Narrative:

At the very beginning of the takeoff roll I felt us hit a bump but nothing severe (the first officer felt nothing). As we continued with the takeoff, I remember keeping a very close eye on the engine gauges, watching the slow indication and the actual power settings since the first officer was fairly new. The first officer then called '70 KTS my steering' at which time I slowly let go of the tiller. The aircraft immediately swerved to the right on the transfer. The first officer immediately corrected for the swerve and by this time we were above V1. I called rotate and the first officer brought the aircraft off of the ground. He called for gear up and at 400' I told him that I had control of the aircraft and asked him to clean it up. When the local controller asked us to contact departure I informed him that we would like to return for landing. To taxi on the taxi back to the gate I felt the aircraft pulling to the right. We radioed the company and told them that we were returning to the gate due to the fact that I thought we had hit something on takeoff and wanted to inspect the aircraft. Upon parking and shut down we inspected the aircraft and found nicks in the right propeller and a flat right nose wheel tire. On a closer inspection, a nick was found on a turbine inlet blade on the first stagle of the compressor of the right engine. We indeed had hit something. After completing the company reports and upon completion of the company's investigation the evidence suggests that I lined up on the left side runway edge lights. The first 3 had been found knocked down (near the beginning of where our takeoff roll would have started) by the airport authorities. The airport authorities also notified that the runway centerline lighting had been out of service at the time of our takeoff but was not put out as a NOTAM until 1 hour after our attempt. The lead-in lighting was also found to go up to the left half runway edge and stop on the middle of a white line used to mark the left edge of the runway. In conclusion, to dismiss this case as that of another one involving pilot error would be easy but provide no corrective solutions. It is my belief that given the same circumstances another pilot could indeed find himself filing a report similar to this one.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER FLT HIT RWY EDGE LIGHTS ON TKOF, LIGHTS DAMAGED, ENGINE DAMAGED, NOSE TIRES DAMAGED.

Narrative: AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE TKOF ROLL I FELT US HIT A BUMP BUT NOTHING SEVERE (THE F/O FELT NOTHING). AS WE CONTINUED WITH THE TKOF, I REMEMBER KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THE ENG GAUGES, WATCHING THE SLOW INDICATION AND THE ACTUAL PWR SETTINGS SINCE THE F/O WAS FAIRLY NEW. THE F/O THEN CALLED '70 KTS MY STEERING' AT WHICH TIME I SLOWLY LET GO OF THE TILLER. THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY SWERVED TO THE R ON THE TRANSFER. THE F/O IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED FOR THE SWERVE AND BY THIS TIME WE WERE ABOVE V1. I CALLED ROTATE AND THE F/O BROUGHT THE ACFT OFF OF THE GND. HE CALLED FOR GEAR UP AND AT 400' I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD CTL OF THE ACFT AND ASKED HIM TO CLEAN IT UP. WHEN THE LCL CTLR ASKED US TO CONTACT DEP I INFORMED HIM THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN FOR LNDG. TO TAXI ON THE TAXI BACK TO THE GATE I FELT THE ACFT PULLING TO THE R. WE RADIOED THE COMPANY AND TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO THE GATE DUE TO THE FACT THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD HIT SOMETHING ON TKOF AND WANTED TO INSPECT THE ACFT. UPON PARKING AND SHUT DOWN WE INSPECTED THE ACFT AND FOUND NICKS IN THE R PROP AND A FLAT R NOSE WHEEL TIRE. ON A CLOSER INSPECTION, A NICK WAS FOUND ON A TURBINE INLET BLADE ON THE FIRST STAGLE OF THE COMPRESSOR OF THE R ENG. WE INDEED HAD HIT SOMETHING. AFTER COMPLETING THE COMPANY RPTS AND UPON COMPLETION OF THE COMPANY'S INVESTIGATION THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT I LINED UP ON THE L SIDE RWY EDGE LIGHTS. THE FIRST 3 HAD BEEN FOUND KNOCKED DOWN (NEAR THE BEGINNING OF WHERE OUR TKOF ROLL WOULD HAVE STARTED) BY THE ARPT AUTHORITIES. THE ARPT AUTHORITIES ALSO NOTIFIED THAT THE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTING HAD BEEN OUT OF SVC AT THE TIME OF OUR TKOF BUT WAS NOT PUT OUT AS A NOTAM UNTIL 1 HR AFTER OUR ATTEMPT. THE LEAD-IN LIGHTING WAS ALSO FOUND TO GO UP TO THE LEFT HALF RWY EDGE AND STOP ON THE MIDDLE OF A WHITE LINE USED TO MARK THE L EDGE OF THE RWY. IN CONCLUSION, TO DISMISS THIS CASE AS THAT OF ANOTHER ONE INVOLVING PLT ERROR WOULD BE EASY BUT PROVIDE NO CORRECTIVE SOLUTIONS. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT GIVEN THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES ANOTHER PLT COULD INDEED FIND HIMSELF FILING A RPT SIMILAR TO THIS ONE.

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.