Narrative:

Aircraft touched down in normal attitude, airspeed and control. Shortly after touchdown aircraft began drifting left. There was no wind. Drift was result of soft runway due to heavy rain. Aircraft departed runway at 700 ft from approach end and rolled out on parallel taxiway. Right wingtip struck runway light, knocking off unsecured runway light cone and lens. Aircraft sustained light damage to navigation light and wingtip. Incident was direct result of airport owner's negligence to maintain airport properly. S-end of airport has serious drainage problems that have not been addressed for yrs despite pleas from airport tenants and residents. Airport owner has adversarial relationship with tenants and residents. Refuses to comply with normal airport ownership duties. Runway lights were also inoperative. No NOTAM filed for light or runway condition. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states this is a major safety issue. He is not alone with this problem. This is an airport community with pilots living adjacent to the runway. In front of his house another aircraft ran off the runway just as he had and there were tracks in the mud where the runway light had barely been missed. Reporter has contacted FSDO who referred him to the region. Region seems to feel this is a local problem with political overtones and they have done nothing. He has called the FAA hotline with a similar result. Many of the residents have complained personally to the owner with no positive result. As background he stated that this was part of a country club community and the country club sold out from under the residents. Reporter and current airport owner were partners in running the airport. Reporter left the partnership and there is an adversarial relationship between the two. The current owner runs a skydiving operation and seems to run the airport exclusively for his operation's convenience. He turns lights on for his jump aircraft to return to the airport then manually turns them off so no one can use the pilot controled operation. There are quite a few residents who commute including reporter's wife and return to find lighting OTS or simply turned to manual. This is a public use airport open to the public and should be maintained to a standard of safe operation. FAA should monitor the operation as they do any other public use airport. Reporter as indicated in the report is concerned about the drainage problems, the lighting situation and general airport condition.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARPT AT WALLER, TX, IS PRIVATELY OWNED, BUT PUBLIC USE ARPT. RWY IS IN VERY POOR CONDITION WITH POOR DRAINAGE. RPTR VARI-EZE SLIDES ON LNDG ROLL AND GOES OFF THE RWY.

Narrative: ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN NORMAL ATTITUDE, AIRSPD AND CTL. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN ACFT BEGAN DRIFTING L. THERE WAS NO WIND. DRIFT WAS RESULT OF SOFT RWY DUE TO HVY RAIN. ACFT DEPARTED RWY AT 700 FT FROM APCH END AND ROLLED OUT ON PARALLEL TXWY. R WINGTIP STRUCK RWY LIGHT, KNOCKING OFF UNSECURED RWY LIGHT CONE AND LENS. ACFT SUSTAINED LIGHT DAMAGE TO NAV LIGHT AND WINGTIP. INCIDENT WAS DIRECT RESULT OF ARPT OWNER'S NEGLIGENCE TO MAINTAIN ARPT PROPERLY. S-END OF ARPT HAS SERIOUS DRAINAGE PROBS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED FOR YRS DESPITE PLEAS FROM ARPT TENANTS AND RESIDENTS. ARPT OWNER HAS ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH TENANTS AND RESIDENTS. REFUSES TO COMPLY WITH NORMAL ARPT OWNERSHIP DUTIES. RWY LIGHTS WERE ALSO INOP. NO NOTAM FILED FOR LIGHT OR RWY CONDITION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. HE IS NOT ALONE WITH THIS PROB. THIS IS AN ARPT COMMUNITY WITH PLTS LIVING ADJACENT TO THE RWY. IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE ANOTHER ACFT RAN OFF THE RWY JUST AS HE HAD AND THERE WERE TRACKS IN THE MUD WHERE THE RWY LIGHT HAD BARELY BEEN MISSED. RPTR HAS CONTACTED FSDO WHO REFERRED HIM TO THE REGION. REGION SEEMS TO FEEL THIS IS A LCL PROB WITH POLITICAL OVERTONES AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING. HE HAS CALLED THE FAA HOTLINE WITH A SIMILAR RESULT. MANY OF THE RESIDENTS HAVE COMPLAINED PERSONALLY TO THE OWNER WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT. AS BACKGROUND HE STATED THAT THIS WAS PART OF A COUNTRY CLUB COMMUNITY AND THE COUNTRY CLUB SOLD OUT FROM UNDER THE RESIDENTS. RPTR AND CURRENT ARPT OWNER WERE PARTNERS IN RUNNING THE ARPT. RPTR LEFT THE PARTNERSHIP AND THERE IS AN ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP BTWN THE TWO. THE CURRENT OWNER RUNS A SKYDIVING OP AND SEEMS TO RUN THE ARPT EXCLUSIVELY FOR HIS OP'S CONVENIENCE. HE TURNS LIGHTS ON FOR HIS JUMP ACFT TO RETURN TO THE ARPT THEN MANUALLY TURNS THEM OFF SO NO ONE CAN USE THE PLT CTLED OP. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW RESIDENTS WHO COMMUTE INCLUDING RPTR'S WIFE AND RETURN TO FIND LIGHTING OTS OR SIMPLY TURNED TO MANUAL. THIS IS A PUBLIC USE ARPT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND SHOULD BE MAINTAINED TO A STANDARD OF SAFE OP. FAA SHOULD MONITOR THE OP AS THEY DO ANY OTHER PUBLIC USE ARPT. RPTR AS INDICATED IN THE RPT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DRAINAGE PROBS, THE LIGHTING SIT AND GENERAL ARPT CONDITION.

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.