Summary
A student pilot conducting a solo cross-country flight from Oklahoma to California struck an airport boundary fence during a night landing attempt. The accident occurred after the pilot misidentified building security lights as runway lights and initiated a go-around when realizing the error. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Circumstances
The pilot was traveling in pursuit of employment opportunities and planned a fuel stop at an unattended airport. On arrival, he was unable to activate the runway lights via radio. After a missed approach to runway 32, he attempted an approach to the opposite end, runway 14, guided by two lights he believed marked the runway. As the airplane neared the ground, the pilot recognized the lights were security lights on a building and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the airplane collided with an airport boundary fence northeast of the runway and came to rest on a street outside airport property. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions before the accident.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination of the airplane's cockpit revealed that the number one communications radio was set to the correct frequency for activating the runway lights. However, the radio selector switch was positioned to the number two communications radio, which was set to a different frequency. When power was applied and the selector switch moved to the number one radio, the runway lights activated successfully. The pilot noted no preimpact mechanical issues that would have prevented normal operation.