTS), TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF EVENT, OR A WORSE EVENT TO HAPPEN TO ANOTHER PLT. BY THE WAY, THE RWY LIGHTS BEING OUT WAS NOT RPTED TO FSS AS A NOTAM UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THIS EVENT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.