Narrative:

The aircraft that I was copilot on was found to have damage to one of the propeller blades during postflt inspection. The damage was limited to the tip of the propeller. The flight conditions were night with a ceiling of 18000 scattered and 10 SM visibility. The captain was taxiing the aircraft while I ran the checklist, monitored the progress of the taxi and handled ATC communications. As the aircraft approached the runup area of the active runway, the captain instructed me to verify the heading and altitude of the assigned SID. I proceeded to look up the SID and read the heading and altitude to the captain. After reading the SID, I transitioned my eyes back outside. I observed that the captain had aligned the aircraft to the right of the centerline. I notified the captain that he was misaligned to the right. The captain recognized the problem, and corrected to the left. I believe at this time that the one propeller blade was damaged when it struck a foreign object on the runway/taxiway surface. An uneventful takeoff, flight and landing followed. The cause of this incident was the disorientation of the captain while taxiing onto the runway due to lack of centerline lighting and lack of lighting of the displaced threshold area. I believe the captain was expecting centerline lighting, which led to his disorientation. As copilot I did not catch the captain's misaligning the aircraft due the duties inside the cockpit and my eyes looking inside the cockpit. To prevent this type of incident from occurring again, all crews have attended recurrent training of CRM, cockpit organization, and preflight preparations which will include a pre taxi briefing of txwys and the assigned route and a brief of the runway environment including lighting, surface markings and displaced thresholds. A lighted yoke clip will be installed in the aircraft to facilitate easier scanning of items inside the cockpit and outside, this will limit the heads down time of the pilot. Improvements can be made to airport lighting, especially high density airports. Displaced thresholds are currently not marked effectively and can lead to confusion. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the company has developed procedures and training techniques to hopefully eliminate a repeat of the incident. The runway in use was runway 22R and there are taxiway lights which stop at the runup area and no lead-in lights to runway center. There are arrows which help in daylight, but at night are not visible. This area is a displaced threshold and it would be helpful to have lead-in lights to runway centerline. He believes the FOD might have been caused by hitting a taxi light.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A KING AIR 200 ON A NIGHT FLT TAXIES ONTO RWY WHERE THERE ARE NO LEAD-IN LIGHTS. FO CALLS CAPT'S ATTN TO BEING MISALIGNED WITH CTRLINE. CAPT CORRECTS TO THE L AND A PROP TIP IS DAMAGED.

Narrative: THE ACFT THAT I WAS COPLT ON WAS FOUND TO HAVE DAMAGE TO ONE OF THE PROP BLADES DURING POSTFLT INSPECTION. THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE TIP OF THE PROP. THE FLT CONDITIONS WERE NIGHT WITH A CEILING OF 18000 SCATTERED AND 10 SM VISIBILITY. THE CAPT WAS TAXIING THE ACFT WHILE I RAN THE CHKLIST, MONITORED THE PROGRESS OF THE TAXI AND HANDLED ATC COMS. AS THE ACFT APCHED THE RUNUP AREA OF THE ACTIVE RWY, THE CAPT INSTRUCTED ME TO VERIFY THE HDG AND ALT OF THE ASSIGNED SID. I PROCEEDED TO LOOK UP THE SID AND READ THE HDG AND ALT TO THE CAPT. AFTER READING THE SID, I TRANSITIONED MY EYES BACK OUTSIDE. I OBSERVED THAT THE CAPT HAD ALIGNED THE ACFT TO THE R OF THE CTRLINE. I NOTIFIED THE CAPT THAT HE WAS MISALIGNED TO THE R. THE CAPT RECOGNIZED THE PROB, AND CORRECTED TO THE L. I BELIEVE AT THIS TIME THAT THE ONE PROP BLADE WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT STRUCK A FOREIGN OBJECT ON THE RWY/TXWY SURFACE. AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF, FLT AND LNDG FOLLOWED. THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS THE DISORIENTATION OF THE CAPT WHILE TAXIING ONTO THE RWY DUE TO LACK OF CTRLINE LIGHTING AND LACK OF LIGHTING OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD AREA. I BELIEVE THE CAPT WAS EXPECTING CTRLINE LIGHTING, WHICH LED TO HIS DISORIENTATION. AS COPLT I DID NOT CATCH THE CAPT'S MISALIGNING THE ACFT DUE THE DUTIES INSIDE THE COCKPIT AND MY EYES LOOKING INSIDE THE COCKPIT. TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING AGAIN, ALL CREWS HAVE ATTENDED RECURRENT TRAINING OF CRM, COCKPIT ORGANIZATION, AND PREFLT PREPARATIONS WHICH WILL INCLUDE A PRE TAXI BRIEFING OF TXWYS AND THE ASSIGNED RTE AND A BRIEF OF THE RWY ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING LIGHTING, SURFACE MARKINGS AND DISPLACED THRESHOLDS. A LIGHTED YOKE CLIP WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE ACFT TO FACILITATE EASIER SCANNING OF ITEMS INSIDE THE COCKPIT AND OUTSIDE, THIS WILL LIMIT THE HEADS DOWN TIME OF THE PLT. IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE TO ARPT LIGHTING, ESPECIALLY HIGH DENSITY ARPTS. DISPLACED THRESHOLDS ARE CURRENTLY NOT MARKED EFFECTIVELY AND CAN LEAD TO CONFUSION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE COMPANY HAS DEVELOPED PROCS AND TRAINING TECHNIQUES TO HOPEFULLY ELIMINATE A REPEAT OF THE INCIDENT. THE RWY IN USE WAS RWY 22R AND THERE ARE TXWY LIGHTS WHICH STOP AT THE RUNUP AREA AND NO LEAD-IN LIGHTS TO RWY CTR. THERE ARE ARROWS WHICH HELP IN DAYLIGHT, BUT AT NIGHT ARE NOT VISIBLE. THIS AREA IS A DISPLACED THRESHOLD AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE LEAD-IN LIGHTS TO RWY CTRLINE. HE BELIEVES THE FOD MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY HITTING A TAXI LIGHT.

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.