No fatalities

Night Landing Incident Involving Cockpit Light Failure and Runway Light Damage

Winder, GA, United States

On October 4, 2018, a Piper PA24 250 was involved in an aviation accident near Winder, GA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain an adequate approach path at night after an electrical failure, which resulted in the airplane striking runway lights. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a night landing, cockpit and runway lights failed, leading to a hard landing that damaged the stabilator and runway lights. A NOTAM indicated the PAPI was unusable.

Incident Report

A pilot reported that during a night flight, the cockpit lights turned off while lowering the flaps for landing. Attempts to reactivate the lights were unsuccessful. The precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights were not functioning, and the pilot could not activate the runway lights. The aircraft touched down past the first chevron in the displaced threshold, after which a thump was heard. The pilot taxied to the ramp without further incident.

A passenger, who was an airframe and powerplant mechanic, stated that when the cockpit lights failed, he used a flashlight to illuminate the cockpit. He could not restore the panel lights but observed that the runway lights appeared bright. During the landing, the passenger felt a sudden drop, and the airplane landed hard and bounced.

Examination

Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilator. The pilot and the passenger went to the beginning of the approach runway and found pieces of broken runway lights.

NOTAM

Archived Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) for the accident date stated: "RWY 31 PAPI UNUSABLE."

Contributing factors

Causes

Descent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

InoperativeEffect on operation