Many years ago a civil Convair 440 was setting up to land at Patrick Henry Airport in Newport News, Virginia. He contacted Patrick Henry asking them to turn on their lights. At the same time the US Army airfield at Fort Eustis illuminated their lights. The pilot made a successful landing only to realize he was landing on a Pierced Steel Planking runway and that he was rapidly running out of that. The aircraft overran the runway and came to rest in the mud. They bussed the passengers to nearby Patrick Henry and the next morning the Army pulled the aircraft onto the runway. They had to completely strip the interior of the aircraft and drained much of the fuel from the tanks. The pilot made a successful takeoff and flew to Patrick Henry.
