<< >> NASA ASRS Report 263225, January 1994

Air carrier lines up with runway edge lights believing them to be centerline lights . Centerline lights inoperative.

Attributes
ACN	263225
Time
Date	199401
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ewr
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground : holding ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 1200
ASRS Report	263225
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : became reoriented
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

Ewr tower cleared us position and hold runway 22R. Turned on taxi light -- it didn't work -- had worked normally to this point. Turned on left and right landing lights. Right landing lights very dim. Due to wet runway, melted slush that had refrozen and poor aircraft lighting I did not see centerline marking.I maneuvered the aircraft to what I though were the centerline lights but a sharp first officer asked me the right question -- 'aren't those the edge lights?' fortunately we did not depart the runway. Lights on runway were inoperative but we did not have the NOTAM due on our release and it was not on ATIS. Takeoff and landing were normal. Wrote up inoperative taxi light and dim right landing light.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LINES UP WITH RWY EDGE LIGHTS BELIEVING THEM TO BE CTRLINE LIGHTS . CTRLINE LIGHTS INOP.

Narrative: EWR TWR CLRED US POS AND HOLD RWY 22R. TURNED ON TAXI LIGHT -- IT DIDN'T WORK -- HAD WORKED NORMALLY TO THIS POINT. TURNED ON L AND R LNDG LIGHTS. R LNDG LIGHTS VERY DIM. DUE TO WET RWY, MELTED SLUSH THAT HAD REFROZEN AND POOR ACFT LIGHTING I DID NOT SEE CTRLINE MARKING.I MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO WHAT I THOUGH WERE THE CTRLINE LIGHTS BUT A SHARP FO ASKED ME THE RIGHT QUESTION -- 'AREN'T THOSE THE EDGE LIGHTS?' FORTUNATELY WE DID NOT DEPART THE RWY. LIGHTS ON RWY WERE INOP BUT WE DID NOT HAVE THE NOTAM DUE ON OUR RELEASE AND IT WAS NOT ON ATIS. TKOF AND LNDG WERE NORMAL. WROTE UP INOP TAXI LIGHT AND DIM R LNDG LIGHT.

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.