Narrative:

On jan/fri/99, at night I initiated an ILS runway 34 approach to the redding, ca, airport (rdd). I obtained the current WX from ZOA, as the tower/ATIS closed, which was ceiling 300 ft overcast, visibility 1-3/4 mi. I also obtained the current altimeter setting and set it in the left altimeter. Rdd has pilot controled lighting after the tower closes. I believe I activated the lights on approach, but this confign does not provide a means to confirm the status of the lights. I maintained a stabilized approach. At decision ht (200 ft AGL) I saw airport lighting, and continued. At around 100 ft AGL I felt and heard a bump coming from the left wing, and at the same time I lost visual contact with the airport, and immediately executed a missed approach. I received vectors from ZOA for another approach, and landed. During rollout I learned the left brake was inoperative. I rolled to the end of the runway, turned left onto the run-up area for runway 16, and shut down the engines. Upon examination, I observed minor damage to the leading edge of the left cowling (fiberglass), a small amount of brake fluid leaking from the left landing gear, and a small puncture to the left flap. I also noticed prior to exiting the aircraft a contract security vehicle coming from the area of the localizer antenna. I then taxied the aircraft to the ramp area. This was further investigated the following morning. It was learned that the left cowling, gear, and flap struck the top of a tree at roughly 50 ft AGL (an approximately 50 ft tall tree). The tree is located approximately 200 ft left of runway 34 centerline and approximately 200 ft prior to the runway threshold. A right front seat passenger, who is a commercial pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings, stated that she was monitoring my approach, as requested by me, and observed that the localizer needle was nearly center, with a slight left deflection indicating that I was slightly right of centerline. I recall that the localizer was nearly centered, with GS stabilized throughout the approach. It is possible that when briefly 'breaking out' of the clouds, my mind mistook taxiway lighting for the runway, even though blue, as the tree was nearly aligned with the parallel taxiway. This event was very brief as I executed a missed approach immediately. The security guard reported that an aircraft hit a deer on the airport within the previous week. Others reported seeing a large herd of deer on the airport that evening. I have personally seen large numbers of deer on the airport in the past. Conclusions/human factors: I believe that there was an ILS system failure, most likely from ground interference. I observed the contract airport security vehicle coming from the area of the localizer antenna when I rolled out after successfully landing after the second ILS approach. The other possibility is interference from deer, or a combination of both. My front seat rated pilot/passenger provided independent feedback that my localizer was nearly centered, but she could not see the GS indicator from her vantage point. I feel that it was nearly centered. I was unable to turn on the approach lights (alsf) during both approachs. I did turn them on just prior to setting down after the second approach. I had heard 5 radio clicks during the second approach, making me think that my 5 clicks on the CTAF may have turned them off again. The problem is that there is not a mechanism that I know of at this airport to verify the status of the lights. On VFR approach to an airport this is not a problem, because you can see them come on, but on an IFR/IMC approach this is not satisfactory and blatantly unsafe, all to save electricity I presume. A human factor is fatigue, as I was tired from 4.5 hours of instrument flying. I was however receiving assistance from my right front seat passenger/pilot who did some of the en route section 91 flying, some of the radio communications, assistance with charts.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C421 PLT HIT A TREE ON AN ILS APCH.

