Narrative:

On sep/fri/03 I took off from my airport after dark with the intention of doing 3 night takeoffs and lndgs at ZZZ1, about 30 NM to the northwest. The sky was clear at ZZZ. I had checked the WX for both. ZZZ1 was clear, and was forecast to remain clear until XA00, after which the marine layer would start coming in. There is no forecast for ZZZ, but it generally south more protected from the marine layer than ZZZ1. After takeoff from ZZZ, I contacted ZOA and asked for a VFR practice approach to the ILS runway 32 at ZZZ1, beginning at the ZZZ2 VOR. The controller cleared me for this approach and then offered me the WX at ZZZ1. It was 140 degrees at 7 KTS, visibility 7 mi, clear, 29.92. On the ILS, I was surprised to perceive clouds below me, which I could make out because of the lights on the ground (it was a moonless night). I asked for an IFR clearance and was given it. I keyed on the airport lights and broke out at something below 1000 ft and landed. The sky was clear over the airport. (After landing, I tried several times to cancel IFR while taxiing back for takeoff, but could not make contact.) in my initial training in 1990-1991 I did night lndgs at ZZZ1 and had been taught that this airport turned off its lights when the tower closed. The lights could be turned on by pilot controled lighting. I got the idea that this was something pretty unusual. In practically all my night flying since that I have flown into ZZZ (lights always on), or truckee (lights always on) or larger airports (lights always on). I took off from ZZZ1 and re-established contact with ZOA. I asked for the GPS IFR approach back to ZZZ. I was expecting to see the same WX at ZZZ as when I left it a short time before. While on the approach I was totally surprised to see that things were not opening up. The WX had changed in this brief time. I did the missed approach at ZZZ and first considered going back to ZZZ1. It seemed to be VFR out towards ZZZ2 and to the east, so I decided to go to ZZZ3 and land, resigned to taking a taxi back to ZZZ. I asked for vectors to ZZZ3. The controller gave them and asked me to report ZZZ3 in sight. I reported that I could not see the airport. I asked whether pilot controled lighting was needed. He replied that he did not have that information. I somehow took that to mean that the lights should be on. Finally he said I had passed the airport. I then got my ZZZ3 airport and approach charts out and asked for vectors to runway 6. The controller turned me back to the west. Before long, I noticed that he was continuing to send me out to the west, instead of vectoring me to the runway. Finally I asked why. He replied that he was setting me up for the VOR 6 approach, which would take me straight in to runway 6. Expecting vectors, I was not ready for the VOR approach but did my best (had to reconfigure my avionics, etc). On the outbound leg to the west, towards ZZZ, I saw that ZZZ was virtually VFR, but I was too high to land. Turning back to the east on the ZZZ3 VOR 6 approach, I thought about the WX situation and realized that I had seen this fog and cloud behavior before. The clouds come in from the north and sometimes do not make it as far south as the field. On the VOR 6 approach to ZZZ3, I again could not see the ZZZ3 airport. Somehow, because of the buildup of circumstances, the possibility of pilot controled lighting at ZZZ3 was totally off my radar screen. I asked for a vector back in the direction of ZZZ and was soon able to make my way to ZZZ visually. I knew that the highway was far enough south to keep me clear of terrain and out of the incoming fog from the north. The radio towers and the ZZZ airport lights soon came into view, and I landed. The moral of this story is to assume that all airports will be unlighted upon arrival. Before arrival check whether there is pilot controled lighting, and make sure the facts and frequencys are at hand. I have since done some investigating and have discovered that there are some airports such as concord that leave their lights on low when the airport is unattended. Pilots can increase the intensity if desired by keying. Other airports used to keep their lights on all the time, but don't now to save money. The fact that ZZZ, truckee, and many airports leave their lights on at night has led me into a false expectation that there will be lights. It is now clearly necessary to check each airport for its lighting policy on each landing occasion (the policy may indeed have changed since the last landing). Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: pilot was flying the aircraft 'single pilot.' the pilot stated he attends a flight safety course given by a commercial supplier. Since he attends this course, he considers himself qualified.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C525 PLT, OPERATING SINGLE PLT OP, WANTED TO DO 3 NIGHT LNDGS AT ZZZ1. HE BECAME TRAPPED BY LOW CLOUDS, AND DID NOT KNOW HOW TO OPERATE PLT CTLED RWY LIGHTING OR EVEN IF IT EXISTED. HE FINALLY FOLLOWED A HWY BACK TO HIS HOME ARPT AND MADE A VISUAL LNDG. HIS HOME ARPT HAS HIGH TERRAIN IN THE AREA.

