Narrative:

I taxied flight abc out of the air carrier commuter ramp in phx. After receiving clearance to taxi to runway 26L via txwys C and right. I proceeded to move the aircraft across taxiway C and into the taxiway edge lights. I stopped the aircraft in the taxi lights and then proceeded back onto taxiway C and continued to taxi to runway 26L. We did not hear a noise nor feel anything unusual, so we thought that we had passed cleanly through the taxi lights. Shortly thereafter, we departed for our destination, fhu. After landing in fhu, and conducting our normal postflt aircraft walkaround, we discovered damage to the tip of 1 blade on the #2 right propeller. We notified our company who canceled the return flight and sent a company mechanic to determine the degree of damage. Once the mechanic arrived, he determined that the aircraft was not airworthy and could not be ferried to our maintenance base. After returning to phx, we discovered a broken taxiway edge light bulb. It was night outside and the phx ramp area is lit up to the degree of daylight and the airport lights, particularly the taxiway lights, are very dim. This combined with the fact that the landing traffic, which have all available lights on (the intersection of the commuter ramp and taxiway C is adjacent to the touchdown zone of runway 26R), blinds humans from all darker objects. So essentially, if a pilot is not familiar with the airport and they go from one bright area to another, they will never see the less bright area in front of them. This happens to be the airport txwys, ditches, taxiway ctrlines, other aircraft, etc. Other contributing factors: I was fatigued -- it was my 13TH hour of duty including deadhead from den-phx-ifp. We were running 20 mins behind schedule and were rushing to make up time. My first officer had his head in the checklist. The cabin lights were on, shining white light into the cockpit. The cockpit floodlights were on -- these lights are green, so they made the dim blue taxiway edge lights at phx seem like green taxi centerline lights. In addition, I was glancing down to my departure plate to back up my first officer's departure brief and was relying on peripheral vision to taxi to the centerline. It is possible, that in the blinding conditions, I may have mistaken the taxiway edge lights for green centerline lights.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF A COMMUTER TURBOPROP INADVERTENTLY RAN OVER A TXWY LIGHT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE R PROP. ACFT DAMAGE WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL POSTFLT INSPECTION AFTER DEST ARR.

Narrative: I TAXIED FLT ABC OUT OF THE ACR COMMUTER RAMP IN PHX. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 26L VIA TXWYS C AND R. I PROCEEDED TO MOVE THE ACFT ACROSS TXWY C AND INTO THE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS. I STOPPED THE ACFT IN THE TAXI LIGHTS AND THEN PROCEEDED BACK ONTO TXWY C AND CONTINUED TO TAXI TO RWY 26L. WE DID NOT HEAR A NOISE NOR FEEL ANYTHING UNUSUAL, SO WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD PASSED CLEANLY THROUGH THE TAXI LIGHTS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WE DEPARTED FOR OUR DEST, FHU. AFTER LNDG IN FHU, AND CONDUCTING OUR NORMAL POSTFLT ACFT WALKAROUND, WE DISCOVERED DAMAGE TO THE TIP OF 1 BLADE ON THE #2 R PROP. WE NOTIFIED OUR COMPANY WHO CANCELED THE RETURN FLT AND SENT A COMPANY MECH TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE. ONCE THE MECH ARRIVED, HE DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT AIRWORTHY AND COULD NOT BE FERRIED TO OUR MAINT BASE. AFTER RETURNING TO PHX, WE DISCOVERED A BROKEN TXWY EDGE LIGHT BULB. IT WAS NIGHT OUTSIDE AND THE PHX RAMP AREA IS LIT UP TO THE DEGREE OF DAYLIGHT AND THE ARPT LIGHTS, PARTICULARLY THE TXWY LIGHTS, ARE VERY DIM. THIS COMBINED WITH THE FACT THAT THE LNDG TFC, WHICH HAVE ALL AVAILABLE LIGHTS ON (THE INTXN OF THE COMMUTER RAMP AND TXWY C IS ADJACENT TO THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE OF RWY 26R), BLINDS HUMANS FROM ALL DARKER OBJECTS. SO ESSENTIALLY, IF A PLT IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND THEY GO FROM ONE BRIGHT AREA TO ANOTHER, THEY WILL NEVER SEE THE LESS BRIGHT AREA IN FRONT OF THEM. THIS HAPPENS TO BE THE ARPT TXWYS, DITCHES, TXWY CTRLINES, OTHER ACFT, ETC. OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: I WAS FATIGUED -- IT WAS MY 13TH HR OF DUTY INCLUDING DEADHEAD FROM DEN-PHX-IFP. WE WERE RUNNING 20 MINS BEHIND SCHEDULE AND WERE RUSHING TO MAKE UP TIME. MY FO HAD HIS HEAD IN THE CHKLIST. THE CABIN LIGHTS WERE ON, SHINING WHITE LIGHT INTO THE COCKPIT. THE COCKPIT FLOODLIGHTS WERE ON -- THESE LIGHTS ARE GREEN, SO THEY MADE THE DIM BLUE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS AT PHX SEEM LIKE GREEN TAXI CTRLINE LIGHTS. IN ADDITION, I WAS GLANCING DOWN TO MY DEP PLATE TO BACK UP MY FO'S DEP BRIEF AND WAS RELYING ON PERIPHERAL VISION TO TAXI TO THE CTRLINE. IT IS POSSIBLE, THAT IN THE BLINDING CONDITIONS, I MAY HAVE MISTAKEN THE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS FOR GREEN CTRLINE LIGHTS.

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.