Amateur-built Glastar N345BP accident near Lompoc, California

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night landing, which resulted in impact with a tree.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, while on the base leg for his third nighttime landing, the runway lights turned off. Despite his failed attempts to turn on the runway lights, he completed his base-to-final turn about 200 ft above ground level. With the runway lights not illuminated, he decided to use the blue taxiway lights parallel to the runway as his reference to land. While on final approach, the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA19CA421 for the full record.