Narrative: ON SEP/FRI/03 I TOOK OFF FROM MY ARPT AFTER DARK WITH THE INTENTION OF DOING 3 NIGHT TKOFS AND LNDGS AT ZZZ1, ABOUT 30 NM TO THE NW. THE SKY WAS CLR AT ZZZ. I HAD CHKED THE WX FOR BOTH. ZZZ1 WAS CLR, AND WAS FORECAST TO REMAIN CLR UNTIL XA00, AFTER WHICH THE MARINE LAYER WOULD START COMING IN. THERE IS NO FORECAST FOR ZZZ, BUT IT GENERALLY S MORE PROTECTED FROM THE MARINE LAYER THAN ZZZ1. AFTER TKOF FROM ZZZ, I CONTACTED ZOA AND ASKED FOR A VFR PRACTICE APCH TO THE ILS RWY 32 AT ZZZ1, BEGINNING AT THE ZZZ2 VOR. THE CTLR CLRED ME FOR THIS APCH AND THEN OFFERED ME THE WX AT ZZZ1. IT WAS 140 DEGS AT 7 KTS, VISIBILITY 7 MI, CLR, 29.92. ON THE ILS, I WAS SURPRISED TO PERCEIVE CLOUDS BELOW ME, WHICH I COULD MAKE OUT BECAUSE OF THE LIGHTS ON THE GND (IT WAS A MOONLESS NIGHT). I ASKED FOR AN IFR CLRNC AND WAS GIVEN IT. I KEYED ON THE ARPT LIGHTS AND BROKE OUT AT SOMETHING BELOW 1000 FT AND LANDED. THE SKY WAS CLR OVER THE ARPT. (AFTER LNDG, I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CANCEL IFR WHILE TAXIING BACK FOR TKOF, BUT COULD NOT MAKE CONTACT.) IN MY INITIAL TRAINING IN 1990-1991 I DID NIGHT LNDGS AT ZZZ1 AND HAD BEEN TAUGHT THAT THIS ARPT TURNED OFF ITS LIGHTS WHEN THE TWR CLOSED. THE LIGHTS COULD BE TURNED ON BY PLT CTLED LIGHTING. I GOT THE IDEA THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING PRETTY UNUSUAL. IN PRACTICALLY ALL MY NIGHT FLYING SINCE THAT I HAVE FLOWN INTO ZZZ (LIGHTS ALWAYS ON), OR TRUCKEE (LIGHTS ALWAYS ON) OR LARGER ARPTS (LIGHTS ALWAYS ON). I TOOK OFF FROM ZZZ1 AND RE-ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH ZOA. I ASKED FOR THE GPS IFR APCH BACK TO ZZZ. I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE THE SAME WX AT ZZZ AS WHEN I LEFT IT A SHORT TIME BEFORE. WHILE ON THE APCH I WAS TOTALLY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THINGS WERE NOT OPENING UP. THE WX HAD CHANGED IN THIS BRIEF TIME. I DID THE MISSED APCH AT ZZZ AND FIRST CONSIDERED GOING BACK TO ZZZ1. IT SEEMED TO BE VFR OUT TOWARDS ZZZ2 AND TO THE E, SO I DECIDED TO GO TO ZZZ3 AND LAND, RESIGNED TO TAKING A TAXI BACK TO ZZZ. I ASKED FOR VECTORS TO ZZZ3. THE CTLR GAVE THEM AND ASKED ME TO RPT ZZZ3 IN SIGHT. I RPTED THAT I COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT. I ASKED WHETHER PLT CTLED LIGHTING WAS NEEDED. HE REPLIED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THAT INFO. I SOMEHOW TOOK THAT TO MEAN THAT THE LIGHTS SHOULD BE ON. FINALLY HE SAID I HAD PASSED THE ARPT. I THEN