Narrative:

A series of IFR flight plans were filed in columbus on feb/xx/94 by the copilot for the legs from findlay to cuyahoga county, and cuyahoga county to laguardia. These flight plans were filed via the duats system. The crew arrived at the airport in findlay at approximately XA20 on feb/xx/94. The PIC performed the exterior preflight inspection while the copilot performed the cockpit preflight inspection. No abnormalities were discovered by either pilot. Before starting engines, starting engines, before taxi, taxi, and before takeoff procedures were conducted and were normal. A normal takeoff was performed from findlay at approximately XX00 EST. The flight was conducted normally from findlay to cuyahoga county at 17000 ft, the assigned altitude. However, during descent an estimated 1/4 inch of ice accumulation was observed by the crew on the upper portion of both windshields. All ice system were used for the duration of the flight. Upon arrival in the cleveland area the crew was given radar vectors for, and was subsequently cleared for an ILS approach, to runway 23 at cuyahoga county by cleveland approach control. A coupled ILS approach was conducted. The localizer was intercepted at an altitude of 3000 ft MSL where the airplane was basically in IMC conditions. Both crew members did however, report intermittent ground contact from this altitude. After interception of the localizer a gradual descent was made to 2300 ft in accordance with the instrument approach procedure chart for the ILS to runway 23. The airplane descended through the base of the clouds at approximately 2600 ft MSL on the approach and was in VFR conditions thereafter. Normal GS interception was observed. The copilot observed and called out to the pilot that the VASI was visible and that the aircraft was on the VASI. After entering VFR conditions no runway lights were observed. The copilot attempted to turn on the lights by keying the VHF transmitter as the airplane proceeded inbound on the approach. Due to the angle of the approach and the blowing snow close to the ground it was impossible to tell, at this point, whether the runway lights had come on or not. The copilot at some point on the approach reported that he did see 2 rows of yellowish lights that he called to cleveland approach control as '...the lights.' the approach continued with some wind shear noted. The autoplt and yaw damper were disconnected at approximately 300-400 ft. In the instant just prior to touchdown I saw a row of blue taxiway lights go by out of the left side window which told me that we were not going to land on the runway. However, it was too late to recover and the safest thing to do was to land. The incident occurred upon touchdown on what appeared to be the runway but was actually the grass between runway 23 and taxiway a. The airplane skidded to a stop and all of the passenger exited the airplane immediately through the escape hatch on the right hand side of the cabin. There were no injuries of any kind to any of the aircraft's occupants or the crew. Conclusion: as the PIC during the described incident, I was, until just prior to touchdown, convinced that we were landing on the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LNDG PROC RESULTS IN OFF RWY LNDG. GEAR COLLAPSES WITH ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: A SERIES OF IFR FLT PLANS WERE FILED IN COLUMBUS ON FEB/XX/94 BY THE COPLT FOR THE LEGS FROM FINDLAY TO CUYAHOGA COUNTY, AND CUYAHOGA COUNTY TO LAGUARDIA. THESE FLT PLANS WERE FILED VIA THE DUATS SYS. THE CREW ARRIVED AT THE ARPT IN FINDLAY AT APPROX XA20 ON FEB/XX/94. THE PIC PERFORMED THE EXTERIOR PREFLT INSPECTION WHILE THE COPLT PERFORMED THE COCKPIT PREFLT INSPECTION. NO ABNORMALITIES WERE DISCOVERED BY EITHER PLT. BEFORE STARTING ENGS, STARTING ENGS, BEFORE TAXI, TAXI, AND BEFORE TKOF PROCS WERE CONDUCTED AND WERE NORMAL. A NORMAL TKOF WAS PERFORMED FROM FINDLAY AT APPROX XX00 EST. THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED NORMALLY FROM FINDLAY TO CUYAHOGA COUNTY AT 17000 FT, THE ASSIGNED ALT. HOWEVER, DURING DSCNT AN ESTIMATED 1/4 INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION WAS OBSERVED BY THE CREW ON THE UPPER PORTION OF BOTH WINDSHIELDS. ALL ICE SYS WERE USED FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLT. UPON ARR IN THE CLEVELAND AREA THE CREW WAS GIVEN RADAR VECTORS FOR, AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED FOR AN ILS APCH, TO RWY 23 AT CUYAHOGA COUNTY BY CLEVELAND APCH CTL. A COUPLED ILS APCH WAS CONDUCTED. THE LOC WAS INTERCEPTED AT AN ALT OF 3000 FT MSL WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS BASICALLY IN IMC CONDITIONS. BOTH CREW MEMBERS DID HOWEVER, RPT INTERMITTENT GND CONTACT FROM THIS ALT. AFTER INTERCEPTION OF THE LOC A GRADUAL DSCNT WAS MADE TO 2300 FT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INST APCH PROC CHART FOR THE ILS TO RWY 23. THE AIRPLANE DSNDED THROUGH THE BASE OF THE CLOUDS AT APPROX 2600 FT MSL ON THE APCH AND WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS THEREAFTER. NORMAL GS INTERCEPTION WAS OBSERVED. THE COPLT OBSERVED AND CALLED OUT TO THE PLT THAT THE VASI WAS VISIBLE AND THAT THE ACFT WAS ON THE VASI. AFTER ENTERING VFR CONDITIONS NO RWY LIGHTS WERE OBSERVED. THE COPLT ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS BY KEYING THE VHF XMITTER AS THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED INBOUND ON THE APCH. DUE TO THE ANGLE OF THE APCH AND THE BLOWING SNOW CLOSE TO THE GND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL, AT THIS POINT, WHETHER THE RWY LIGHTS HAD COME ON OR NOT. THE COPLT AT SOME POINT ON THE APCH RPTED THAT HE DID SEE 2 ROWS OF YELLOWISH LIGHTS THAT HE CALLED TO CLEVELAND APCH CTL AS '...THE LIGHTS.' THE APCH CONTINUED WITH SOME WIND SHEAR NOTED. THE AUTOPLT AND YAW DAMPER WERE DISCONNECTED AT APPROX 300-400 FT. IN THE INSTANT JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN I SAW A ROW OF BLUE TXWY LIGHTS GO BY OUT OF THE L SIDE WINDOW WHICH TOLD ME THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO LAND ON THE RWY. HOWEVER, IT WAS TOO LATE TO RECOVER AND THE SAFEST THING TO DO WAS TO LAND. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED UPON TOUCHDOWN ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE RWY BUT WAS ACTUALLY THE GRASS BTWN RWY 23 AND TXWY A. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED TO A STOP AND ALL OF THE PAX EXITED THE AIRPLANE IMMEDIATELY THROUGH THE ESCAPE HATCH ON THE R HAND SIDE OF THE CABIN. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OF ANY KIND TO ANY OF THE ACFT'S OCCUPANTS OR THE CREW. CONCLUSION: AS THE PIC DURING THE DESCRIBED INCIDENT, I WAS, UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, CONVINCED THAT WE WERE LNDG ON THE RWY.

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.