Narrative:

A VFR flight had been planned on the west side of the grand canyon, to the mogollon airpark. Consideration had been given to the time of departure so as to arrive at the destination before nightfall. The first problem in the chain of events was that the plane's starter motor did not work. A mechanic was summoned and 45 mins later the engine was started and departure was made. Navigation was made to the peach springs VOR and flagstaff VOR, dead-reckoning was used to the destination. The alternate destination was show low, az. Show low airfield was about a 15 min flight beyond mogollon airpark. It was fast becoming apparent once flagstaff was past, that nighttime would come before arriving at the designated destination. Having flown to this destination 3 times in the last 6 months, it was not difficult to find even in the dark with the aid of highway lights and basic navigation skills. Upon reaching heber, az, it was night, but there was the ambient light of the small town and the sky. There were no clouds and the mogollon airpark seemed readily visible. The next thing that led to an undesirable landing was the fact that the decision was made to try and land in the dark of night, even though there were no landing lights. It was felt that since the airstrip was visually in sight, even though show low airport was only 15 mins away, it was more desirable to land now before it got any darker. There was also incentive to land to rendezvous with the awaiting ground party. An approach was made from north to south. The airpark is surrounded by homes on each side and tall trees to the north. The airstrip slopes upward from the base of these trees, and then crests going downhill to the south. All seemed to be going well with the approach until just moments before touchdown, when a feeling of a slight downdraft was perceived. Just as more power was about to be added to compensate, the landing lights of the aircraft illuminated the airstrip, and it was apparent that altitude had been lost too rapidly and the aircraft was going to hit the runway hard. Full power was engaged and maximum flare attempted. Due to the steepness of the incline of the runway there was insufficient time to prevent the aircraft from touching down hard. The instant touchdown was made, the landing light filaments broke. The aircraft's ELT was set off. The aircraft bounced and it was imperceivable visually where in space the aircraft was headed, because of the lack of vision. The ambient light of the city and horizon was lost down in this hole created by the surrounding trees. As soon as the aircraft touched down again, following the bounce, it was perceived that the aircraft was in the dirt to the left side of the runway. Right rudder was immediately applied forcibly enough to quickly regain the runway. Taxi to the parking area was achieved slowly by virtue of the aircraft's strobe lighting. While the aircraft was off the left side of the runway for approximately 70 ft, the left wingtip and light fixture clipped the edge of a make-shift VASI. The light fixture was taken off and the metal housing of the wingtip dented as a result. After shutdown, the ELT was unable to be disengaged by the remote switch, which seemed to be stuck. The prescott flight service was called and notified that an a&P mechanic was on his way to disengage it. After turning off the ELT, the a&P mechanic inspected the plane and found the broken fixture and dented left wingtip. The nose gear seemed to be intact with the exception of the fixture that attached to the belly of the plane. The right arm of the fixture had popped 5 rivets. He estimated that the rivets were popped not from the hard landing, but from the lateral force through the dirt as the aircraft was repositioned on the runway. He could see no damage to the firewall or any other parts of the landing gear, neither then nor the next morning upon further examination in the light of day. There was no damage to the wing structurally, only cosmetic damage to the light fixture and mount on the very tip of the left wingtip. He suggested that the aircraft could be ferried to its field of origin. A ferrying permit was obtained and the aircraft was flown back to its field of origin by the a&P who signedoff on the ferrying permit. As a pilot, I was shaken emotionally by the experience. Although I had experienced many nighttime lndgs, more than required for proficiency in the last few months, I felt I had misjudged by ability to see, I had underestimated the impact of the upslope of the runway and I had not anticipated losing the ambient light of the sky and city when down at the level of the trees. It was terrifying for a moment after the initial bounce of the aircraft, not being able to see as to make the proper corrections to realign myself with the runway. The noise of the aircraft rolling through the dirt off the runway attracted the residents of the airpark. These residents all congregated around the aircraft after taxi, making the situation even more emotional.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PLT MAKES A NIGHT LNDG WITHOUT RWY LIGHTING, A HARD LNDG OCCURRED WITH THE ACFT DEPARTING THE RWY AT AZ82.