GOT MY ZZZ3 ARPT AND APCH CHARTS OUT AND ASKED FOR VECTORS TO RWY 6. THE CTLR TURNED ME BACK TO THE W. BEFORE LONG, I NOTICED THAT HE WAS CONTINUING TO SEND ME OUT TO THE W, INSTEAD OF VECTORING ME TO THE RWY. FINALLY I ASKED WHY. HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS SETTING ME UP FOR THE VOR 6 APCH, WHICH WOULD TAKE ME STRAIGHT IN TO RWY 6. EXPECTING VECTORS, I WAS NOT READY FOR THE VOR APCH BUT DID MY BEST (HAD TO RECONFIGURE MY AVIONICS, ETC). ON THE OUTBOUND LEG TO THE W, TOWARDS ZZZ, I SAW THAT ZZZ WAS VIRTUALLY VFR, BUT I WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND. TURNING BACK TO THE E ON THE ZZZ3 VOR 6 APCH, I THOUGHT ABOUT THE WX SIT AND REALIZED THAT I HAD SEEN THIS FOG AND CLOUD BEHAVIOR BEFORE. THE CLOUDS COME IN FROM THE N AND SOMETIMES DO NOT MAKE IT AS FAR S AS THE FIELD. ON THE VOR 6 APCH TO ZZZ3, I AGAIN COULD NOT SEE THE ZZZ3 ARPT. SOMEHOW, BECAUSE OF THE BUILDUP OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THE POSSIBILITY OF PLT CTLED LIGHTING AT ZZZ3 WAS TOTALLY OFF MY RADAR SCREEN. I ASKED FOR A VECTOR BACK IN THE DIRECTION OF ZZZ AND WAS SOON ABLE TO MAKE MY WAY TO ZZZ VISUALLY. I KNEW THAT THE HWY WAS FAR ENOUGH S TO KEEP ME CLR OF TERRAIN AND OUT OF THE INCOMING FOG FROM THE N. THE RADIO TWRS AND THE ZZZ ARPT LIGHTS SOON CAME INTO VIEW, AND I LANDED. THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS TO ASSUME THAT ALL ARPTS WILL BE UNLIGHTED UPON ARR. BEFORE ARR CHK WHETHER THERE IS PLT CTLED LIGHTING, AND MAKE SURE THE FACTS AND FREQS ARE AT HAND. I HAVE SINCE DONE SOME INVESTIGATING AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE SOME ARPTS SUCH AS CONCORD THAT LEAVE THEIR LIGHTS ON LOW WHEN THE ARPT IS UNATTENDED. PLTS CAN INCREASE THE INTENSITY IF DESIRED BY KEYING. OTHER ARPTS USED TO KEEP THEIR LIGHTS ON ALL THE TIME, BUT DON'T NOW TO SAVE MONEY. THE FACT THAT ZZZ, TRUCKEE, AND MANY ARPTS LEAVE THEIR LIGHTS ON AT NIGHT HAS LED ME INTO A FALSE EXPECTATION THAT THERE WILL BE LIGHTS. IT IS NOW CLRLY NECESSARY TO CHK EACH ARPT FOR ITS LIGHTING POLICY ON EACH LNDG OCCASION (THE POLICY MAY INDEED HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE LAST LNDG). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT WAS FLYING THE ACFT 'SINGLE PLT.' THE PLT STATED HE ATTENDS A FLT SAFETY COURSE GIVEN BY A COMMERCIAL SUPPLIER. SINCE HE ATTENDS THIS COURSE, HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF QUALIFIED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.