BE55 PLT MAKING A NIGHT LNDG AT DVN BECAME STARTLED AND BLINDED WHEN THE RADIO CTLED APCH LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT TO FULL INTENSITY.

Narrative

WHILE MAKING A NIGHT LNDG ON RWY 15 AT DVN; THE ACFT STRUCK THE TOPS OF THE LAST 2 APCH LIGHT FIXTURES; CAUSING SOME DAMAGE TO THE LIGHTS AND THE ACFT. THE LNDG APCH APPEARED NORMAL AS I NEARED THE APCH LIGHTS; WHEN THEY WERE SUDDENLY TURNED UP TO FULL INTENSITY. THE INTENSE LIGHTS BOTH STARTLED AND BLINDED ME; MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO JUDGE HEIGHT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I INADVERTENTLY INCREASED ANGLE OF ATTACK; AND THEREBY INCREASED SINK RATE WHEN I WAS BLINDED/STARTLED. ANOTHER ACFT HAD ARRIVED IN THE AREA WITH NO ANNOUNCEMENT PRIOR TO THE APCH LIGHTS GOING UP IN INTENSITY. THIS ACFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF MY ACFT AS THE PROPER ARPT TFC CALLS WERE BEING MADE. I DO RECALL SEEING THE RWY OVER THE TOP OF THE BRIGHT LIGHTS; AND BELIEVING I HAD AMPLE ALT. I DID NOT TRY TO CHANGE THE INTENSITY OF THE LIGHTS. I DID NOT TRUST THEM TO STAY ON; DUE TO EARLIER MALFUNCTIONING OF THE ARPT LIGHTING SYS. NORMAL PROCS TO ACTIVATE THE LIGHTS HAD NOT WORKED. UPON MY INQUIRY VIA THE UNICOM; FBO OFFICE PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO GET THEM ON AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS VIA THE UNICOM XMITTER. AFTER THE INCIDENT; I PERSONALLY WALKED THE RWY IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IT WAS CLR OF ANY DEBRIS. DURING THAT TIME; THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD LIGHTS WENT FROM OFF TO ON TWICE; REMAINING ON. THE REMAINING APCH LIGHTS WERE OPERATING WITHOUT INTERRUPTION DURING THIS TIME. IN RETROSPECT; WHEN I WAS BLINDED; I SHOULD HAVE GONE AROUND WHETHER THE APCH LOOKED GOOD OR NOT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID ANOTHER PLT LANDED AFTER THE INCIDENT; AND HE BELIEVES THAT PLT MAY HAVE TURNED THE LIGHTS UP WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN. BECAUSE HE HIT 2 APCH LIGHTS THAT CAUSED SOME DAMAGE TO HIS ACFT; HE WAS REQUIRED TO FILE A RPT WITH THE FAA.