PLT OF PA32-LANCE ON ILS APCH DISCOVERS REIL LIGHTING INOP. ACFT FOLLOWING MAKES A MISSED APCH.

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ILS RWY 9 APCH TO GLR AT DUSK. ZMP DID NOT HAVE AN OVERLAY FOR THE ILS; BUT CLRED US FOR THE FULL APCH STARTING AT THE GLR VOR-DME. WE OBTAINED THE LCL ALTIMETER FROM UNICOM AND FLEW THE ENTIRE APCH INCLUDING THE PROC TURN; NO VECTORS TO FINAL. ALL NAVAIDS WERE OPERATIONAL -- NDB; ILS; DME; LOM. AT THE LOM WE KEYED THE PCL TO TURN THE LNDG LIGHT SYS TO MAX. WE ALSO CALLED UNICOM AND ASK IF ALL THE LIGHTS WERE ON AT MAX INTENSITY -- UNICOM STATED THAT THEY WERE. THE APCH PROCEEDED SMOOTHLY; BUT WE DID NOT SEE THE REIL SYS LIGHTS; BUT DID SEE THE RWY LIGHTS JUST BEFORE THE DECISION HT AND WERE ABLE TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL LNDG. ANOTHER PLANE APPROX 5 MINS BEHIND US DID NOT MAKE THE LNDG AND HAD TO EXECUTE THE MISSED APCH. I ATTRIBUTE IT TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS A TWIN AERO COMMANDER WITH A FASTER APCH SPD AND THE FACT THAT THE NATURAL LIGHTING WAS FADING FAST. ALSO THE LIGHT RAIN AND FOG IN THE AREA WAS BECOMING DENSER. AFTER SECURING THE PLANE I WENT INTO THE ARPT CTL CAB -- NOT REALLY A CTL TWR BUT A CITY OPERATED OBSERVATION AREA. I ASK THE OPERATOR WHY THE REIL WASN'T ON. HE SAID IT WAS. I SAID I COULDN'T SEE IT. HE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THE LIGHTING SYS WAS SET TO AUTOMATIC AND THAT THE REIL CAME ON AUTOMATICALLY. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE LIGHTING SWITCH CTL PANEL I NOTICED THAT THE REIL SYS SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POS. I POINTED THIS OUT TO HIM AND HE SEEMED SURPRISED AND THEN SAID THAT IT WAS SET THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF SEVERAL POSSIBLE THINGS HAPPENED; EITHER THE OPERATOR DID NOT SET THE LIGHTS PROPERLY; DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO OPERATE THE SYS; OR THE EQUIP FAILED. IN ANY CASE; IN MY OPINION THE LACK OF REIL CAUSED A PLANE TO MISS THE APCH AND POSED A POTENTIAL HAZARD BECAUSE THE REIL WAS NOT RPTED TO BE OTS AND THE MINIMUMS WERE NOT INCREASED BY THE PLT BECAUSE IT WAS ASSUMED THE REIL WAS OPERATIONAL.