Small aircraft unable to activate pilot controled runway lights while on IFR night flight. Lands.

Attributes
ACN	264290
Time
Date	199402
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : u42
State Reference	UT
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4603 msl bound upper : 5403
Environment
Flight Conditions	Marginal
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	landing other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 50 flight time total : 3400 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	264290
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	oversight : airport manager
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Airport
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	other physical facility procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

On a night IFR flight from twf to U42 all was normal until I tried to get the lights on at U42. Multiple attempts on the CTAF would not turn them on. Since it was 1 day before the full moon, and fresh snow outlined the runway clearly, I landed normally without runway lights. The next day, I spoke to a lineman and the uniformed person driving an airport vehicle with the title airport manager on the side. Both told me that getting the lights on was a constant problem and that you had to get the click speed just right. Both told me that they had received many complaints, and both seemed resigned to the situation and afraid to bring it up to whoever was responsible for actually authorizing the repair or adjustment of the system. I find this situation ridiculous. Some bureaucrat has obviously jumped on everyone who tries to get something done, and the resulting situation is an accident waiting to happen.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA UNABLE TO ACTIVATE PLT CTLED RWY LIGHTS WHILE ON IFR NIGHT FLT. LANDS.

Narrative: ON A NIGHT IFR FLT FROM TWF TO U42 ALL WAS NORMAL UNTIL I TRIED TO GET THE LIGHTS ON AT U42. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS ON THE CTAF WOULD NOT TURN THEM ON. SINCE IT WAS 1 DAY BEFORE THE FULL MOON, AND FRESH SNOW OUTLINED THE RWY CLRLY, I LANDED NORMALLY WITHOUT RWY LIGHTS. THE NEXT DAY, I SPOKE TO A LINEMAN AND THE UNIFORMED PERSON DRIVING AN ARPT VEHICLE WITH THE TITLE ARPT MGR ON THE SIDE. BOTH TOLD ME THAT GETTING THE LIGHTS ON WAS A CONSTANT PROB AND THAT YOU HAD TO GET THE CLICK SPD JUST RIGHT. BOTH TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS, AND BOTH SEEMED RESIGNED TO THE SIT AND AFRAID TO BRING IT UP TO WHOEVER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTUALLY AUTHORIZING THE REPAIR OR ADJUSTMENT OF THE SYS. I FIND THIS SIT RIDICULOUS. SOME BUREAUCRAT HAS OBVIOUSLY JUMPED ON EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO GET SOMETHING DONE, AND THE RESULTING SIT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.

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.