DISPATCHER SURPRISED WHEN ACFT DIVERTS TO ALTERNATE.

Narrative

DIVERSION OF FLT INTO LGA DURING EFFECTIVE CURFEW RESTR. ON AUG/XA/99; I WAS THE ACFT DISPATCHER OF A PART 121 SCHEDULED PAX FLT OPERATING FROM PIT TO HPN. THE FLT WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART PIT AT XA00Z AND ARRIVE HPN AT XB00Z. THE WX AT PIT; ALONG THE RTE AND AT HPN WAS VMC. HPN NOTAMS REFLECTED THE FACT THAT ONLY THE RWY 16/34 EDGE LIGHTS WERE OTS. IN COMS WITH HPN STATION PERSONNEL; I WAS INFORMED THAT THE RWY CTRLINE LIGHTS AND APCH LIGHTS WERE WORKING. ALTHOUGH AN ALTERNATE ARPT WAS NOT REQUIRED UNDER 14 CFR; IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE THE SAFETY MARGIN; I LISTED LGA AS A DEST ALTERNATE FOR HPN. LGA NOTAMS INDICATED AN XC00Z LNDG CURFEW. DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES OF PREVIOUS FLT SEGMENTS; THE ACFT USED FOR THIS FLT WAS ABOUT 1 HR LATE IN ARRIVING TO PIT. FLT X DEPARTED PIT AT APPROX XD00. THE FLT TIME TO HPN WOULD BE 1 HR. WHEN FLT CONTACTED NEW YORK APCH CTL; THE CAPT WAS INFORMED THAT THE APCH LIGHTS TO HPN RWY 16/34 WERE NOT OPERATING. THE CAPT THEN CONTACTED HPN OPS VIA COMPANY FREQ; WHO RELAYED TO ME HIS INQUIRY REQUIRED RWY LIGHTING. I AGAIN ASKED IF THE APCH LIGHTS AND CTRLINE LIGHTS WERE WORKING; TO WHICH THE OPS AGENT RESPONDED; YES! I RECHKED THE HPN NOTAMS AND FOUND NO OTHER RWY LIGHTING NOTICES. I ASKED THE AGENT TO RELAY TO THE CAPT OF FLT X THAT IS ALL THAT HE NEEDED TO LAND. AT ABOUT XE30Z I NOTICED AN ACARS 'HPN 'ON-TIME' RPT FROM FLT X. A SHORT WHILE LATER; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM HPN OPS; INQUIRING ABOUT THE LOCATION OF FLT X. I IMMEDIATELY SENT A LIKE INQUIRY TO THE ACFT. I RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THE CAPT SAYING THAT HE WAS ON THE GND AT LGA. AS THERE WAS NO REASON TO THINK THAT FLT X WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO DIVERT; LGA OPS PERSONNEL HAD CLOSED THE FACILITY FOR THE EVENING. IN DISCOVERING THE LOCATION OF THE FLT; THE ATC COORDINATOR CALLED LGA ATC TO HAVE THE ARPT REMAIN OPEN SO THAT FLT COULD DEPART FOR HPN AFTER BEING SVCED. IN A SERIES OF ACARS AND CELL PHONE COMS WITH THE CAPT; I WAS INFORMED THAT THE APCH LIGHTS TO HPN RWY 16/34 WERE NOT WORKING. I CALLED HPN ARPT AUTH; INQUIRING ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE APCH LIGHTS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE APCH LIGHTS TO RWY 16/34 AND THE LOC TO RWY 34 WERE IN WORKING ORDER; BUT THEY NEEDED TO BE TURNED ON MANUALLY AND THAT A 30 MIN NOTICE WOULD BE REQUIRED. I STATED MY CONCERN THAT THERE WERE NO NOTAMS REFLECTING THE STATUS OF THE APCH LIGHTS. WITH THIS IN MIND; I ONCE AGAIN RELEASED THE FLT TO HPN. APPROX 20 MINS PRIOR TO DEPARTING LGA; I CALLED HPN OPS AND TOLD THEM TO HAVE BOTH THE APCH LIGHTS AND LOC TO RWY 34 TURNED ON. AFTER BEING FUELED; THE ACFT DEPARTED LGA AT XF30Z AND LANDED AT HPN AT APPROX XF45Z. I WAS LATER INFORMED BY THE CAPT; THAT NEITHER THE APCH LIGHTS NOR LOC WERE ON WHEN HE LANDED AT HPN. CAUSES: 1) LATE FLT. 2) LISTING OF A CURFEW RESTR ARPT AS AN ALTERNATE ON THE DISPATCH RELEASE. 3) LACK OF NECESSARY AND PROPER NOTAM INFO FOR HPN. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) AVOID USE OF LGA AS ALTERNATE FOR LATE EVENING FLTS. 2) HPN MUST ENSURE THAT THE NOTAMS REFLECT ACCURATE INFO.