Narrative:

I was the PIC on a cessna citation V (C560), far 91, cpr flight from asw to ind. We departed asw and arrived at ind 30 mins later. Our passenger returned a few hours later and we began taxiing. Ind tower instructed us to taxi to runway 5R for departure. After we entered the parallel taxiway for runway 5R, we requested an intersection departure since runway 5R is 10000 ft long. Ground control approved an intersection departure from the C7 taxiway. As we rounded the corner onto taxiway C7, ind tower cleared us for takeoff on runway 5R. I was starting a turn to line up with the runway heading as I entered the runway surface and began adding power for takeoff. I glanced down at the N1 power gauges to set takeoff power, called for takeoff power to be set by the sic and then looked back outside. At first, the picture I saw did not look right and seemed slightly confusing. Ahead and slightly left were white lights that I did not expect to see on my left. I then mistook those lights to be the runway centerline lights, so I began a slight steering correction to the left to center the aircraft on the centerline lights. Just as I made this correction, I saw a runway edge line next to the white lights that I was steering for and was shocked to realize that I was trying to line up with the runway edge lights, not the centerline. I immediately began a right correction to get back to the runway centerline when I felt a slight thump from the vicinity of the left main landing gear and saw a yellow object propelled forward and left of the nose of the aircraft. Since there was no vibration or other indication of problems, I continued the takeoff and had an uneventful 25 min flight back to asw. After landing, we inspected the left gear, wing and flap area for damage. We found a small amount of sheet metal damage to the main gear door along with fragments of blue grass, a slightly bent landing gear door connecting rod and a broken landing light. Maintenance and the department manager/chief pilot were notified immediately. Conclusions: both pilots were type rated capts in this aircraft and qualified for the flight. Duty time was well within company specified limits. WX was not a factor. The cause of the incident was the captain's (my) in attention to our location on the departure runway surface while beginning the takeoff roll. Contributing factors: night departure. Using a reverse high speed connecting taxiway requiring a longer taxi distance than usual to enter the runway surface. My being distraction when setting the power and not paying attention to aircraft location on the runway. This normally is not a problem except, in this case, where I began my turn to line up on the runway prematurely causing me to line up near the left side of the runway, not the centerline. When I looked up from the engine gauges, I momentarily mistook the runway edge lighting for runway centerline lighting. Prevention: when something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Stop or delay what you're doing, if possible, until you can resolve the discrepancy. Always confirm your position on the runway by the appropriate markings, although this was harder to do at night due to limited illumination from the landing lights on this aircraft. Don't be in a hurry to apply takeoff power until lined up with the runway centerline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CITATION V CAPT ADMITTED THAT HE LINED UP WITH THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS ON IND'S RWY 5R.

Narrative: I WAS THE PIC ON A CESSNA CITATION V (C560), FAR 91, CPR FLT FROM ASW TO IND. WE DEPARTED ASW AND ARRIVED AT IND 30 MINS LATER. OUR PAX RETURNED A FEW HRS LATER AND WE BEGAN TAXIING. IND TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO RWY 5R FOR DEP. AFTER WE ENTERED THE PARALLEL TXWY FOR RWY 5R, WE REQUESTED AN INTXN DEP SINCE RWY 5R IS 10000 FT LONG. GND CTL APPROVED AN INTXN DEP FROM THE C7 TXWY. AS WE ROUNDED THE CORNER ONTO TXWY C7, IND TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF ON RWY 5R. I WAS STARTING A TURN TO LINE UP WITH THE RWY HDG AS I ENTERED THE RWY SURFACE AND BEGAN ADDING PWR FOR TKOF. I GLANCED DOWN AT THE N1 PWR GAUGES TO SET TKOF PWR, CALLED FOR TKOF PWR TO BE SET BY THE SIC AND THEN LOOKED BACK OUTSIDE. AT FIRST, THE PICTURE I SAW DID NOT LOOK RIGHT AND SEEMED SLIGHTLY CONFUSING. AHEAD AND SLIGHTLY L WERE WHITE LIGHTS THAT I DID NOT EXPECT TO SEE ON MY L. I THEN MISTOOK THOSE LIGHTS TO BE THE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS, SO I BEGAN A SLIGHT STEERING CORRECTION TO THE L TO CTR THE ACFT ON THE CTRLINE LIGHTS. JUST AS I MADE THIS CORRECTION, I SAW A RWY EDGE LINE NEXT TO THE WHITE LIGHTS THAT I WAS STEERING FOR AND WAS SHOCKED TO REALIZE THAT I WAS TRYING TO LINE UP WITH THE RWY EDGE LIGHTS, NOT THE CTRLINE. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A R CORRECTION TO GET BACK TO THE RWY CTRLINE WHEN I FELT A SLIGHT THUMP FROM THE VICINITY OF THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR AND SAW A YELLOW OBJECT PROPELLED FORWARD AND L OF THE NOSE OF THE ACFT. SINCE THERE WAS NO VIBRATION OR OTHER INDICATION OF PROBS, I CONTINUED THE TKOF AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL 25 MIN FLT BACK TO ASW. AFTER LNDG, WE INSPECTED THE L GEAR, WING AND FLAP AREA FOR DAMAGE. WE FOUND A SMALL AMOUNT OF SHEET METAL DAMAGE TO THE MAIN GEAR DOOR ALONG WITH FRAGMENTS OF BLUE GRASS, A SLIGHTLY BENT LNDG GEAR DOOR CONNECTING ROD AND A BROKEN LNDG LIGHT. MAINT AND THE DEPT MGR/CHIEF PLT WERE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH PLTS WERE TYPE RATED CAPTS IN THIS ACFT AND QUALIFIED FOR THE FLT. DUTY TIME WAS WELL WITHIN COMPANY SPECIFIED LIMITS. WX WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS THE CAPT'S (MY) IN ATTN TO OUR LOCATION ON THE DEP RWY SURFACE WHILE BEGINNING THE TKOF ROLL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NIGHT DEP. USING A REVERSE HIGH SPD CONNECTING TXWY REQUIRING A LONGER TAXI DISTANCE THAN USUAL TO ENTER THE RWY SURFACE. MY BEING DISTR WHEN SETTING THE PWR AND NOT PAYING ATTN TO ACFT LOCATION ON THE RWY. THIS NORMALLY IS NOT A PROB EXCEPT, IN THIS CASE, WHERE I BEGAN MY TURN TO LINE UP ON THE RWY PREMATURELY CAUSING ME TO LINE UP NEAR THE L SIDE OF THE RWY, NOT THE CTRLINE. WHEN I LOOKED UP FROM THE ENG GAUGES, I MOMENTARILY MISTOOK THE RWY EDGE LIGHTING FOR RWY CTRLINE LIGHTING. PREVENTION: WHEN SOMETHING DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT, IT PROBABLY ISN'T. STOP OR DELAY WHAT YOU'RE DOING, IF POSSIBLE, UNTIL YOU CAN RESOLVE THE DISCREPANCY. ALWAYS CONFIRM YOUR POS ON THE RWY BY THE APPROPRIATE MARKINGS, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS HARDER TO DO AT NIGHT DUE TO LIMITED ILLUMINATION FROM THE LNDG LIGHTS ON THIS ACFT. DON'T BE IN A HURRY TO APPLY TKOF PWR UNTIL LINED UP WITH THE RWY CTRLINE.

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.