AIR TAXI ACFT DEPARTS ARPT WITH RWY LIGHTS INOP.

Narrative

THE CAPT AND I WERE ON A PART 135 FLT TO MARYSVILLE FOR A HEART HARVEST FOR DONOR PURPOSES. WE DROPPED DOCTORS OFF AT THE ARPT AND WAITED UNTIL APPROX XA00 AM WHEN THEY RETURNED. WE ROLLED TOWARDS THE RWY FOR TKOF. WE TRIED TO ACTIVATE THE RWY LIGHTS BY USING THE PRESCRIBED PLT CTLED LIGHTING FREQ (119.3 CTAF). ONLY THE MALSR AND VASI LIGHTS CAME ON FOR RWY 14. WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THE HIRL TO TURN ON. IT WOULD NOT COME ON. ALL LIGHTS WORKED WHEN WE LANDED SEVERAL HRS EARLIER. WE TOOK OFF WITH MOONLIGHT; MALSR AND VASI LIGHTING THE RWY. WE CONTACTED SACRAMENTO DEP AND ASKED THEM ABOUT THE LIGHTING AND TOLD THEM IT WASN'T WORKING (HIRL). I WAS READING THE 135 REGS RECENTLY AND CAME ACROSS 135.299 WHICH STATES A PLT MAY NOT TKOF AT NIGHT (WITH PAX) UNLESS THE TKOF AREA LIMITS ARE SHOWN BY BOUNDARY OR RWY MARKER LIGHTS. I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT WE DID WAS AN FAR VIOLATION. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE WE COULD HAVE DONE TO GET THE RWY LIGHTS TO WORK. NEXT TIME I WON'T TAKE OFF UNLESS THE RWY LIGHTS WORK. THE LESSON LEARNED IS I SHOULD KNOW MY FARS BETTER. THE CAPT WAS ALSO UNAWARE OF THIS REG.