C310 PLT; ENRTE IFR NIGHT APCHING DEST ARPT; WAS UNABLE TO FIND ARPT BEACON LIGHTS OR RWY LIGHTS.

Narrative

ON APR/XX/98 CONDUCTED A FLT FROM DAB; IFR; TO PDK; THEN ON TO 49A; FINAL DEST. WX WAS GOOD; BROKEN CLOUD BASE FROM 3800 FT MSL TO 7500 FT MSL ALONG MOST OF THE RTE. AFTER FUELING UP AT PDK; WE FILED ANOTHER FLT PLAN (IFR) TO 49A. DURING PREFLT PLANNING WE LOOKED IN PLT GROUP'S ARPT DIRECTORY AND FLT GUIDES (EASTERN) BOOKS FOR HRS FOR BEACON AND LIGHTS. BEACON WAS LISTED; BUT NO HRS POSTED IN EITHER BOOK. DURING PLANNING WE ALSO DECIDED TO USE JZP FOR AN ALTERNATE; BEING IT HAD AN NDB APCH. NOTAMS WERE CHKED AND HAD NONE FOR OUR RTE. AS WE APCHED AND FLEW OVER JZP WE NOTICED THAT THE NDB WAS NOT WORKING. WE CONTINUED ON; BEING THAT WE HAD GPS BACKUP ABOARD. AS WE APCHED 49A AROUND XA00Z; ZTL SAID WE WERE 1 MI FROM ARPT AND TO REMAIN AT 4100 FT MSL FOR IFR TERRAIN CLRNC. WE TRIED TO LOCATE THE BEACON AND USE MIRL LIGHTS; AS INDICATED IN BOTH DIRECTORIES AND NOTHING SEEMED TO WORK. WE CONTACTED ZTL AND TOLD THEM WE COULD NOT LOCATE THE BEACON. THEY TRIED TO CALL THE ARPT AND NO ONE ANSWERED. OUR CONNECTING PARTY ON THE GND COULD HEAR US CIRCLING ABOVE AND WAS STANDING ON THE DOOR STEPS OF THE ARPT CARETAKER'S HOME LISTENING TO THE PHONE RINGING WHILE PEOPLE WERE THERE. THEY NEVER ANSWERED. ZTL; FINALLY TIRED OF US; DECIDED TO HAND US OFF TO CHA APCH AND WE DIVERTED TO DNN WHICH WE FOUND AND LANDED WITH NO PROBS. I THINK SMALL ARPTS SHOULD PUT THEIR HRS FOR BEACONS AND RWY LIGHTS IN THESE PUBS. THIS WAS A VERY TRYING TRIP AND ZTL DID A GREAT JOB TRYING TO GET US IN THERE.