Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6; Flight Crew Total 670; Flight Crew Type 320
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Ground Event / Encounter Object; Ground Excursion Taxiway
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Aircraft; Airport; Human Factors
The incident occurred while taxiing from transient parking to runway XYR for takeoff. The incident occurred at [a taxiway] intersection. Taxiway lighting on the segment from transient parking to [the next taxiway] was non-existent; and the single landing light on the aircraft (it has two landing lights and one taxi light; one landing and one taxi light were/are inoperative) was misaligned way to the left of the path of travel and not very bright. Without sufficient lighting; I tried following [another aircraft] on [the] taxiway and had my passenger shine his small flashlight out his window to help with the lighting. I also tried to use the geo-synchronizing feature of my ForeFlight software on my iPad to follow the short segment on [the] taxiway. Unfortunately; I ran off the left edge of [the] taxiway onto the grass area. I immediately pulled back on the yoke to offload weight from the nose-wheel and applied power to taxi through the grass and onto [the following] taxiway making it safely onto [the] taxiway. I then performed a series of S turns to test the integrity of the nose wheel. I noted no problem with the nose wheel. Further; on takeoff and landing I noted no shimmy; wobble; or other problem with the nose wheel. I [departed] with no further incident - the plane flew as expected; easily staying in trim both vertically and laterally. As for the damage - the trip through the grass kicked up grass into the air filter and onto the nose wheel landing gear strut. And unbeknownst to me even after tie down; apparently the rudder struck either the grass or edge of [the] taxiway as I was pulling back on the yoke and powering out of the grass thus causing a bend and tear on the lower rear portion of the rudder. I believe that there were several contributing factors to the incident:1)	The lack of adequate lighting at ZZZ for the short segment of [the] taxiway; and 2)	The owner of the aircraft I rented has deferred the repair/maintenance of the taxi/landing lighting system of the aircraft for almost one year; and in my opinion as well as that of my passenger and the squawk sheets on the aircraft; the taxi/landing lighting system condition is inadequate. Not only was it misaligned; (aiming high and far to the left of the centerline of travel) it was not providing normal amounts of light. While I verified before flight that the airplane had at least one operable landing light; I could not tell in the day light that the lighting was misaligned nor of inadequate illumination. Neither my passenger; a licensed pilot; nor I could see the taxiway due to the lack of adequate taxiway lighting and aircraft lighting. Additionally; there is a significant drop-off from the taxiway to the adjacent grass area - FAR more than I have ever experienced at any other airport.
Cessna 172 pilot reported that during taxi the aircraft went off the taxiway damaging the lower part of the rudder.