Pilot of small transport struck taxiway marker sign during beginning of takeoff roll resulting in da...

Narrative:

Pilot initiated an IFR flight from baton rouge, la, to mccomb, ms (mcb) to repos for an air taxi flight. The aircraft, a 1981 piper PA-31-350 chieftain, was taxied from the ramp via taxiway 'F' to the hold line at runway 31 where a routine engine check and takeoff checklist was completed. Since the outside windows were covered with condensation (dew) and the inside windows were constantly fogging up, this pilot was intermittently activating the left side windshield wiper and wiping the inside of the windows to maintain forward visibility. When a takeoff clearance was received, this pilot taxied onto the runway to align the aircraft with a white line that constituted part of an arrow depicting the displaced threshold that was known to be associated with runway 31. When the white line was observed, the aircraft was turned to the right to be aligned with the center of the runway. While takeoff power was being applied and the aircraft began to move forward, the left propeller contacted an object. The power was retarded and the aircraft turned to the left to return to the end of the runway then taxied back to the ramp via taxiway 'F.' the control tower was immediately notified of the aborted takeoff, the collision with an unidented object, and this pilot's intentions to return to the ramp. The control tower closed the runway for inspection by crash fire rescue equipment (crash-fire-rescue). This pilot inspected the aircraft and determined that all 3 blades of the left propeller had sustained damage and that a piece of the object had bounced up from the runway surface to damage the skin of the wing trailing edge flap. After returning to the scene, this pilot observed that the white line that had been used for runway centerline alignment was actually the left side runway edge stripe, which extended through intersection of runway 31 and taxiway 'B' to the southeast end of the runway. The object struck was an unlighted taxiway sign that faced the opposite direction (northwest). The right side runway edge stripe did not extend through the intersection of runway 31 and taxiway 'F' to the southeast end of the runway. The displaced threshold arrow did not begin near the southeast end of the runway as implied by the airmen's information manual: ATC -- section I, B. Aeronautical lighting and other airport visual aids: airport marking aids, G. Displaced threshold -- '...white arrows are located along the centerline in the area between the beginning of the runway and displaced threshold...' it is this pilot's opinion that the absence of the right side runway edge stripe established the perception that the displaced threshold arrow would be the first white line to come into view. When the displaced threshold arrow did not come into view, the left side runway stripe with additional pavement extending beyond it presented the perception that the aircraft was positioned on the displaced threshold arrow in the middle of the runway. The diffused glare of surrounding runway lighting was essentially ignored in favor of the white line perceived to be the best reference to the centerline of the runway.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMT STRUCK TXWY MARKER SIGN DURING BEGINNING OF TKOF ROLL RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE 3 BLADES OF 1 PROP AND SKIN DAMAGE TO THE UNDER SIDE OF A WING FLAP.

Narrative: PLT INITIATED AN IFR FLT FROM BATON ROUGE, LA, TO MCCOMB, MS (MCB) TO REPOS FOR AN AIR TAXI FLT. THE ACFT, A 1981 PIPER PA-31-350 CHIEFTAIN, WAS TAXIED FROM THE RAMP VIA TXWY 'F' TO THE HOLD LINE AT RWY 31 WHERE A ROUTINE ENG CHK AND TKOF CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. SINCE THE OUTSIDE WINDOWS WERE COVERED WITH CONDENSATION (DEW) AND THE INSIDE WINDOWS WERE CONSTANTLY FOGGING UP, THIS PLT WAS INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVATING THE L SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WIPING THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS TO MAINTAIN FORWARD VISIBILITY. WHEN A TKOF CLRNC WAS RECEIVED, THIS PLT TAXIED ONTO THE RWY TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH A WHITE LINE THAT CONSTITUTED PART OF AN ARROW DEPICTING THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD THAT WAS KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH RWY 31. WHEN THE WHITE LINE WAS OBSERVED, THE ACFT WAS TURNED TO THE R TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE CTR OF THE RWY. WHILE TKOF PWR WAS BEING APPLIED AND THE ACFT BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD, THE L PROP CONTACTED AN OBJECT. THE PWR WAS RETARDED AND THE ACFT TURNED TO THE L TO RETURN TO THE END OF THE RWY THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP VIA TXWY 'F.' THE CTL TWR WAS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED OF THE ABORTED TKOF, THE COLLISION WITH AN UNIDENTED OBJECT, AND THIS PLT'S INTENTIONS TO RETURN TO THE RAMP. THE CTL TWR CLOSED THE RWY FOR INSPECTION BY CFR (CRASH-FIRE-RESCUE). THIS PLT INSPECTED THE ACFT AND DETERMINED THAT ALL 3 BLADES OF THE L PROP HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE AND THAT A PIECE OF THE OBJECT HAD BOUNCED UP FROM THE RWY SURFACE TO DAMAGE THE SKIN OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE FLAP. AFTER RETURNING TO THE SCENE, THIS PLT OBSERVED THAT THE WHITE LINE THAT HAD BEEN USED FOR RWY CTRLINE ALIGNMENT WAS ACTUALLY THE L SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE, WHICH EXTENDED THROUGH INTXN OF RWY 31 AND TXWY 'B' TO THE SE END OF THE RWY. THE OBJECT STRUCK WAS AN UNLIGHTED TXWY SIGN THAT FACED THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (NW). THE R SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE DID NOT EXTEND THROUGH THE INTXN OF RWY 31 AND TXWY 'F' TO THE SE END OF THE RWY. THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW DID NOT BEGIN NEAR THE SE END OF THE RWY AS IMPLIED BY THE AIRMEN'S INFO MANUAL: ATC -- SECTION I, B. AERONAUTICAL LIGHTING AND OTHER ARPT VISUAL AIDS: ARPT MARKING AIDS, G. DISPLACED THRESHOLD -- '...WHITE ARROWS ARE LOCATED ALONG THE CTRLINE IN THE AREA BTWN THE BEGINNING OF THE RWY AND DISPLACED THRESHOLD...' IT IS THIS PLT'S OPINION THAT THE ABSENCE OF THE R SIDE RWY EDGE STRIPE ESTABLISHED THE PERCEPTION THAT THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW WOULD BE THE FIRST WHITE LINE TO COME INTO VIEW. WHEN THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW DID NOT COME INTO VIEW, THE L SIDE RWY STRIPE WITH ADDITIONAL PAVEMENT EXTENDING BEYOND IT PRESENTED THE PERCEPTION THAT THE ACFT WAS POSITIONED ON THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY. THE DIFFUSED GLARE OF SURROUNDING RWY LIGHTING WAS ESSENTIALLY IGNORED IN FAVOR OF THE WHITE LINE PERCEIVED TO BE THE BEST REF TO THE CTRLINE OF 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.

Attributes
ACN	285153
Time
Date	199410
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : btr
State Reference	LA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : bmi
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	PA-31 Navajo Chieftan/Mojave/Navajo T1020
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 90 flight time total : 9000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	285153
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : rejected takeoff
Consequence	faa : investigated other Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Pilot of small transport struck taxiway marker sign during beginning of takeoff roll resulting in damage to the 3 blades of 1 propeller and skin damage to the under side of a wing flap.