C208B CARGO ACFT ON TWR REQUESTED SHORT APCH AT DUSK; RPTR PLT BECAME SLIGHTLY DISORIENTED AND LINED UP FOR LNDG ON A TXWY. LCL CTLR INTERVENED AND ISSUED A GAR. RPTR BELIEVES THE RWY LIGHTS WERE NOT ON AT THE TIME.

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I ENTERED L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26L AT ONT. I HAD JUST BEEN SWITCHED OVER BY SOCAL APCH TO THE TWR; AFTER CANCELING MY IFR FLT PLAN. THE TWR CTLR CLRED ME TO LAND AND REQUESTED THAT I MAKE A SHORT APCH; KEEPING MY SPD UP. IT IS A CUSTOM AT THE ONT ARPT FOR THE CARAVANS (CESSNA 208) OF THE FLEET TO MAKE LONG LNDGS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE FACILITY IS LOCATED ON THE SW CORNER OF THE ARPT. I WAS CLRED TO LAND; SANDWICHED BTWN A DEPARTING B727 AND AN APCHING; ON FINAL; B757. TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUEST OF THE CTLR; I KEPT MY SPD FASTER THAN USUAL AND TURNED BASE AT A LOWER ALT THAN USUAL; INTENDING TO TOUCH DOWN BEFORE THE LIFT-UP POINT OF THE B727. THE BASE LEG PUT ME OVER THE FACILITY WHICH IS A WELL LIGHTED RAMP; WHERE THE PAVEMENT WAS WET FROM A RECENT RAINSHOWER. AS I ROLLED OUT FROM BASE TO FINAL; CONCENTRATING ON MY INTENDED TOUCHDOWN POINT; I FOUND MY SURROUNDINGS RATHER STRANGE. I QUICKLY IDENTED A ROW OF GREEN LIGHTS AS CTRLINE LIGHTS; YET STILL TRYING TO LOCATE THE HIGH SPD TXWY THAT I INTENDED TO GET OFF AT. JUST AT THAT MOMENT; I OVERHEARD ON THE RADIO THE COMMAND; 'GO AROUND; YOU'RE LNDG ON THE TXWY' FROM THE TWR. I EXECUTED A GAR AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW ANOTHER COMPANY CARAVAN ON L DOWNWIND -- THAT I DID. ON THE DOWNWIND; THIS TIME; I NOTICED THAT THE RWY APCH LIGHTS WERE UNUSUALLY BRIGHT. I COMPLETED THE APCH TO A SAFE LNDG AND TAXIED IN TO THE RAMP. ATC NEVER SAID ANOTHER WORD ABOUT THE INCIDENT. AS I CHATTED LATER WITH THE PLT OF THE CARAVAN WHICH PRECEDED ME TO THE LNDG; WE BOTH COMMENTED ON HOW THE RWY APCH LIGHTS WERE UNUSUALLY BRIGHT AS WE WERE ON FINAL APCH. COULD IT BE THAT THESE APCH LIGHTS WERE NOT ON DURING MY FIRST APCH? NOTE: THE NEXT EVENING ABOUT THE SAME LCL TIME; I MADE A VISUAL APCH FROM A R DOWNWIND TO THE SAME RWY UNDER A CEILING OF ABOUT 3500 FT MSL. ON SHORT FINAL; I OVERHEARD A CONVERSATION BTWN AN ARPT GND VEHICLE AND THE TWR; WHEREBY THE ARPT VEHICLE OPERATOR WAS ASKING THE TWR TO TURN ON THE ROTATING BEACON. TO THAT THE TWR CTLR'S RESPONSE WAS; 'SORRY!' THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS OVER THE PAST MONTHS WHEN MAKING AN APCH FROM THE R DOWNWIND (N SIDE OF THE ARPT) TO EITHER THE L OR R RWY (26); THAT I HAVE FOUND IT DIFFICULT AT DUSK TIME TO DIFFERENTIATE BTWN THE TXWYS AND THE RWYS UNLESS I WAS WELL ALIGNED WITH THE RWY. MOST OFTEN THAN NOT; I MAKE A SHORT APCH TO A LONG LNDG. TO CORRECT SUCH A SIT: A) CAN RWY; TXWY AND ROTATING BEACON LIGHTS AT SUCH AN ARPT BE PLACED ON AN ELECTRIC TIMER? B) CAN SUCH A SYS BE MADE SENSITIVE TO THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT? ONT IS LOCATED IN THE MIDST OF MUCH CITY LIGHTING. AFTER OVERFLYING SUCH BRIGHT CITY LIGHTS; DIM RWY AND TXWY LIGHTS ARE NOT EASILY RECOGNIZED FROM A DOWNWIND AND BASE LEG POS; AND SPECIFICALLY WHITE LIGHTS.