Narrative:

I was on a multi-engine training flight with an mei. We had just landed on runway 28L at hwd and taxied across to a taxiway north of 28R. As we proceeded down the taxiway, the aircraft's taxi and landing lights quit. I slowed down a bit from standard taxi speed, which I think had been about 800-900 RPM and used the taxiway lights on our left and right for guidance. The taxiway lights on our left stopped and I slowed down some more and tried to stay the same distance from the right-hand taxiway lights. Then we heard the sound of scraping metal, which I thought must be a burned out taxiway light scraping the underside of the left wind. We stopped, and the instrument told me not to shut down, but to keep my feet on the brakes while he checked things out. He got back in, saying he had seen no damage and that we apparently had taxied through a pothole. We went on with a normal taxi, takeoff and flight, landing eventually back at pao. We had no indication of a problem and first learned there was a propeller strike when the chief pilot called both of us the next day. The main problems here were the failure of taxi and landing lights on the aircraft and the absence of taxiway lights on the eastern-most portion of the taxiway. I had asked about the aircraft's lights when I picked up the key, having heard that there was a 'problem' with them. An instrument at pao told me that they worked, but 'flickered.' later I discovered that the lights had been working this way for at least a month, just turning themselves out after a few mins of use. I had never flown this aircraft before and the lights seemed fine when I turned them on during preflight. I think the aircraft should have been placarded against night flight. The FBO disagrees. My instrument drove to hwd the next day for a daylight look at the taxiway. He says the last taxiway light has 40-60' behind the spot where the propeller scraped and that the strike occurred at the intersection (merger) of 2 txwys. Having been to hwd once before, I hadn't expected that arrangement. It would have helped a lot, presumable prevented the strike, if there had been a taxiway light at the merger point. As for human factors, the instrument could have paid closer attention to where I was going, we could have stopped when it got too dark to see the taxiway, we could have shut down for a full inspection of the scraping noises, and we could have postflted the aircraft. See acn 140125 for graphics.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT ON TRAINING FLT TAXIS OFF EDGE OF TXWY. PROPELLER STRIKE.

Narrative: I WAS ON A MULTI-ENG TRNING FLT WITH AN MEI. WE HAD JUST LANDED ON RWY 28L AT HWD AND TAXIED ACROSS TO A TXWY N OF 28R. AS WE PROCEEDED DOWN THE TXWY, THE ACFT'S TAXI AND LNDG LIGHTS QUIT. I SLOWED DOWN A BIT FROM STANDARD TAXI SPD, WHICH I THINK HAD BEEN ABOUT 800-900 RPM AND USED THE TXWY LIGHTS ON OUR LEFT AND RIGHT FOR GUIDANCE. THE TXWY LIGHTS ON OUR LEFT STOPPED AND I SLOWED DOWN SOME MORE AND TRIED TO STAY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE RIGHT-HAND TXWY LIGHTS. THEN WE HEARD THE SOUND OF SCRAPING METAL, WHICH I THOUGHT MUST BE A BURNED OUT TXWY LIGHT SCRAPING THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LEFT WIND. WE STOPPED, AND THE INSTR TOLD ME NOT TO SHUT DOWN, BUT TO KEEP MY FEET ON THE BRAKES WHILE HE CHKED THINGS OUT. HE GOT BACK IN, SAYING HE HAD SEEN NO DAMAGE AND THAT WE APPARENTLY HAD TAXIED THROUGH A POTHOLE. WE WENT ON WITH A NORMAL TAXI, TKOF AND FLT, LNDG EVENTUALLY BACK AT PAO. WE HAD NO INDICATION OF A PROB AND FIRST LEARNED THERE WAS A PROP STRIKE WHEN THE CHIEF PLT CALLED BOTH OF US THE NEXT DAY. THE MAIN PROBS HERE WERE THE FAILURE OF TAXI AND LNDG LIGHTS ON THE ACFT AND THE ABSENCE OF TXWY LIGHTS ON THE EASTERN-MOST PORTION OF THE TXWY. I HAD ASKED ABOUT THE ACFT'S LIGHTS WHEN I PICKED UP THE KEY, HAVING HEARD THAT THERE WAS A 'PROB' WITH THEM. AN INSTR AT PAO TOLD ME THAT THEY WORKED, BUT 'FLICKERED.' LATER I DISCOVERED THAT THE LIGHTS HAD BEEN WORKING THIS WAY FOR AT LEAST A MONTH, JUST TURNING THEMSELVES OUT AFTER A FEW MINS OF USE. I HAD NEVER FLOWN THIS ACFT BEFORE AND THE LIGHTS SEEMED FINE WHEN I TURNED THEM ON DURING PREFLT. I THINK THE ACFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLACARDED AGAINST NIGHT FLT. THE FBO DISAGREES. MY INSTR DROVE TO HWD THE NEXT DAY FOR A DAYLIGHT LOOK AT THE TXWY. HE SAYS THE LAST TXWY LIGHT HAS 40-60' BEHIND THE SPOT WHERE THE PROP SCRAPED AND THAT THE STRIKE OCCURRED AT THE INTXN (MERGER) OF 2 TXWYS. HAVING BEEN TO HWD ONCE BEFORE, I HADN'T EXPECTED THAT ARRANGEMENT. IT WOULD HAVE HELPED A LOT, PRESUMABLE PREVENTED THE STRIKE, IF THERE HAD BEEN A TXWY LIGHT AT THE MERGER POINT. AS FOR HUMAN FACTORS, THE INSTR COULD HAVE PAID CLOSER ATTN TO WHERE I WAS GOING, WE COULD HAVE STOPPED WHEN IT GOT TOO DARK TO SEE THE TXWY, WE COULD HAVE SHUT DOWN FOR A FULL INSPECTION OF THE SCRAPING NOISES, AND WE COULD HAVE POSTFLTED THE ACFT. SEE ACN 140125 FOR GRAPHICS.

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.