Narrative:

Prior to departing from oak to psp, I was advised that runway 31L was going to have maintenance performed on the lighting system beginning at AB00Z, but to call 15 mins out and they would ready the runway for our arrival. After noticing that our arrival would probably be after AC00Z (when the tower closed) I placed a call to our director of flight control regarding this 15 min call. He assured me to just 'call them.' they would be expecting us and have everything ready. Since tower would be closed, I assumed he meant call our operations in psp. I didn't feel comfortable with this procedure because the mountains around psp restrict the usual 30 min in-range distance. Departure and en route to psp were routine. At approximately AC10Z, I tried to call psp operations but I could not hear a response. We began our descent and at AC12Z I tried psp tower on frequency 119.7 but got no response. I wasn't surprised because it was after closing time. I then reached psp operations, got the ATIS and gate information, and advised them to notify the person in charge at the runway of our ETA of AC35Z. I was heartened by this because it should give them their necessary warning. We were cleared to 12000 ft by center and at the fix, wheto, on the airway from palmdale to palm springs VOR, had good visibility of the airport in VMC. I received a visual approach clearance. Descending through approximately 8000 ft, I canceled IFR clearance with ZLA, squawked 1200, and tried 1 call to palm springs FSS. At this time we were on downwind, right traffic for runway 31L. Our confign was gear down with partial flaps. My first officer was the PF and was doing a good job managing the steep descent with a strong tailwind with light to moderate turbulence. As we came abeam the airport, runway 31R was brightly lit with non directional runway lights. I also noticed a bright light in the vicinity of runway 31L approach threshold. As we turned base leg, I called psp operations once again to confirm if the runway was ready for our landing. I received an affirmative response, although I don't remember the exact wording. The first officer made his turn onto final and called for the flaps to 30 degrees and the landing checklist. I completed these duties and noticed that he had lined up with the brightly lit runway 31R. I told him, 'that's runway 31R, we need the left.' as he made his correction toward the left, I became more aware of how bright the light was in the threshold area of runway 31L. I immediately thought of the big halogen work lights that I had seen at seatac international. The light seemed to be non directional because its intensity did not change with our maneuvering. It was very distracting. I knew from past experience that the runway lights for runway 31L are difficult to see until you get into position on final due to their directional nature. I then noticed that my first officer had overshot his correction to runway 31L and was now lined up with taxiway west, the parallel taxiway to runway 31L. I told him, 'that's the taxiway.' he made a slight turn to the right. At this point, I'm thinking the intensity of the work light is obscuring our visibility of the runway lights and everything they said was ready. At this same time, the nose of the aircraft blocked the light, the aircraft landing lights illuminated the touchdown zone and runway markings. We were on centerline and made a normal touchdown and rollout. After postflt procedures and the aircraft secured, I was advised that no runway lights were turned on. Summary: I feel that the procedure for work on the runway and communication with crew flying was lacking. With the tower closed, there should have been a more positive chain of communication. There was nothing in NOTAMS regarding this. Supplemental information from acn 436089: we were on the ground in oak -- an alternate airport for sfo) which was experiencing extensive delays. It was becoming evident that we would also encounter extensive delays to our departure to psp as we were informed we would be waiting for passenger being bussed from sjc and sfo. Our company fom has provisions for landing at night with limited runway lighting, provided the runway markings are clearly visible. After touchdown, however, it became apparent that none of the runway lights were illuminated, to our surprise. We also found out later, to our surprise, airport operations was still scrambling to be clear of the runway. Callback conversation with reporter acn 436075 revealed the following information: the PIC stated that there were no personnel on the runway at the time. The captain found out later that the airport operator was just 'mins away' from turning on the runway lights. The overriding factor in the event appeared to be the thought that, once past the halogen 'work' lights, the runway lights would be seen. Since they were directional runway lights, the crew could not see them until aligned with the runway. Once that occurred, the halogen lights' glare obscured any possibility of that occurring on the final approach. Captain said that the dispatch department miscalculated the coordination time from first call-up to actuating the lights.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 LANDS ON RWY 31L AT PSP DURING A NIGHT OP WITHOUT BENEFIT OF RWY LIGHTING. TWR WAS CLOSED AND THERE WAS EQUIP OPERATING ON THE APCH END OF RWY 31L.

