Incident Details
During a night landing attempt at an airport equipped with a radio-activated runway lighting system, the pilot-in-command was unable to activate the lights. Despite multiple attempts to trigger the system, the runway remained unlit. The pilot then decided to land on the unlighted runway.
The aircraft touched down approximately 20 yards to the right of the centerline, landing on the sod border adjacent to the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a ditch, which caused the nose landing gear to collapse. Subsequently, the wing tip and propeller made contact with the ground, resulting in additional damage.
Contributing Factor
It was later discovered that airport personnel had inadvertently deactivated the radio-controlled function of the runway lighting system. This prevented the pilot from activating the lights as intended.
Damage Summary
The accident sequence resulted in the collapse of the nose gear, as well as damage to the wing tip and propeller. No further details on the extent of damage were provided.