Narrative:

During preflight I discovered the landing light was inoperative. This is not required equipment and I had a mission time to meet. I elected to depart without the landing light being replaced at XA00 hours PDT. Soon after XE00 hours, I left the area of north portland and proceeded to aurora state airport, touching down between XE20 and XE30 hours, just as twilight was fading. I exited the runway to the ramp for FBO. I taxied onto their ramp to check for a self service fuel pump. After determining that there was not self service available here, I proceeded north on a taxiway adjacent to hangars that appeared to extend to the north ramp where the other available fuel source was located. No obstruction was visible and this appeared to be an aircraft movement area/taxiway. I proceeded northbound, taxing normally on the blacktop/asphalt taxiway. Light was slowly fading, but artificial light cast by occasional light sources along the taxiway allowed me to see the edges of the taxiway while moving. As I neared the north ramp, about 150 ft south I passed an occupied hangar with a garage (not hangar door) door open facing the taxiway. Some light from the hangar shown on the taxiway. As I passed through this light back into darkness, I struck a concrete highway barrier placed perpendicular across the taxiway. I did not see the barrier prior to impact. My first impression was that perhaps I struck a pothole in the taxiway. In fact, after shutting off all electric and fuel, I exited the aircraft and discovered I struck a barrier. Both ends of the propeller were bent and the lower cowling was dented where forward momentum had carried the aircraft into the barrier after the propeller struck. I simply did not, could not, see the barrier prior to impact. This taxiway is depicted as complete from midfield to the north ramp in the airport/facility directory -- northwest united states. Additionally this barrier had been in place for some length of time as evidenced by the weathered, darkened appearance. Also, there were no standard markings on the taxiway to indicate it was closed. The barrier was unmarked or painted to make it visible at night. After exiting the aircraft, I observed that the barrier blended with the taxiway and shadows behind it to such a degree that it was very difficult to see in the dark. Obviously, not having a landing light contributed to this mishap. Additionally, the light conditions of dusk -- twilight fading to night -- were particularly bad for being bale to distinguish an obstruction that had coloration that blended with the taxiway surface and the shadows behind it. And, neither the obstruction nor the taxiway were appropriately marked to warn of a hazard. This taxiway is depicted as compete for the route I was taking in the united states government departments of transportation airport/facility directory and no notamed was published.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT FLEW INTO NIGHT WITH AN INOP TAXI AND LNDG LIGHT. HE HAD A PROP STRIKE WHEN HE HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER HE COULDN'T SEE.

Narrative: DURING PREFLT I DISCOVERED THE LNDG LIGHT WAS INOP. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED EQUIP AND I HAD A MISSION TIME TO MEET. I ELECTED TO DEPART WITHOUT THE LNDG LIGHT BEING REPLACED AT XA00 HRS PDT. SOON AFTER XE00 HRS, I LEFT THE AREA OF NORTH PORTLAND AND PROCEEDED TO AURORA STATE ARPT, TOUCHING DOWN BTWN XE20 AND XE30 HRS, JUST AS TWILIGHT WAS FADING. I EXITED THE RWY TO THE RAMP FOR FBO. I TAXIED ONTO THEIR RAMP TO CHK FOR A SELF SVC FUEL PUMP. AFTER DETERMINING THAT THERE WAS NOT SELF SVC AVAILABLE HERE, I PROCEEDED N ON A TXWY ADJACENT TO HANGARS THAT APPEARED TO EXTEND TO THE N RAMP WHERE THE OTHER AVAILABLE FUEL SOURCE WAS LOCATED. NO OBSTRUCTION WAS VISIBLE AND THIS APPEARED TO BE AN ACFT MOVEMENT AREA/TXWY. I PROCEEDED NBOUND, TAXING NORMALLY ON THE BLACKTOP/ASPHALT TXWY. LIGHT WAS SLOWLY FADING, BUT ARTIFICIAL LIGHT CAST BY OCCASIONAL LIGHT SOURCES ALONG THE TXWY ALLOWED ME TO SEE THE EDGES OF THE TXWY WHILE MOVING. AS I NEARED THE N RAMP, ABOUT 150 FT S I PASSED AN OCCUPIED HANGAR WITH A GARAGE (NOT HANGAR DOOR) DOOR OPEN FACING THE TXWY. SOME LIGHT FROM THE HANGAR SHOWN ON THE TXWY. AS I PASSED THROUGH THIS LIGHT BACK INTO DARKNESS, I STRUCK A CONCRETE HWY BARRIER PLACED PERPENDICULAR ACROSS THE TXWY. I DID NOT SEE THE BARRIER PRIOR TO IMPACT. MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT PERHAPS I STRUCK A POTHOLE IN THE TXWY. IN FACT, AFTER SHUTTING OFF ALL ELECTRIC AND FUEL, I EXITED THE ACFT AND DISCOVERED I STRUCK A BARRIER. BOTH ENDS OF THE PROP WERE BENT AND THE LOWER COWLING WAS DENTED WHERE FORWARD MOMENTUM HAD CARRIED THE ACFT INTO THE BARRIER AFTER THE PROP STRUCK. I SIMPLY DID NOT, COULD NOT, SEE THE BARRIER PRIOR TO IMPACT. THIS TXWY IS DEPICTED AS COMPLETE FROM MIDFIELD TO THE N RAMP IN THE ARPT/FACILITY DIRECTORY -- NW UNITED STATES. ADDITIONALLY THIS BARRIER HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR SOME LENGTH OF TIME AS EVIDENCED BY THE WEATHERED, DARKENED APPEARANCE. ALSO, THERE WERE NO STANDARD MARKINGS ON THE TXWY TO INDICATE IT WAS CLOSED. THE BARRIER WAS UNMARKED OR PAINTED TO MAKE IT VISIBLE AT NIGHT. AFTER EXITING THE ACFT, I OBSERVED THAT THE BARRIER BLENDED WITH THE TXWY AND SHADOWS BEHIND IT TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE IN THE DARK. OBVIOUSLY, NOT HAVING A LNDG LIGHT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MISHAP. ADDITIONALLY, THE LIGHT CONDITIONS OF DUSK -- TWILIGHT FADING TO NIGHT -- WERE PARTICULARLY BAD FOR BEING BALE TO DISTINGUISH AN OBSTRUCTION THAT HAD COLORATION THAT BLENDED WITH THE TXWY SURFACE AND THE SHADOWS BEHIND IT. AND, NEITHER THE OBSTRUCTION NOR THE TXWY WERE APPROPRIATELY MARKED TO WARN OF A HAZARD. THIS TXWY IS DEPICTED AS COMPETE FOR THE RTE I WAS TAKING IN THE UNITED STATES GOV DEPTS OF TRANSPORTATION ARPT/FACILITY DIRECTORY AND NO NOTAMED WAS PUBLISHED.

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.