Narrative: ON JAN/FRI/99, AT NIGHT I INITIATED AN ILS RWY 34 APCH TO THE REDDING, CA, ARPT (RDD). I OBTAINED THE CURRENT WX FROM ZOA, AS THE TWR/ATIS CLOSED, WHICH WAS CEILING 300 FT OVCST, VISIBILITY 1-3/4 MI. I ALSO OBTAINED THE CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING AND SET IT IN THE L ALTIMETER. RDD HAS PLT CTLED LIGHTING AFTER THE TWR CLOSES. I BELIEVE I ACTIVATED THE LIGHTS ON APCH, BUT THIS CONFIGN DOES NOT PROVIDE A MEANS TO CONFIRM THE STATUS OF THE LIGHTS. I MAINTAINED A STABILIZED APCH. AT DECISION HT (200 FT AGL) I SAW ARPT LIGHTING, AND CONTINUED. AT AROUND 100 FT AGL I FELT AND HEARD A BUMP COMING FROM THE L WING, AND AT THE SAME TIME I LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT, AND IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A MISSED APCH. I RECEIVED VECTORS FROM ZOA FOR ANOTHER APCH, AND LANDED. DURING ROLLOUT I LEARNED THE L BRAKE WAS INOP. I ROLLED TO THE END OF THE RWY, TURNED L ONTO THE RUN-UP AREA FOR RWY 16, AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGS. UPON EXAMINATION, I OBSERVED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE L COWLING (FIBERGLASS), A SMALL AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE L LNDG GEAR, AND A SMALL PUNCTURE TO THE L FLAP. I ALSO NOTICED PRIOR TO EXITING THE ACFT A CONTRACT SECURITY VEHICLE COMING FROM THE AREA OF THE LOC ANTENNA. I THEN TAXIED THE ACFT TO THE RAMP AREA. THIS WAS FURTHER INVESTIGATED THE FOLLOWING MORNING. IT WAS LEARNED THAT THE L COWLING, GEAR, AND FLAP STRUCK THE TOP OF A TREE AT ROUGHLY 50 FT AGL (AN APPROX 50 FT TALL TREE). THE TREE IS LOCATED APPROX 200 FT L OF RWY 34 CTRLINE AND APPROX 200 FT PRIOR TO THE RWY THRESHOLD. A R FRONT SEAT PAX, WHO IS A COMMERCIAL PLT WITH MULTI-ENG AND INST RATINGS, STATED THAT SHE WAS MONITORING MY APCH, AS REQUESTED BY ME, AND OBSERVED THAT THE LOC NEEDLE WAS NEARLY CTR, WITH A SLIGHT L DEFLECTION INDICATING THAT I WAS SLIGHTLY R OF CTRLINE. I RECALL THAT THE LOC WAS NEARLY CTRED, WITH GS STABILIZED THROUGHOUT THE APCH. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WHEN BRIEFLY 'BREAKING OUT' OF THE CLOUDS, MY MIND MISTOOK TXWY LIGHTING FOR THE RWY, EVEN THOUGH BLUE, AS THE TREE WAS NEARLY ALIGNED WITH THE PARALLEL TXWY. THIS EVENT WAS VERY BRIEF AS I EXECUTED A MISSED APCH IMMEDIATELY. THE SECURITY GUARD RPTED THAT AN ACFT HIT A DEER ON THE ARPT WITHIN THE PREVIOUS WK. OTHERS RPTED SEEING A LARGE HERD OF DEER ON THE ARPT THAT EVENING. I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN LARGE NUMBERS OF DEER ON THE ARPT IN THE PAST. CONCLUSIONS/HUMAN FACTORS: I BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS AN ILS SYS FAILURE, MOST LIKELY FROM GND INTERFERENCE. I OBSERVED THE CONTRACT ARPT SECURITY VEHICLE COMING FROM THE AREA OF THE LOC ANTENNA WHEN I ROLLED OUT AFTER SUCCESSFULLY LNDG AFTER THE SECOND ILS APCH. THE OTHER POSSIBILITY IS INTERFERENCE FROM DEER, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH. MY FRONT SEAT RATED PLT/PAX PROVIDED INDEPENDENT FEEDBACK THAT MY LOC WAS NEARLY CTRED, BUT SHE COULD NOT SEE THE GS INDICATOR FROM HER VANTAGE POINT. I FEEL THAT IT WAS NEARLY CTRED. I WAS UNABLE TO TURN ON THE APCH LIGHTS (ALSF) DURING BOTH APCHS. I DID TURN THEM ON JUST PRIOR TO SETTING DOWN AFTER THE SECOND APCH. I HAD HEARD 5 RADIO CLICKS DURING THE SECOND APCH, MAKING ME THINK THAT MY 5 CLICKS ON THE CTAF MAY HAVE TURNED THEM OFF AGAIN. THE PROB IS THAT THERE IS NOT A MECHANISM THAT I KNOW OF AT THIS ARPT TO VERIFY THE STATUS OF THE LIGHTS. ON VFR APCH TO AN ARPT THIS IS NOT A PROB, BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THEM COME ON, BUT ON AN IFR/IMC APCH THIS IS NOT SATISFACTORY AND BLATANTLY UNSAFE, ALL TO SAVE ELECTRICITY I PRESUME. A HUMAN FACTOR IS FATIGUE, AS I WAS TIRED FROM 4.5 HRS OF INST FLYING. I WAS HOWEVER RECEIVING ASSISTANCE FROM MY R FRONT SEAT PAX/PLT WHO DID SOME OF THE ENRTE SECTION 91 FLYING, SOME OF THE RADIO COMS, ASSISTANCE WITH CHARTS.

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.