Narrative:

I was cleared to taxi via taxiway K to runway 32 at anc. Approaching this intersection, I was cleared for takeoff from runway 32 at taxiway K. I taxied onto the runway and turned right to align the airplane with the centerline. However, as I turned to what I thought was the centerline, the view did not appear normal and I realized that I had already crossed the centerline and seemed well to the left of it. I added some power to taxi forward and to the right to try to reorient myself. A runway light appeared just in front of and to the left of the aircraft. I chopped te power and tried swerving more to the right, but I was already too close to it and could not avoid it. I felt a slight impact and saw glass fragments as the left propeller struck the light. The runway light appeared to be just within the arc of the left propeller, outboard of the left main landing gear, when it struck. I pulled both power levers to idle and came to a full stop. Both engines were still idling normally, all engine gauges appeared normal, and no damage was immediately visible. There was a slight vibration on the left engine. I informed the control tower that I had just struck a runway light, and requested taxi clearance back to the ramp. I taxied back to the ramp, and performed a normal engine shutdown. Subsequent examination of the airplane inside the lighted hangar revealed that the 3-BLADED propeller on the left engine had sustained damage. The entire tip was missing from 1 blade, there were numerous significant dings and scratches on a second, and no apparent damage to the third. No other damage to the airplane was noticed. I would attribute the occurrence of this incident to becoming disoriented in the dark as I turned onto runway 32 at taxiway K. At night, this area resembled a 'black hole' from the low-slung cockpit of a light twin aircraft. I had started my duty day at XA30 earlier that evening, so I was still well within my legal duty day. Another night flight earlier that evening had run later than expected, resulting in an even later departure time for this planned flight -- it was XH00 when I began my taxi out. Although I didn't consciously feel fatigued, I had been up all night, and my body time clock may not have been acclimated to being up all night. This may have slowed my overall reactions, and contributed to the initial disorientation, to my ability to recognize the unusual visual perspective resulting from that, and to my ability to recover from it. The process of completing final items on the before-takeoff checklist while maneuvering for takeoff may also have been a contributing factor to the disorientation. In the future, I plan to avoid a recurrence of this kind of situation by reducing distrs, especially at night and in the single-pilot flight environment, by fully completing checklists prior to maneuvering onto the active runway, and by maintaining a closer watch on the visual cues providing guidance onto the runway (ie, yellow taxiway centerline markings and transitions). Bringing along a second pilot, even if not required, would have provided a second set of eyes and backed up my own judgement. In particular, I will also maintain a closer awareness of my physiological state, and cancel a flight if I think I may be affected by fatigue, regardless of duty time limitations.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C310 PLT BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE TAKING THE RWY, AND STRUCK A RWY LIGHT WITH A PROP.

Narrative: I WAS CLRED TO TAXI VIA TXWY K TO RWY 32 AT ANC. APCHING THIS INTXN, I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF FROM RWY 32 AT TXWY K. I TAXIED ONTO THE RWY AND TURNED R TO ALIGN THE AIRPLANE WITH THE CTRLINE. HOWEVER, AS I TURNED TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE CTRLINE, THE VIEW DID NOT APPEAR NORMAL AND I REALIZED THAT I HAD ALREADY CROSSED THE CTRLINE AND SEEMED WELL TO THE L OF IT. I ADDED SOME PWR TO TAXI FORWARD AND TO THE R TO TRY TO REORIENT MYSELF. A RWY LIGHT APPEARED JUST IN FRONT OF AND TO THE L OF THE ACFT. I CHOPPED TE PWR AND TRIED SWERVING MORE TO THE R, BUT I WAS ALREADY TOO CLOSE TO IT AND COULD NOT AVOID IT. I FELT A SLIGHT IMPACT AND SAW GLASS FRAGMENTS AS THE L PROP STRUCK THE LIGHT. THE RWY LIGHT APPEARED TO BE JUST WITHIN THE ARC OF THE L PROP, OUTBOARD OF THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR, WHEN IT STRUCK. I PULLED BOTH PWR LEVERS TO IDLE AND CAME TO A FULL STOP. BOTH ENGS WERE STILL IDLING NORMALLY, ALL ENG GAUGES APPEARED NORMAL, AND NO DAMAGE WAS IMMEDIATELY VISIBLE. THERE WAS A SLIGHT VIBRATION ON THE L ENG. I INFORMED THE CTL TWR THAT I HAD JUST STRUCK A RWY LIGHT, AND REQUESTED TAXI CLRNC BACK TO THE RAMP. I TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP, AND PERFORMED A NORMAL ENG SHUTDOWN. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE INSIDE THE LIGHTED HANGAR REVEALED THAT THE 3-BLADED PROP ON THE L ENG HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THE ENTIRE TIP WAS MISSING FROM 1 BLADE, THERE WERE NUMEROUS SIGNIFICANT DINGS AND SCRATCHES ON A SECOND, AND NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE THIRD. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE WAS NOTICED. I WOULD ATTRIBUTE THE OCCURRENCE OF THIS INCIDENT TO BECOMING DISORIENTED IN THE DARK AS I TURNED ONTO RWY 32 AT TXWY K. AT NIGHT, THIS AREA RESEMBLED A 'BLACK HOLE' FROM THE LOW-SLUNG COCKPIT OF A LIGHT TWIN ACFT. I HAD STARTED MY DUTY DAY AT XA30 EARLIER THAT EVENING, SO I WAS STILL WELL WITHIN MY LEGAL DUTY DAY. ANOTHER NIGHT FLT EARLIER THAT EVENING HAD RUN LATER THAN EXPECTED, RESULTING IN AN EVEN LATER DEP TIME FOR THIS PLANNED FLT -- IT WAS XH00 WHEN I BEGAN MY TAXI OUT. ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T CONSCIOUSLY FEEL FATIGUED, I HAD BEEN UP ALL NIGHT, AND MY BODY TIME CLOCK MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ACCLIMATED TO BEING UP ALL NIGHT. THIS MAY HAVE SLOWED MY OVERALL REACTIONS, AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE INITIAL DISORIENTATION, TO MY ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE THE UNUSUAL VISUAL PERSPECTIVE RESULTING FROM THAT, AND TO MY ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM IT. THE PROCESS OF COMPLETING FINAL ITEMS ON THE BEFORE-TKOF CHKLIST WHILE MANEUVERING FOR TKOF MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DISORIENTATION. IN THE FUTURE, I PLAN TO AVOID A RECURRENCE OF THIS KIND OF SIT BY REDUCING DISTRS, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT AND IN THE SINGLE-PLT FLT ENVIRONMENT, BY FULLY COMPLETING CHKLISTS PRIOR TO MANEUVERING ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY, AND BY MAINTAINING A CLOSER WATCH ON THE VISUAL CUES PROVIDING GUIDANCE ONTO THE RWY (IE, YELLOW TXWY CTRLINE MARKINGS AND TRANSITIONS). BRINGING ALONG A SECOND PLT, EVEN IF NOT REQUIRED, WOULD HAVE PROVIDED A SECOND SET OF EYES AND BACKED UP MY OWN JUDGEMENT. IN PARTICULAR, I WILL ALSO MAINTAIN A CLOSER AWARENESS OF MY PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE, AND CANCEL A FLT IF I THINK I MAY BE AFFECTED BY FATIGUE, REGARDLESS OF DUTY TIME LIMITATIONS.

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.