Cessna 150 N45069 accident near Twentynine Palms, California

Probable cause

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.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, upon arrival at the airport after dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the mike seven times. Shortly later, he repeated the process twice, but the runway lights did not turn on. He circled the area to try to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. The airplane was now low on fuel, so the pilot began looking for a place to make a precautionary landing. He landed the airplane 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 preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory noted that medium-intensity runway lights were available at the airport. To activate the pilot-controlled lighting, the pilot must key the mike five times in 5 seconds. The pilot reported that he did not check what the proper procedures were for operating the pilot-controlled lighting for the runway. Airport personnel checked the pilot-controlled lighting system the day after the accident and reported that there were no malfunctions with the system.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20CA060 for the full record.