Summary
On January 04, 2020, a Cessna 150 (N45069) was involved in an incident near Twentynine Palms, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's poor preflight planning, during which he failed to verify the proper procedure to activate the runway lights; his inability to locate the airport without lighting; and the airplane’s subsequent low-fuel state as he circled looking for the airport, which necessitated a precautionary off-airport landing, during which the nose landing gear separated.
The pilot reported that upon arrival at the airport after dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the mike 7 times. He waited a short period and repeated the process two more times, but the runway lights did not turn on. He circled the area to try to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. The pilot stated he was now low on fuel, so he began to look for a place to make a precautionary landing. The airplane landed on a dirt road and during the landing rollout, the nose landing gear separated, and the left wing was substantially damaged.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR20CA060. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N45069.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's poor preflight planning, during which he failed to verify the proper procedure to activate the runway lights; his inability to locate the airport without lighting; and the airplane’s subsequent low-fuel state as he circled looking for the airport, which necessitated a precautionary off-airport landing, during which the nose landing gear separated.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that upon arrival at the airport after dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the mike 7 times. He waited a short period and repeated the process two more times, but the runway lights did not turn on. He circled the area to try to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. The pilot stated he was now low on fuel, so he began to look for a place to make a precautionary landing. The airplane landed on a dirt road and during the landing rollout, the nose landing gear separated, and the left wing was substantially damaged.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Facility Directory identified that medium intensity runway lights were available at the airport. To activate the pilot-controlled lighting, the pilot is to key the mike 5 times in 5 seconds for medium or lower intensity lights. The pilot reported that he did not check what the proper procedures were for operating the pilot-controlled lighting for the runway.
Airport personnel performed a check of the pilot-controlled lighting system the following day and reported that there were no malfunctions with the system.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR20CA060