A DC6 CREW; LNDG AT ALPINE; AK (PALP); MADE CONTACT WITH A RWY EDGE LIGHT.

Narrative

LOADED ACFT AT DEADHORSE FOR A TRIP TO ALPINE AIRSTRIP. ALPINE WX WAS 1 - 1 1/2 MI VISIBILITY AND IMPROVING. DEPARTED FOR ALPINE. ENRTE CHKED WX WITH ALPINE AND WAS TOLD WX WAS 1 MI; PARTIALLY OBSCURED; 500 FT SCATTERED AND WIND CALM. REQUESTED AND CLRED FOR GPS RWY 21 AT ALPINE BY CTR. AT THE IAF; WE TURNED TO 206 DEGS AND DSNDED. THE SUN WAS AT ABOUT OUR 1:30 O'CLOCK POS AND LOW ON THE HORIZON MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE. WE DSNDED TO THE MISSED APCH ALT AND DIDN'T SEE THE RWY; EXECUTED MISSED APCH AND DURING THE MISSED APCH; THE RWY CAME INTO VIEW. CONTACTED CTR AND WAS CLRED FOR THE GPS RWY 3 APCH TO ALPINE WITH THE SUN BEHIND US; MAKING IT MUCH EASIER TO SEE. CHKED ALPINE WX AND WAS TOLD THAT WX WAS STILL 1 MI AND THAT THERE WAS SOME FOG OFF THE APCH END OF RWY 3. WE DSNDED TO THE MDA AND AT THE MISSED APCH; SAW WHAT WE (AS A CREW) PERCEIVED AS THE LEAD-IN LIGHTS AND FLEW TOWARDS THEM. AT THIS TIME WE HAD GOOD GND CONTACT. AT THAT POINT; WE SAW THE END OF THE RWY 1 WINGSPAN TO THE R OF THE ACFT AND FLEW TOWARD IT. IT WAS DETERMINED WE COULD SAFELY MAKE THE LNDG AND WE LANDED. DURING THE OFFLOAD; AN OFFICER INFORMED US THAT WE HAD KNOCKED DOWN A RWY EDGE LIGHT. IT APPEARED THAT THE L OUTBOARD MAIN TIRE HAD HIT THE LIGHT DURING THE LNDG. THE FLASHING LIGHTS THAT WE SAW ON THE APCH WERE NOT THE LEAD-IN LIGHTS; BUT FLASHING STROBES ON EQUIP PARKED ON THE ROAD THAT LEADS FROM THE END OF THE RWY TO A DRILL PAD. THESE LIGHTS ARE WHAT CAUSED OUR MISALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY. THIS MADE IT NECESSARY TO DO A LITTLE SIDE-STEP TO THE RWY FOR THE LNDG. THE LNDG WAS SMOOTH AND WAS UNEVENTFUL. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE EQUIP ON THE ROAD HAD NOT BEEN THERE. IF WE HAD NOT SEEN THESE STROBES; WE WOULD HAVE GONE MISSED APCH. AS IT WAS; THEY LEAD US TO THE MISALIGNMENT WITH THE RWY RESULTING IN THE SIDE-STEP TO THE RWY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR REVEALED THAT THE 'ALPINE AIRSTRIP' IS OWNED AN OPERATED BY AN OIL COMPANY WHICH CHARTERS ACFT; TO TRANSPORT SUPPLIES/MATERIALS DESTINED FOR THE NEARBY OIL DRILLING SIGHT. THE AIRSTRIP IS NEAR THE SIGHT WHERE VEHICLES HAVE ACCESS TO ROADWAYS ADJACENT TO THE RWY. NORMALLY; WHEN AN ARR IS EXPECTED; ALL ACTIVITY NEAR AND AROUND THE RWY IS SUSPENDED UNTIL THE ACFT HAS ARRIVED. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT; THE OIL COMPANY HAS IMPLEMENTED RESTRS LIMITING VEHICULAR TFC NEAR THE RWY. IN ADDITION; THE GPS MINIMUMS HAVE BEEN INCREASED FROM 400 FT AND 1 MI TO 800 FT AND 2 MI.