What happened
The pilot attempted to land his aircraft at night at an airport where the runway lighting system was not operational. To compensate for the lack of visual references, the pilot utilized the headlights of a ground vehicle positioned on or near the airfield to aid in the approach and landing.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft did not align with the runway centerline. The pilot reported that the aircraft touched down to the left of the runway center. As the aircraft continued forward, the left main landing gear departed the paved surface. Directional control was subsequently lost. Approximately 2000 feet beyond the initial touchdown point, the nose gear collapsed under the stress of the off-center landing and loss of control.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances surrounding the night landing operation and the subsequent structural failure. Examination of the site confirmed that the runway lights were inoperative at the time of the incident. The narrative provided by the pilot indicated the use of an external light source (ground vehicle headlights) to facilitate the landing.
Findings
Contributing factors included the inoperative runway lighting and the reliance on non-standard visual aids during a night operation. The off-center touchdown led to a loss of directional control, resulting in the left gear leaving the runway surface and the eventual collapse of the nose gear 2000 feet past the point of contact.
Safety message
Pilots should be aware that landing on runways with inoperative lighting systems at night requires extreme caution. Relying on ground vehicle headlights is not a standard or reliable method for visual reference and can lead to misjudged alignment and control issues.