Air taxi cargo aircraft has landing light fail. Taxies into ditch.

Attributes
ACN	200966
Time
Date	199202
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : uki
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 33 flight time total : 2250 flight time type : 6
ASRS Report	200966
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified cockpit
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

I had only been to ukiah airport during the day and this was only my third trip. Also the aircraft sits nose high even before loading. After loading work at ukiah airport I began taxiing northwest for a departure on runway 15. The airport does not have any taxiway lights and is extremely dark at night. As I was taxiing my landing light failed and due to the dark conditions I taxied onto the grass. I thought I was on the grass in between the runway and the taxiway. See diagram. I thought this because the REIL lights were behind and to my right and the red lights at the runway end were ahead and to my right. Also at night the REIL and other lights seemed closer than they actually were. Thinking this I taxied left to get on the taxiway runup area and taxied into the ditch. Actually I was on the grass past the runup area which gave the same visual reference to the lights as described above. Ukiah also has a ditch that runs parallel to runway 15 west of the taxiway.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIR TAXI CARGO ACFT HAS LNDG LIGHT FAIL. TAXIES INTO DITCH.

Narrative: I HAD ONLY BEEN TO UKIAH ARPT DURING THE DAY AND THIS WAS ONLY MY THIRD TRIP. ALSO THE ACFT SITS NOSE HIGH EVEN BEFORE LOADING. AFTER LOADING WORK AT UKIAH ARPT I BEGAN TAXIING NW FOR A DEP ON RWY 15. THE ARPT DOES NOT HAVE ANY TAXIWAY LIGHTS AND IS EXTREMELY DARK AT NIGHT. AS I WAS TAXIING MY LNDG LIGHT FAILED AND DUE TO THE DARK CONDITIONS I TAXIED ONTO THE GRASS. I THOUGHT I WAS ON THE GRASS IN BTWN THE RWY AND THE TAXIWAY. SEE DIAGRAM. I THOUGHT THIS BECAUSE THE REIL LIGHTS WERE BEHIND AND TO MY R AND THE RED LIGHTS AT THE RWY END WERE AHEAD AND TO MY R. ALSO AT NIGHT THE REIL AND OTHER LIGHTS SEEMED CLOSER THAN THEY ACTUALLY WERE. THINKING THIS I TAXIED L TO GET ON THE TAXIWAY RUNUP AREA AND TAXIED INTO THE DITCH. ACTUALLY I WAS ON THE GRASS PAST THE RUNUP AREA WHICH GAVE THE SAME VISUAL REF TO THE LIGHTS AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. UKIAH ALSO HAS A DITCH THAT RUNS PARALLEL TO RWY 15 W OF THE TAXIWAY.

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.