Narrative:

After landing in boston from a 3 leg flight (bos, mvy, ack, bos), during a post flight inspection of the aircraft, damage was discovered on 2 blade tips of the left propeller. This was very much a surprise to me and my first officer as we had no knowledge of hitting anything. There was never an engine vibration, a thud, or a bump. We reviewed the events of the previous 3 legs and could think of only 1 point where it may have happened. A few phone calls to our company operations and martha's vineyard airport would seem to have confirmed our speculation. The following description of the incident is speculation based on the fact that 1) there was damage to the aircraft's left propeller while in our possession and 2) there was 1 runway light damaged at martha's vineyard airport. However I would like to emphasize that at the time the incident apparently occurred we had no reason to believe that we had struck anything. After landing at martha's vineyard airport on runway 6 we turned right on runway 15-33 and right again on the taxiway to parking. As there are no centerline turnoff stripes for the crossing runway, I had a somewhat difficult time finding the center of the pavement in the dark. After completing the turn I saw threshold lights of runway 33 ahead and to the left and the l-hand white side stripe just inside the track of the left main gear. I then realized that we were well to the left side of the runway centerline and made the correction back to the center followed by the right turn onto the taxiway. The left propeller apparently struck the first runway light on the left after completing the turn onto runway 33. Prior to and during the turn, the aircraft was at taxi speed so it was not a case of excessive speed causing me to overshoot the turn. It was a misperception of my lateral position on the runway 33 which may have been caused in part by the width of the pavement (150 ft) versus the width of the runway (75 ft). I also believe it is entirely possible that the light which we hit was not illuminated at the time. The ultimate cause of this incident was probably my inability to establish the centerline in the dark prior to completing the turn. The only solution without putting a lot of extraneous markings at runway intxns is to restr use of them as turn-offs at night unless no other taxiway is available. I would like to add that the martha's vineyard airport maintenance employees informed me that this exact scenario has occurred several other times.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A BEECH 1900D STRUCK A RWY LIGHT DURING TAXI TO PARKING AFTER LNDG. THE L PROP BLADES RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AFTER HITTING THE RWY LIGHT.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG IN BOSTON FROM A 3 LEG FLT (BOS, MVY, ACK, BOS), DURING A POST FLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT, DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED ON 2 BLADE TIPS OF THE L PROP. THIS WAS VERY MUCH A SURPRISE TO ME AND MY FO AS WE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF HITTING ANYTHING. THERE WAS NEVER AN ENG VIBRATION, A THUD, OR A BUMP. WE REVIEWED THE EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS 3 LEGS AND COULD THINK OF ONLY 1 POINT WHERE IT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. A FEW PHONE CALLS TO OUR COMPANY OPS AND MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT WOULD SEEM TO HAVE CONFIRMED OUR SPECULATION. THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENT IS SPECULATION BASED ON THE FACT THAT 1) THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE ACFT'S L PROP WHILE IN OUR POSSESSION AND 2) THERE WAS 1 RWY LIGHT DAMAGED AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT. HOWEVER I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT AT THE TIME THE INCIDENT APPARENTLY OCCURRED WE HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAD STRUCK ANYTHING. AFTER LNDG AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT ON RWY 6 WE TURNED R ON RWY 15-33 AND R AGAIN ON THE TXWY TO PARKING. AS THERE ARE NO CTRLINE TURNOFF STRIPES FOR THE XING RWY, I HAD A SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT TIME FINDING THE CTR OF THE PAVEMENT IN THE DARK. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN I SAW THRESHOLD LIGHTS OF RWY 33 AHEAD AND TO THE L AND THE L-HAND WHITE SIDE STRIPE JUST INSIDE THE TRACK OF THE L MAIN GEAR. I THEN REALIZED THAT WE WERE WELL TO THE L SIDE OF THE RWY CTRLINE AND MADE THE CORRECTION BACK TO THE CTR FOLLOWED BY THE R TURN ONTO THE TXWY. THE L PROP APPARENTLY STRUCK THE FIRST RWY LIGHT ON THE L AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN ONTO RWY 33. PRIOR TO AND DURING THE TURN, THE ACFT WAS AT TAXI SPD SO IT WAS NOT A CASE OF EXCESSIVE SPD CAUSING ME TO OVERSHOOT THE TURN. IT WAS A MISPERCEPTION OF MY LATERAL POS ON THE RWY 33 WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED IN PART BY THE WIDTH OF THE PAVEMENT (150 FT) VERSUS THE WIDTH OF THE RWY (75 FT). I ALSO BELIEVE IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT THE LIGHT WHICH WE HIT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME. THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS PROBABLY MY INABILITY TO ESTABLISH THE CTRLINE IN THE DARK PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE TURN. THE ONLY SOLUTION WITHOUT PUTTING A LOT OF EXTRANEOUS MARKINGS AT RWY INTXNS IS TO RESTR USE OF THEM AS TURN-OFFS AT NIGHT UNLESS NO OTHER TXWY IS AVAILABLE. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD ARPT MAINT EMPLOYEES INFORMED ME THAT THIS EXACT SCENARIO HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL OTHER TIMES.

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.