Narrative: A VFR FLT HAD BEEN PLANNED ON THE W SIDE OF THE GRAND CANYON, TO THE MOGOLLON AIRPARK. CONSIDERATION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE TIME OF DEP SO AS TO ARRIVE AT THE DEST BEFORE NIGHTFALL. THE FIRST PROB IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS WAS THAT THE PLANE'S STARTER MOTOR DID NOT WORK. A MECH WAS SUMMONED AND 45 MINS LATER THE ENG WAS STARTED AND DEP WAS MADE. NAV WAS MADE TO THE PEACH SPRINGS VOR AND FLAGSTAFF VOR, DEAD-RECKONING WAS USED TO THE DEST. THE ALTERNATE DEST WAS SHOW LOW, AZ. SHOW LOW AIRFIELD WAS ABOUT A 15 MIN FLT BEYOND MOGOLLON AIRPARK. IT WAS FAST BECOMING APPARENT ONCE FLAGSTAFF WAS PAST, THAT NIGHTTIME WOULD COME BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE DESIGNATED DEST. HAVING FLOWN TO THIS DEST 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS, IT WAS NOT DIFFICULT TO FIND EVEN IN THE DARK WITH THE AID OF HWY LIGHTS AND BASIC NAV SKILLS. UPON REACHING HEBER, AZ, IT WAS NIGHT, BUT THERE WAS THE AMBIENT LIGHT OF THE SMALL TOWN AND THE SKY. THERE WERE NO CLOUDS AND THE MOGOLLON AIRPARK SEEMED READILY VISIBLE. THE NEXT THING THAT LED TO AN UNDESIRABLE LNDG WAS THE FACT THAT THE DECISION WAS MADE TO TRY AND LAND IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE NO LNDG LIGHTS. IT WAS FELT THAT SINCE THE AIRSTRIP WAS VISUALLY IN SIGHT, EVEN THOUGH SHOW LOW ARPT WAS ONLY 15 MINS AWAY, IT WAS MORE DESIRABLE TO LAND NOW BEFORE IT GOT ANY DARKER. THERE WAS ALSO INCENTIVE TO LAND TO RENDEZVOUS WITH THE AWAITING GND PARTY. AN APCH WAS MADE FROM N TO S. THE AIRPARK IS SURROUNDED BY HOMES ON EACH SIDE AND TALL TREES TO THE N. THE AIRSTRIP SLOPES UPWARD FROM THE BASE OF THESE TREES, AND THEN CRESTS GOING DOWNHILL TO THE S. ALL SEEMED TO BE GOING WELL WITH THE APCH UNTIL JUST MOMENTS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, WHEN A FEELING OF A SLIGHT DOWNDRAFT WAS PERCEIVED. JUST AS MORE PWR WAS ABOUT TO BE ADDED TO COMPENSATE, THE LNDG LIGHTS OF THE ACFT ILLUMINATED THE AIRSTRIP, AND IT WAS APPARENT THAT ALT HAD BEEN LOST TOO RAPIDLY AND THE ACFT WAS GOING TO HIT THE RWY HARD. FULL PWR WAS ENGAGED AND MAX FLARE ATTEMPTED. DUE TO THE STEEPNESS OF THE INCLINE OF THE RWY THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO PREVENT THE ACFT FROM TOUCHING DOWN HARD. THE INSTANT TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE, THE LNDG LIGHT FILAMENTS BROKE. THE ACFT'S ELT WAS SET OFF. THE ACFT BOUNCED AND IT WAS IMPERCEIVABLE VISUALLY WHERE IN SPACE THE ACFT WAS HEADED, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF VISION. THE AMBIENT LIGHT OF THE CITY AND HORIZON WAS LOST DOWN IN THIS HOLE CREATED BY THE SURROUNDING TREES. AS SOON AS THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN, FOLLOWING THE BOUNCE, IT WAS PERCEIVED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN THE DIRT TO THE L SIDE OF THE RWY. R RUDDER WAS IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FORCIBLY ENOUGH TO QUICKLY REGAIN THE RWY. TAXI TO THE PARKING AREA WAS ACHIEVED SLOWLY BY VIRTUE OF THE ACFT'S STROBE LIGHTING. WHILE THE ACFT WAS OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY FOR APPROX 70 FT, THE L WINGTIP AND LIGHT FIXTURE CLIPPED THE EDGE OF A MAKE-SHIFT VASI. THE LIGHT FIXTURE WAS TAKEN OFF AND THE METAL HOUSING OF THE WINGTIP DENTED AS A RESULT. AFTER SHUTDOWN, THE ELT WAS UNABLE TO BE DISENGAGED BY THE REMOTE SWITCH, WHICH SEEMED TO BE STUCK. THE PRESCOTT FLT SVC WAS CALLED AND NOTIFIED THAT AN A&P MECH WAS ON HIS WAY TO DISENGAGE IT. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ELT, THE A&P MECH INSPECTED THE PLANE AND FOUND THE BROKEN FIXTURE AND DENTED L WINGTIP. THE NOSE GEAR SEEMED TO BE INTACT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FIXTURE THAT ATTACHED TO THE BELLY OF THE PLANE. THE R ARM OF THE FIXTURE HAD POPPED 5 RIVETS. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE RIVETS WERE POPPED NOT FROM THE HARD LNDG, BUT FROM THE LATERAL FORCE THROUGH THE DIRT AS THE ACFT WAS REPOSITIONED ON THE RWY. HE COULD SEE NO DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL OR ANY OTHER PARTS OF THE LNDG GEAR, NEITHER THEN NOR THE NEXT MORNING UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION IN THE LIGHT OF DAY. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE WING STRUCTURALLY, ONLY COSMETIC DAMAGE TO THE LIGHT FIXTURE AND MOUNT ON THE VERY TIP OF THE L WINGTIP. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE ACFT COULD BE FERRIED TO ITS FIELD OF ORIGIN. A FERRYING PERMIT WAS OBTAINED AND THE ACFT WAS FLOWN BACK TO ITS FIELD OF ORIGIN BY THE A&P WHO SIGNEDOFF ON THE FERRYING PERMIT. AS A PLT, I WAS SHAKEN EMOTIONALLY BY THE EXPERIENCE. ALTHOUGH I HAD EXPERIENCED MANY NIGHTTIME LNDGS, MORE THAN REQUIRED FOR PROFICIENCY IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, I FELT I HAD MISJUDGED BY ABILITY TO SEE, I HAD UNDERESTIMATED THE IMPACT OF THE UPSLOPE OF THE RWY AND I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED LOSING THE AMBIENT LIGHT OF THE SKY AND CITY WHEN DOWN AT THE LEVEL OF THE TREES. IT WAS TERRIFYING FOR A MOMENT AFTER THE INITIAL BOUNCE OF THE ACFT, NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE AS TO MAKE THE PROPER CORRECTIONS TO REALIGN MYSELF WITH THE RWY. THE NOISE OF THE ACFT ROLLING THROUGH THE DIRT OFF THE RWY ATTRACTED THE RESIDENTS OF THE AIRPARK. THESE RESIDENTS ALL CONGREGATED AROUND THE ACFT AFTER TAXI, MAKING THE SIT EVEN MORE EMOTIONAL.

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.