The pilot reported that upon arrival at the airport after dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the mike 7 times. He waited a short period and repeated the process two more times, but the runway lights did not turn on. He circled the area to try to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. The pilot stated he was now low on fuel, so he began to look for a place to make a precautionary landing. The airplane landed on a dirt road and during the landing rollout, the nose landing gear separated, and the left wing was substantially damaged.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Facility Directory identified that medium intensity runway lights were available at the airport. To activate the pilot-controlled lighting, the pilot is to key the mike 5 times in 5 seconds for medium or lower intensity lights. The pilot reported that he did not check what the proper procedures were for operating the pilot-controlled lighting for the runway.

Airport personnel performed a check of the pilot-controlled lighting system the following day and reported that there were no malfunctions with the system.