Narrative: PRIOR TO DEPARTING FROM OAK TO PSP, I WAS ADVISED THAT RWY 31L WAS GOING TO HAVE MAINT PERFORMED ON THE LIGHTING SYS BEGINNING AT AB00Z, BUT TO CALL 15 MINS OUT AND THEY WOULD READY THE RWY FOR OUR ARR. AFTER NOTICING THAT OUR ARR WOULD PROBABLY BE AFTER AC00Z (WHEN THE TWR CLOSED) I PLACED A CALL TO OUR DIRECTOR OF FLT CTL REGARDING THIS 15 MIN CALL. HE ASSURED ME TO JUST 'CALL THEM.' THEY WOULD BE EXPECTING US AND HAVE EVERYTHING READY. SINCE TWR WOULD BE CLOSED, I ASSUMED HE MEANT CALL OUR OPS IN PSP. I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THIS PROC BECAUSE THE MOUNTAINS AROUND PSP RESTRICT THE USUAL 30 MIN IN-RANGE DISTANCE. DEP AND ENRTE TO PSP WERE ROUTINE. AT APPROX AC10Z, I TRIED TO CALL PSP OPS BUT I COULD NOT HEAR A RESPONSE. WE BEGAN OUR DSCNT AND AT AC12Z I TRIED PSP TWR ON FREQ 119.7 BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. I WASN'T SURPRISED BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER CLOSING TIME. I THEN REACHED PSP OPS, GOT THE ATIS AND GATE INFO, AND ADVISED THEM TO NOTIFY THE PERSON IN CHARGE AT THE RWY OF OUR ETA OF AC35Z. I WAS HEARTENED BY THIS BECAUSE IT SHOULD GIVE THEM THEIR NECESSARY WARNING. WE WERE CLRED TO 12000 FT BY CTR AND AT THE FIX, WHETO, ON THE AIRWAY FROM PALMDALE TO PALM SPRINGS VOR, HAD GOOD VISIBILITY OF THE ARPT IN VMC. I RECEIVED A VISUAL APCH CLRNC. DSNDING THROUGH APPROX 8000 FT, I CANCELED IFR CLRNC WITH ZLA, SQUAWKED 1200, AND TRIED 1 CALL TO PALM SPRINGS FSS. AT THIS TIME WE WERE ON DOWNWIND, R TFC FOR RWY 31L. OUR CONFIGN WAS GEAR DOWN WITH PARTIAL FLAPS. MY FO WAS THE PF AND WAS DOING A GOOD JOB MANAGING THE STEEP DSCNT WITH A STRONG TAILWIND WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB. AS WE CAME ABEAM THE ARPT, RWY 31R WAS BRIGHTLY LIT WITH NON DIRECTIONAL RWY LIGHTS. I ALSO NOTICED A BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF RWY 31L APCH THRESHOLD. AS WE TURNED BASE LEG, I CALLED PSP OPS ONCE AGAIN TO CONFIRM IF THE RWY WAS READY FOR OUR LNDG. I RECEIVED AN AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE, ALTHOUGH I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT WORDING. THE FO MADE HIS TURN ONTO FINAL AND CALLED FOR THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGS AND THE LNDG CHKLIST. I COMPLETED THESE DUTIES AND NOTICED THAT HE HAD LINED UP WITH THE BRIGHTLY LIT RWY 31R. I TOLD HIM, 'THAT'S RWY 31R, WE NEED THE L.' AS HE MADE HIS CORRECTION TOWARD THE L, I BECAME MORE AWARE OF HOW BRIGHT THE LIGHT WAS IN THE THRESHOLD AREA OF RWY 31L. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THE BIG HALOGEN WORK LIGHTS THAT I HAD SEEN AT SEATAC INTL. THE LIGHT SEEMED TO BE NON DIRECTIONAL BECAUSE ITS INTENSITY DID NOT CHANGE WITH OUR MANEUVERING. IT WAS VERY DISTRACTING. I KNEW FROM PAST EXPERIENCE THAT THE RWY LIGHTS FOR RWY 31L ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE UNTIL YOU GET INTO POS ON FINAL DUE TO THEIR DIRECTIONAL NATURE. I THEN NOTICED THAT MY FO HAD OVERSHOT HIS CORRECTION TO RWY 31L AND WAS NOW LINED UP WITH TXWY W, THE PARALLEL TXWY TO RWY 31L. I TOLD HIM, 'THAT'S THE TXWY.' HE MADE A SLIGHT TURN TO THE R. AT THIS POINT, I'M THINKING THE INTENSITY OF THE WORK LIGHT IS OBSCURING OUR VISIBILITY OF THE RWY LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING THEY SAID WAS READY. AT THIS SAME TIME, THE NOSE OF THE ACFT BLOCKED THE LIGHT, THE ACFT LNDG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE AND RWY MARKINGS. WE WERE ON CTRLINE AND MADE A NORMAL TOUCHDOWN AND ROLLOUT. AFTER POSTFLT PROCS AND THE ACFT SECURED, I WAS ADVISED THAT NO RWY LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON. SUMMARY: I FEEL THAT THE PROC FOR WORK ON THE RWY AND COM WITH CREW FLYING WAS LACKING. WITH THE TWR CLOSED, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MORE POSITIVE CHAIN OF COM. THERE WAS NOTHING IN NOTAMS REGARDING THIS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 436089: WE WERE ON THE GND IN OAK -- AN ALTERNATE ARPT FOR SFO) WHICH WAS EXPERIENCING EXTENSIVE DELAYS. IT WAS BECOMING EVIDENT THAT WE WOULD ALSO ENCOUNTER EXTENSIVE DELAYS TO OUR DEP TO PSP AS WE WERE INFORMED WE WOULD BE WAITING FOR PAX BEING BUSSED FROM SJC AND SFO. OUR COMPANY FOM HAS PROVISIONS FOR LNDG AT NIGHT WITH LIMITED RWY LIGHTING, PROVIDED THE RWY MARKINGS ARE CLRLY VISIBLE. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HOWEVER, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT NONE OF THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED, TO OUR SURPRISE. WE ALSO FOUND OUT LATER, TO OUR SURPRISE, ARPT OPS WAS STILL SCRAMBLING TO BE CLR OF THE RWY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 436075 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PIC STATED THAT THERE WERE NO PERSONNEL ON THE RWY AT THE TIME. THE CAPT FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE ARPT OPERATOR WAS JUST 'MINS AWAY' FROM TURNING ON THE RWY LIGHTS. THE OVERRIDING FACTOR IN THE EVENT APPEARED TO BE THE THOUGHT THAT, ONCE PAST THE HALOGEN 'WORK' LIGHTS, THE RWY LIGHTS WOULD BE SEEN. SINCE THEY WERE DIRECTIONAL RWY LIGHTS, THE CREW COULD NOT SEE THEM UNTIL ALIGNED WITH THE RWY. ONCE THAT OCCURRED, THE HALOGEN LIGHTS' GLARE OBSCURED ANY POSSIBILITY OF THAT OCCURRING ON THE FINAL APCH. CAPT SAID THAT THE DISPATCH DEPT MISCALCULATED THE COORD TIME FROM FIRST CALL-UP TO ACTUATING THE LIGHTS.

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.