# Incident 20151106017989I: Cessna 172N, Everett, WA, November 6, 2015 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: November 6, 2015, 17:30 local time - Place: Everett, WA - Airport: Paine Field - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 47.9790° N, 122.2021° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Everett, WA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.9790&lon=-122.2021&mi=10 - Aircraft: N738BU, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N738BU) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 445 total, 246 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151106017989I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AIRCRAFT PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO'S LANDED RWY16R ON WRONG SIDE OF LIGHTS, TRYING TO CORRECT, HIT TWO TAXIWAY LIGHTS. DAMAGE TO PROPELLER AND MAIN LANDING GEAR FAIRING. PILOT STATED THE FOLLOWING: AFTER A SERIES OF DUSK TO NIGHT CONDITION TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AND TWO STOP AND GO LANDINGS AT PAINE FIELD AIRPORT, I REQUESTED A FULL STOP LANDING ON RUNWAY 16-R AT APPROXIMATELY 6 PM ON NOVEMBER 6, 2015. I HAD PLANNED TO EXTEND THE LANDING DOWN THE RUNWAY SO THAT I COULD EXIT AT A4 IN ORDER TO REDUCE TAXI TIME TO REGAL AIR FOR PARKING. HOWEVER, UPON LANDING THE TOWER CONTROLLER REQUESTED THAT I EXIT RUNWAY 16-R AT A3. AT THAT TIME, I WAS LOOKING DOWN THE RUNWAY ANTICIPATING REACHING A4. WHEN I INITIALLY SAW AN A3 EXIT SIGN, I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT I HAD REACHED THE SOUTHERN PART OF THAT EXIT AND PROCEEDED FROM THE CENTER OF 16R EAST IN A SLIGHTLY NE DIRECTION TO WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE A3 EXIT. AS IT TURNED OUT, I WAS HEADING TOWARD THE SHOULDER OF THE RUNWAY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE NORTHERN SIGN FOR THE A3 EXIT. THE TOWER CONTROLLER ADVISED ME THAT I WAS AT THAT LOCATION AND, IN EFFECT, THAT I NEEDED TO TURN TO THE SOUTH SO THAT I COULD ENTER THE A3 RUNWAY EXIT CORRECTLY. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE TOWER CONTROLLER, STOPPED FORWARD PROGRESS AND HEADED SOUTH ONTO THE A3 RUNWAY EXIT. I ASSUMED THAT THE TOWER CONTROLLER WAS OBSERVING WHILE I TAXIED TO A3 AND, BEFORE CONTACTING GROUND FREQUENCY, THE TOWER CONTROLLER AND I SPOKE ABOUT HOW BRIGHT THE NEW 16R LED LANDING LIGHTS WERE AND THAT THEY HAD A SOMEWHAT BLINDING EFFECT ON THE GROUND. THEN, AFTER COMPLETELY EXITING 16R AT A3, I WAS PROVIDED DIRECTIONS TO REGAL FOR PARKING. DURING MY POST FLIGHT CHECK AT REGAL, I NOTICED THAT THE PROPELLER HAD A SIGNIFICANT DEFECT. MY RECOLLECTION OF THE PRE-FLIGHT CHECK WAS THAT THAT PROP WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. THEREFORE, I CONCLUDED THAT I MUST HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT BETWEEN A3 AND REGAL. HOWEVER, AT NO TIME DURING FLIGHT OR ANY GROUND TAXI OPERATIONS DID I SEE, FEEL, OR HEAR ANY CONTACT WITH OUTSIDE OBJECTS. SHORTLY AFTER 9AM ON NOVEMBER 7, 2015, I CONTACTED REGAL AIR TO INFORM THEM ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE PROPELLER AND REQUESTED TO SPEAK WITH A MEMBER OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM. LATER THAT MORNING, I SPOKE WITH REGAL AIR'S ^RON MORCOM^ AND SHARED THE INFORMATION ABOVE WITH HIM. HE ADVISED ME THAT REGAL HAD RECEIVED A TELEPHONE CALL FROM AIRPORT OPERATIONS ADVISING THAT N738BU HAD DAMAGED LIGHTS AT THE ENTRANCE TO A3. I EXPRESSED SURPRISE TO ^RON^ AS I HAD NOT NOTICED CONTACT WITH ANY OBJECTS NOR DID THE TOWER CONTROLLER WHO WAS PRESUMABLY OBSERVING AS I ENTERED THE A3 EXIT FROM RUNWAY 16R. HOWEVER, SINCE THE TAXIWAY WAS CLEAR ON THE WAY BACK TO REGAL THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR DAMAGE TO BU'S PROPELLER. IN RETROSPECT, I MUST HAVE UNCONSCIOUSLY FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS OF THE TOWER, TURNED TO THE SOUTH THROUGH THE BORDER LIGHTS EAST OF THE NORTH A3 EXIT SIGN, AND PERHAPS SUBCONSCIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT THE LIGHTING AROUND THE EXIT WAS RECESSED. INSTEAD, WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE WHEN THE TOWER CONTROLLER ASKED ME TO EXIT AT A3 WAS TO COME TO A STOP ON 16R TO MAKE SURE I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE I WAS IN RELATION TO THE ENTRANCE INSTEAD OF MAKING A "ROLLING"TRANSITION TOWARD WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A LOCATION NORTH OF THE ACTUAL EXIT; THAT WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE PROBLEM. ALSO, AFTER THE TOWER CONTROLLER ADVISED ME OF MY DIRECTIONAL ERROR, I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED MORE SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE A3 EXIT AND THAT HE OBSERVE MY PATH. AS I TOLD ^RON^, I FEEL TERRIBLE ABOUT DAMAGING BU. I PRIDE MYSELF IN HAVING FLOWN SAFELY FOR OVER 430 HOURS, AND NOW AM IN THE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION OF HAVING A BLEMISH ON THAT RECORD. UNKNOWINGLY, I NOT ONLY DAMAGED AN AIRCRAFT BUT ALSO PUT MYSELF IN DANGER. WHILE MY NIGHT LANDINGS ON NOVEMBER 6 WERE EXCELLENT, MY NIGHT RUNWAY EXITING PROCEDURE WAS THE OPPOSITE. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.