LCL CTLR AT SDL DID NOT SEE AN EXPERIMENTAL NORD ACFT LAND AT NIGHT BECAUSE THE ACFT WAS PAINTED BLACK AND WITHOUT LIGHTS.

Narrative

ACFT X CALLED INBOUND FROM THE NW. ACFT X WAS TOLD TO RPT OVER RAWHIDE FOR POSSIBLE R BASE RWY 21. ACFT X RPTED RAWHIDE. 'ACFT X NOT IN SIGHT ENTER R BASE; RPT 2 MI R BASE; SAY ALT.' '2500.' AT THE SAME TIME; A CESSNA WAS INBOUND FROM THE SE AND TOLD TO RPT ENTERING L DOWNWIND; AND ANOTHER CESSNA WAS IN THE RUNUP NOT YET ON FREQ. THE NORD RPTED 2 MI R BASE. 'ACFT X NOT IN SIGHT ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE AT SCOTTSDALE?' THE NORD SAID HE WAS AT SCOTTSDALE AND SOMETHING ABOUT HIS 'DASH LIGHTS' WERE WEAK. I TOLD HIM TO RPT TURNING FINAL; 'NOT IN SIGHT; CLRED TO LAND.' THE CESSNA RPTED L DOWNWIND AND WAS TOLD #2 FOLLOW THE NORD ON BASE. HE COULD NOT SEE THE NORD EITHER. THE OTHER CESSNA WAS NOW CALLING FOR DEP AND WAS TOLD TO HOLD SHORT FOR LNDG TFC; EVEN THOUGH I COULD NOT SEE THE LNDG TFC. I WAS GOING TO SPIN THE L DOWNWIND CESSNA BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT HIM TO EXTEND TOO FAR WITH THE LARGE MOUNTAINS TO THE NE. I ASKED THE NORD TO SAY POS AND HE SAID HE WAS ON THE RWY. I STILL COULD NOT SEE HIM. I FINALLY SAW SOME TXWY LIGHTS DISAPPEAR WHEN HE TURNED OFF THE RWY. HIS ACFT WAS PITCH BLACK WITH NO LIGHTS WHATSOEVER. I TOLD HIM THAT WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND HE NEEDED TO GET HIS LIGHTS FIXED. WE HAVE A D-BRITE AT SDL. UNFORTUNATELY; WHEN WE ARE SLAVED OFF OF PHX; WE ONLY SEE TARGETS ABOVE 3500 FT IN MOST OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. WE HAVE BEEN SLAVED OFF OF PHX NOW FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. PRIOR TO THAT; WE WERE SLAVED OFF THE IWA RADAR WHICH ALLOWED US TO SEE ALL ACFT IN THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. IF WE HAD RADAR TO THE GND AT SDL; I WOULD AT LEAST HAVE HAD A PRIMARY ON HIM; AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH SAFER SIT.