A PA44 FLT CREW LANDS AT C56 WITH NO ARPT LIGHTS. ON ROLLOUT; THE ARPT MGR TURNED ON THE LIGHT; BLINDING THE FLT CREW; RESULTING IN THE ACFT EXITING THE RWY INTO THE GRASS.
Synopsis
A PA44 FLT CREW LANDS AT C56 WITH NO ARPT LIGHTS. ON ROLLOUT; THE ARPT MGR TURNED ON THE LIGHT; BLINDING THE FLT CREW; RESULTING IN THE ACFT EXITING THE RWY INTO THE GRASS.
Narrative
AFTER DEPARTING FROM DPA; WENT TO C56 FOR GAS. USING A VFR GPS; WE KNEW THAT WE WERE 6 MI FROM THE ARPT; BUT NO BEACON WAS IN SIGHT. I CONTACTED CHICAGO APCH TO ASK THEM IF THEY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BEACON BEING OTS. AFTER CHKING; THEY SAID THAT THEY CAN SEE NO REASON WHY THE BEACON WOULDN'T BE ON. AFTER FLYING OVER THE FIELD (KNOWN BY USING THE GPS); WE SAW THE ARPT DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH US. SEVERAL TIMES; WE TRIED TO CONTACT SANGER (C56) UNICOM BUT RECEIVED NO ANSWER. SINCE THERE WAS A FULL MOON AND WE COULD CLRLY SEE THE GND; EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NIGHT; WE DECIDED TO TRY TO LAND VISUALLY. WE MADE ONE APCH FIRST TO FLY OVER THE FIELD CHKING FOR OBSTACLES; ANIMALS; AND THE CONDITION OF THE FIELD. AFTER NOT SEEING ANYTHING; WE FLEW A L TFC PATTERN TO TRY TO LAND. WE TOUCHED DOWN WITH ADEQUATE VISUAL REF AND USED MODERATE BRAKING. HOWEVER; THE PERSON THAT RUNS THE FBO TURNED THE LIGHTS ON FULLY AS WE WERE BRAKING; WHICH TEMPORARILY BLINDED ME AND CAUSED ME TO TURN SLIGHTLY OFF OF RWY HDG. NOTICING THAT I WAS IN THE GRASS; I LET OFF THE BRAKES TO INSURE THE ACFT WOULD NOT SKID ON POSSIBLY WET GRASS AND CONTINUED OUR GND ROLL THROUGH THE DEP END OF THE RWY COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE THE DITCH ON THE OTHER END. WE THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE RWY AND RAMP. THERE WAS NOTHING HIT BY THE ACFT AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DONE TO THE ACFT OR ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 632250: WE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RWY AND BEGAN BRAKING TO BRING THE ACFT TO A STOP. AT THIS TIME WE STILL HAD ADEQUATE VISUAL REF OF THE RWY. AS THE PIC WAS BRAKING THE RWY LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON. DUE TO OUR APCH USING LOW LIGHT THEN THE IMMEDIATE EXPOSURE TO BRIGHT RWY LIGHTS; BOTH THE PIC; AND I WERE TEMPORARILY BLINDED; CAUSING THE PIC TO TURN SLIGHTLY AND GO OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY INTO THE GRASS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.