What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Description:
Pilot reported that he lined up on the runway centerline to 22R at kbos and about the time of rotation heard a few thumps. No change in aircraft performance, or roughness so continued to original destination, kack. Upon landing at kack and dropping off passenger, pilot reported he performed a quick walk-around of the aircraft and did not note damage to propeller, nor did he particulary look. After landing in khya from a repositioning flight, during securing of the aircraft, damage was noted to left propeller blades. Pilot advised operational control coordinator and director of operations immediately.
Casual factors:
The pilot likely did not perform adequate preflight preparation, in that he thought there were runway centerline lights on rwy 22R at kbos, which there are not. In addition, frontal passage with rain, limited visibilities low ceilings along with night limited visibility. Last, but not least, early detection did not occur due to inadequate preflight checks between legs. Orientation on a large airport also played a factor.
Recommendations:
1) Additional emphasis on preflight planning, especially for on-demand operations. Increased emphasis on checks of aircraft condition between legs for all flights (commuter & on-demand) conducted by this operator.
2) Implementation of EFB usage, distinctly for on-demand operations. It has been noted that this operator is in a challenging on-demand environment. They operate without updated or modern equipment in a challenging single pilot environment, possibly allowing required information to be missed or overlooked with the large amounts of paper and only textual information presented. The use of pictorial display (moving map) of the airport/taxiways along with own-ship display and runway entering/incursion alerting, such as found on foreflight, could have greatly assisted this pilot in the poor weather conditions.
3) Change to runway edge lighting at kbos and possibly other airports where runway edge lights are inset from the edge of the pavement are 18 inch posts versus the better in runway discs. This is the third event in the past year in which this inspector is aware of a smaller aircraft hitting the edge lights because of the large distance of runway edge pavement and the loss of depth perception of the runway lights when viewed from the lower angles as from the cockpit of smaller aircraft.
Comments: see recommendations
As the FAA filed it
DESCRIPTION:
PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LINED UP ON THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE TO 22R AT KBOS AND ABOUT THE TIME OF ROTATION HEARD A FEW THUMPS. NO CHANGE IN AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE, OR ROUGHNESS SO CONTINUED TO ORIGINAL DESTINATION, KACK. UPON LANDING AT KACK AND DROPPING OFF PASSENGER, PILOT REPORTED HE PERFORMED A QUICK WALK-AROUND OF THE AIRCRAFT AND DID NOT NOTE DAMAGE TO PROPELLER, NOR DID HE PARTICULARY LOOK. AFTER LANDING IN KHYA FROM A REPOSITIONING FLIGHT, DURING SECURING OF THE AIRCRAFT, DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO LEFT PROPELLER BLADES. PILOT ADVISED OPERATIONAL CONTROL COORDINATOR AND DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY.
CASUAL FACTORS:
THE PILOT LIKELY DID NOT PERFORM ADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PREPARATION, IN THAT HE THOUGHT THERE WERE RUNWAY CENTERLINE LIGHTS ON RWY 22R AT KBOS, WHICH THERE ARE NOT. IN ADDITION, FRONTAL PASSAGE WITH RAIN, LIMITED VISIBILITIES LOW CEILINGS ALONG WITH NIGHT LIMITED VISIBILITY. LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, EARLY DETECTION DID NOT OCCUR DUE TO INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT CHECKS BETWEEN LEGS. ORIENTATION ON A LARGE AIRPORT ALSO PLAYED A FACTOR.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS ON PREFLIGHT PLANNING, ESPECIALLY FOR ON-DEMAND OPERATIONS. INCREASED EMPHASIS ON CHECKS OF AIRCRAFT CONDITION BETWEEN LEGS FOR ALL FLIGHTS (COMMUTER & ON-DEMAND) CONDUCTED BY THIS OPERATOR.
2) IMPLEMENTATION OF EFB USAGE, DISTINCTLY FOR ON-DEMAND OPERATIONS. IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT THIS OPERATOR IS IN A CHALLENGING ON-DEMAND ENVIRONMENT. THEY OPERATE WITHOUT UPDATED OR MODERN EQUIPMENT IN A CHALLENGING SINGLE PILOT ENVIRONMENT, POSSIBLY ALLOWING REQUIRED INFORMATION TO BE MISSED OR OVERLOOKED WITH THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF PAPER AND ONLY TEXTUAL INFORMATION PRESENTED. THE USE OF PICTORIAL DISPLAY (MOVING MAP) OF THE AIRPORT/TAXIWAYS ALONG WITH OWN-SHIP DISPLAY AND RUNWAY ENTERING/INCURSION ALERTING, SUCH AS FOUND ON FOREFLIGHT, COULD HAVE GREATLY ASSISTED THIS PILOT IN THE POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.
3) CHANGE TO RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTING AT KBOS AND POSSIBLY OTHER AIRPORTS WHERE RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS ARE INSET FROM THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT ARE 18 INCH POSTS VERSUS THE BETTER IN RUNWAY DISCS. THIS IS THE THIRD EVENT IN THE PAST YEAR IN WHICH THIS INSPECTOR IS AWARE OF A SMALLER AIRCRAFT HITTING THE EDGE LIGHTS BECAUSE OF THE LARGE DISTANCE OF RUNWAY EDGE PAVEMENT AND THE LOSS OF DEPTH PERCEPTION OF THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WHEN VIEWED FROM THE LOWER ANGLES AS FROM THE COCKPIT OF SMALLER AIRCRAFT.
COMMENTS: SEE RECOMMENDATIONS