On February 19, 1993, a Piper PA-31T1 (registration N6192A) operated by Cianbro Corp. was involved in an aviation accident near Pittsfield, ME. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE INFLIGHT DECISION TO CONTINUE A LANDING WITHOUT RUNWAY LIGHTS, AND HIS DELAY IN INITIATING A GO-AROUND. A RELATED FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S OVER CONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot attempted to activate runway boundary lights but was unsuccessful. He descended using VASI lights, then landed in 18 inches of snow 60 feet off the runway after mistaking snowmobile tracks for the runway. The nosegear collapsed during a go-around attempt.
Incident
A pilot reported that during a landing approach, he attempted to activate the radio-controlled runway boundary lights while approximately 10 miles away and again while in the traffic pattern, but was unsuccessful. He continued his descent to about 500 feet above ground using the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) lights. The pilot stated that he had the airport in sight and felt sufficiently in sight to complete the landing.
The airplane touched down in approximately 18 inches of snow, about 60 feet to the right of the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction. He said that as he got closer to the ground, he realized that what he thought was the runway was actually snowmobile tracks. He attempted a go-around, but the airplane impacted the ground, collapsing the nosegear.