Narrative:

I was taxiing out to, and cleared to depart from, runway 31C by tower control while still on the taxiway. A B737 had begun its takeoff roll approximately 10 seconds prior to my takeoff clearance, so I elected to use maximum available runway so as to minimize wake turbulence exposure on climb out. I followed the yellow taxiway centerline stripe out to the beginning of the displaced threshold to initiate my takeoff roll. Here's where I believe the mistake occurred. When I followed the yellow taxiway centerline stripe out to the white runway markings, I thought I was aligning with the 'tail' of a displaced threshold arrow. Instead, the yellow stripe led me to the runway edge markings, and continued onto a taxiway on the other side of the runway. Believing I was aligned on the runway centerline, I looked forward and saw a row of white lights that I believed to be runway centerline lights. I completed my runway checklist, applied full power, and approximately 5 seconds later heard the 'popping' noises of the nose gear going through elevated runway lights. Still not realizing the mistake I had made, I applied left rudder pressure to offset the airplane from what I perceived as merely a louder than normal noise of the nose gear going over centerline lighting. When I did this, the right propeller contacted the runway edge lights, severely damaging the propeller. I immediately shut both engines down and aborted takeoff. Radio contact with the tower was lost due to antenna damage. After the aircraft was removed from the runway, an airport official pulled me aside and told me 2 aircraft (the first being a passenger jet!) were involved in similar incidents on the same runway in the previous month. He believed a marking problem existed at the departure end of runway 31C coming off the txwys, and he drove me in an airport vehicle along the route I had taken in my aircraft from the taxiway to runway 31C to show what he believed could be the problem. Until this point, I was completely bewildered as to how the aircraft had just mysteriously 'gone off the runway.' once we followed the taxiway centerline stripe out to the runway, however, it became evident that I was partially led to/partially mistaken the runway edge for the center of the displaced threshold. Therefore, I appear to have been perfectly aligned with the right edge of runway 31C. An interesting note is that the following friday night I heard airport vehicles communicating with ATC, operating with a painting crew in the displaced threshold area of runway 31C. I have not yet seen the changes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CARGO PLT IMPROPERLY LINED UP ON RWY 31C AT MDW. DURING THE TKOF ROLL HE RAN OVER ELEVATED RWY LIGHTS, THEN HIS R PROP HIT THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS.

Narrative: I WAS TAXIING OUT TO, AND CLRED TO DEPART FROM, RWY 31C BY TWR CTL WHILE STILL ON THE TXWY. A B737 HAD BEGUN ITS TKOF ROLL APPROX 10 SECONDS PRIOR TO MY TKOF CLRNC, SO I ELECTED TO USE MAX AVAILABLE RWY SO AS TO MINIMIZE WAKE TURB EXPOSURE ON CLBOUT. I FOLLOWED THE YELLOW TXWY CTRLINE STRIPE OUT TO THE BEGINNING OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD TO INITIATE MY TKOF ROLL. HERE'S WHERE I BELIEVE THE MISTAKE OCCURRED. WHEN I FOLLOWED THE YELLOW TXWY CTRLINE STRIPE OUT TO THE WHITE RWY MARKINGS, I THOUGHT I WAS ALIGNING WITH THE 'TAIL' OF A DISPLACED THRESHOLD ARROW. INSTEAD, THE YELLOW STRIPE LED ME TO THE RWY EDGE MARKINGS, AND CONTINUED ONTO A TXWY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RWY. BELIEVING I WAS ALIGNED ON THE RWY CTRLINE, I LOOKED FORWARD AND SAW A ROW OF WHITE LIGHTS THAT I BELIEVED TO BE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS. I COMPLETED MY RWY CHKLIST, APPLIED FULL PWR, AND APPROX 5 SECONDS LATER HEARD THE 'POPPING' NOISES OF THE NOSE GEAR GOING THROUGH ELEVATED RWY LIGHTS. STILL NOT REALIZING THE MISTAKE I HAD MADE, I APPLIED L RUDDER PRESSURE TO OFFSET THE AIRPLANE FROM WHAT I PERCEIVED AS MERELY A LOUDER THAN NORMAL NOISE OF THE NOSE GEAR GOING OVER CTRLINE LIGHTING. WHEN I DID THIS, THE R PROP CONTACTED THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS, SEVERELY DAMAGING THE PROP. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT BOTH ENGS DOWN AND ABORTED TKOF. RADIO CONTACT WITH THE TWR WAS LOST DUE TO ANTENNA DAMAGE. AFTER THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RWY, AN ARPT OFFICIAL PULLED ME ASIDE AND TOLD ME 2 ACFT (THE FIRST BEING A PAX JET!) WERE INVOLVED IN SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON THE SAME RWY IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH. HE BELIEVED A MARKING PROB EXISTED AT THE DEP END OF RWY 31C COMING OFF THE TXWYS, AND HE DROVE ME IN AN ARPT VEHICLE ALONG THE RTE I HAD TAKEN IN MY ACFT FROM THE TXWY TO RWY 31C TO SHOW WHAT HE BELIEVED COULD BE THE PROB. UNTIL THIS POINT, I WAS COMPLETELY BEWILDERED AS TO HOW THE ACFT HAD JUST MYSTERIOUSLY 'GONE OFF THE RWY.' ONCE WE FOLLOWED THE TXWY CTRLINE STRIPE OUT TO THE RWY, HOWEVER, IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT I WAS PARTIALLY LED TO/PARTIALLY MISTAKEN THE RWY EDGE FOR THE CTR OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD. THEREFORE, I APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN PERFECTLY ALIGNED WITH THE R EDGE OF RWY 31C. AN INTERESTING NOTE IS THAT THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY NIGHT I HEARD ARPT VEHICLES COMMUNICATING WITH ATC, OPERATING WITH A PAINTING CREW IN THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD AREA OF RWY 31C. I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE CHANGES.

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.