Narrative:

On arrival at sitka; alaska; landing runway 11; night operation; weather conditions rain and gusty winds. Flying the VASI and approach lights to transition to the runway; in the flare; touchdown zone markings were almost invisible and no centerline markings were visible. Runway lights were at medium creating shiny appearance on wet runway. Runway color appeared to be grayish; preventing contrast between centerline markings and runway surface. Only using peripheral vision to maintain visual contact with the runway lights allowed me to maintain aircraft close to centerline for rollout. Runways in alaska have recurring issues with proper markings/paint to maintain longevity of runway markings. Improper preparation and paint characteristics do not allow for the markings to be usable for long periods (wrangell; ketchikan; sitka; all have had multiple reports filed regarding these deteriorated visual cues over consecutive years) and appear to not withstand a single fall/winter/spring seasonal cycle. The FAA and the state of alaska need to review the repetitive reports of these deficiencies and investigate a higher quality paint and installation procedures. Having airport personnel view these markings while they are standing on the runway (moving at zero miles per hour) does not adequately represent the visual cues we deal with when landing the aircraft during night operations with blowing snow; rain; shiny runway appearance do to runway lighting; dealing with crosswinds and alignment of the aircraft for touchdown. This current operation is at the level of being unwise. Let's get it fixed before it becomes unsafe and somebody gets hurt.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Jet aircraft pilot reported poor runway markings at SIT; as well as other Alaska airports; that complicate visual orientation during landing flare.

Narrative: On arrival at Sitka; Alaska; landing runway 11; night operation; weather conditions rain and gusty winds. Flying the VASI and approach lights to transition to the runway; in the flare; touchdown zone markings were almost invisible and NO centerline markings were visible. Runway lights were at medium creating shiny appearance on wet runway. Runway color appeared to be grayish; preventing contrast between centerline markings and runway surface. Only using peripheral vision to maintain visual contact with the runway lights allowed me to maintain aircraft close to centerline for rollout. Runways in Alaska have recurring issues with proper markings/paint to maintain longevity of runway markings. Improper preparation and paint characteristics do not allow for the markings to be usable for long periods (Wrangell; Ketchikan; Sitka; all have had multiple reports filed regarding these deteriorated visual cues over consecutive years) and appear to not withstand a single fall/winter/spring seasonal cycle. The FAA and the State of Alaska need to review the repetitive reports of these deficiencies and investigate a higher quality paint and installation procedures. Having airport personnel view these markings while they are standing on the runway (moving at ZERO miles per hour) does NOT adequately represent the visual cues we deal with when landing the aircraft during night operations with blowing snow; rain; shiny runway appearance do to runway lighting; dealing with crosswinds and alignment of the aircraft for touchdown. This current operation is at the level of being UNWISE. Let's get it fixed before it becomes UNSAFE and somebody gets hurt.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.