Narrative:

After dark on jan/xa/00, we taxied our lear 31 from las vegas executive terminal at las airport to runway 1L. We held short at taxiway B1. It was quite busy and we had waited at least 10 mins before the tower cleared us. There are green taxiway centerline lights at that intersection that continue across the runway and on toward the main terminal. I looked left and right making sure it was clear and as we finished up the final items on the line-up checklist, I looked ahead again and turned left to line up on the runway centerline lighting. On the takeoff roll, I aligned the aircraft so that the nosewheel was offset slightly to the left of the lighting to keep the nosewheel from rolling across the flush mounted lights. After approximately 1/2 dozen lights went by, I saw that the next light was not flush, but mounted on a stanchion about 1 ft high. (The runway edge lighting is flush mounted exactly like centerline lighting on the r-hand side of runway 1L in this area. This is apparently to allow aircraft access to the runway from a large ramp area, not just a taxiway, and I had mistaken the edge lights for centerline lights.) I swerved left because I couldn't judge quickly enough whether we could straddle the light. It wasn't enough and we ran over the light with the right main gear at about 30-40 KTS. I discontinued the takeoff and notified the tower that we needed to return to executive. I told them we had hit a light and asked that someone check it out by vehicle. We returned to the ramp and I informed the passenger we had run over something and needed to inspect the tires. After shutdown and with a flashlight, I carefully inspected both tires and found only a superficial cut and scrapes on the outboard main. I inspected the gear doors, hinge, and actuator, main strut, brake lines, antiskid wiring, wheel well and wing flap and discovered no damage. We continued the flight uneventfully. Upon termination of the flight, I wrote up the tire cut for maintenance to check an inoperative landing light. The next day, maintenance personnel decided to change the tire even though it was still svcable. They also discovered FOD to the right engine -- a possibility I had not even considered. Apparently, as the light stanchion broke over, a piece was thrown forward and bounced off the runway high enough to be ingested. Prevention: 1) as the pilot, check lighting available on the runways to be used. I could have found out from the charts there is no centerline lighting on this runway. 2) this intersection is used for departure often because of runway 25/7. Full length departures would interfere, so the takeoff roll begins right about where landing jets obliterate runway markings with tire rubber. The painted markings are dimly visible still, however, and can be seen if you pay close attention. 3) install centerline lighting on this runway for the first 500-1000 ft to prevent the edge lighting from being confused with centerline lighting.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LEAR 31 PIC LINES UP WITH THE R SIDE EDGE LIGHTING FOR TKOF ROLL, HITTING A SIGN WHEN ACFT WAS AT ABOUT 40 KTS. TKOF ABORTED, ACFT INSPECTED AND FLOWN WITH PAX WITHOUT A LOGBOOK ENTRY. LATER INSPECTION REVEALED FOD TO THE R ENG. LAS, NV.

Narrative: AFTER DARK ON JAN/XA/00, WE TAXIED OUR LEAR 31 FROM LAS VEGAS EXECUTIVE TERMINAL AT LAS ARPT TO RWY 1L. WE HELD SHORT AT TXWY B1. IT WAS QUITE BUSY AND WE HAD WAITED AT LEAST 10 MINS BEFORE THE TWR CLRED US. THERE ARE GREEN TXWY CTRLINE LIGHTS AT THAT INTXN THAT CONTINUE ACROSS THE RWY AND ON TOWARD THE MAIN TERMINAL. I LOOKED L AND R MAKING SURE IT WAS CLR AND AS WE FINISHED UP THE FINAL ITEMS ON THE LINE-UP CHKLIST, I LOOKED AHEAD AGAIN AND TURNED L TO LINE UP ON THE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTING. ON THE TKOF ROLL, I ALIGNED THE ACFT SO THAT THE NOSEWHEEL WAS OFFSET SLIGHTLY TO THE L OF THE LIGHTING TO KEEP THE NOSEWHEEL FROM ROLLING ACROSS THE FLUSH MOUNTED LIGHTS. AFTER APPROX 1/2 DOZEN LIGHTS WENT BY, I SAW THAT THE NEXT LIGHT WAS NOT FLUSH, BUT MOUNTED ON A STANCHION ABOUT 1 FT HIGH. (THE RWY EDGE LIGHTING IS FLUSH MOUNTED EXACTLY LIKE CTRLINE LIGHTING ON THE R-HAND SIDE OF RWY 1L IN THIS AREA. THIS IS APPARENTLY TO ALLOW ACFT ACCESS TO THE RWY FROM A LARGE RAMP AREA, NOT JUST A TXWY, AND I HAD MISTAKEN THE EDGE LIGHTS FOR CTRLINE LIGHTS.) I SWERVED L BECAUSE I COULDN'T JUDGE QUICKLY ENOUGH WHETHER WE COULD STRADDLE THE LIGHT. IT WASN'T ENOUGH AND WE RAN OVER THE LIGHT WITH THE R MAIN GEAR AT ABOUT 30-40 KTS. I DISCONTINUED THE TKOF AND NOTIFIED THE TWR THAT WE NEEDED TO RETURN TO EXECUTIVE. I TOLD THEM WE HAD HIT A LIGHT AND ASKED THAT SOMEONE CHK IT OUT BY VEHICLE. WE RETURNED TO THE RAMP AND I INFORMED THE PAX WE HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING AND NEEDED TO INSPECT THE TIRES. AFTER SHUTDOWN AND WITH A FLASHLIGHT, I CAREFULLY INSPECTED BOTH TIRES AND FOUND ONLY A SUPERFICIAL CUT AND SCRAPES ON THE OUTBOARD MAIN. I INSPECTED THE GEAR DOORS, HINGE, AND ACTUATOR, MAIN STRUT, BRAKE LINES, ANTISKID WIRING, WHEEL WELL AND WING FLAP AND DISCOVERED NO DAMAGE. WE CONTINUED THE FLT UNEVENTFULLY. UPON TERMINATION OF THE FLT, I WROTE UP THE TIRE CUT FOR MAINT TO CHK AN INOP LNDG LIGHT. THE NEXT DAY, MAINT PERSONNEL DECIDED TO CHANGE THE TIRE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL SVCABLE. THEY ALSO DISCOVERED FOD TO THE R ENG -- A POSSIBILITY I HAD NOT EVEN CONSIDERED. APPARENTLY, AS THE LIGHT STANCHION BROKE OVER, A PIECE WAS THROWN FORWARD AND BOUNCED OFF THE RWY HIGH ENOUGH TO BE INGESTED. PREVENTION: 1) AS THE PLT, CHK LIGHTING AVAILABLE ON THE RWYS TO BE USED. I COULD HAVE FOUND OUT FROM THE CHARTS THERE IS NO CTRLINE LIGHTING ON THIS RWY. 2) THIS INTXN IS USED FOR DEP OFTEN BECAUSE OF RWY 25/7. FULL LENGTH DEPS WOULD INTERFERE, SO THE TKOF ROLL BEGINS RIGHT ABOUT WHERE LNDG JETS OBLITERATE RWY MARKINGS WITH TIRE RUBBER. THE PAINTED MARKINGS ARE DIMLY VISIBLE STILL, HOWEVER, AND CAN BE SEEN IF YOU PAY CLOSE ATTN. 3) INSTALL CTRLINE LIGHTING ON THIS RWY FOR THE FIRST 500-1000 FT TO PREVENT THE EDGE LIGHTING FROM BEING CONFUSED WITH CTRLINE LIGHTING.

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.