Overview
A pilot conducting a night landing at an airstrip touched down short of the intended landing area after relying on vehicle headlights that had been repositioned. The incident occurred during an approach from the east, where the strip is the last of three similarly shaped fields.
Background
The strip was lit by parking a vehicle at the west end with its headlights shining eastward along the centerline. This procedure had been used during three prior night landings by the same pilot over the previous six months.
Accident Details
On the night of the accident, the vehicle was parked at the east end of the strip with its headlights facing east into a field, rather than west. This changed the expected visual cue. When the pilot believed he was at the normal distance from the headlights, he reduced engine power. The aircraft subsequently landed before reaching the strip's threshold, making contact with the ground in the field east of the intended touchdown zone.
Conclusion
The pilot's misjudgment of distance, based on the altered position of the vehicle headlights, resulted in a short landing.