Event Narrative
Upon arrival at the airport after dark, the pilot attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the microphone seven times. After waiting a short period, he repeated the process twice more, but the runway lights did not illuminate. He then circled the area in an effort to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. With fuel running low, he began searching for a location to perform a precautionary landing. The airplane landed on a dirt road. During the landing rollout, the nose landing gear separated and the left wing sustained substantial damage.
The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures occurred that would have precluded normal operation.
Investigation Findings
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Facility Directory indicated that medium intensity runway lights were available at the airport. To activate the pilot-controlled lighting, the correct procedure is to key the microphone five times within five seconds for medium or lower intensity lights. The pilot acknowledged that he did not check the proper procedures for operating the pilot-controlled lighting for the runway.
The following day, airport personnel tested the pilot-controlled lighting system and reported no malfunctions.