Narrative:

I am a helicopter flight instructor who was giving active flight instruction to a student preparing for a check ride this week. We traveled to this public use airport (heliport) in a rural area with no celestial lights; which makes it good for night approachs to an elevated helipad; lighted rooftop which has its own approach VASI light. A competitor of mine manages this airport. Upon making a radio call with our tail number and shooting an approach to landing on the helipad the manager shut off all of his house lights and came into his hangar adjacent to the area of the helipad. The manager stood in the door and watched us fly 2 complete patterns/approachs to the helipad. On the third approach while on short final approximately 200 ft AGL -- 400-500 ft horizontally away from the roof top; he shut off all the power to the roof helipad and the runway lights. I immediately grabbed the controls and diverted our approach to a landing on the ground. This airport has no celestial lights and is very; very dark. With only our aircraft landing lights we safely landed on the ground. My student made numerous attempts to activate both the helipad and runway lights on two different frequencys. Numerous attempts were made via radio to contact the airport manager who was standing in the door of the hangar watching us. He made no response at all on the radio. After further attempts of activating any of the lights with no results; no radio response; we departed the area to continue night training elsewhere. I feel the intentional act of turning off power to the helipad and runway lights put us in danger which could have led to an accident if done to a low time pilot; with low night flight experience. My student was very shaken up by this. It is my opinion that this was a deliberate act in an attempt to make us unwelcome to use this public use airport. This could have caused a catastrophic accident and was totally preventable.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ROBINSON R22 INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT; WHILE DOING NIGHT PRACTICE LNDG HAVE THE HELIPAD LIGHTS TURNED OFF DURING A LOW APCH.

Narrative: I AM A HELI FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO WAS GIVING ACTIVE FLT INSTRUCTION TO A STUDENT PREPARING FOR A CHK RIDE THIS WK. WE TRAVELED TO THIS PUBLIC USE ARPT (HELIPORT) IN A RURAL AREA WITH NO CELESTIAL LIGHTS; WHICH MAKES IT GOOD FOR NIGHT APCHS TO AN ELEVATED HELIPAD; LIGHTED ROOFTOP WHICH HAS ITS OWN APCH VASI LIGHT. A COMPETITOR OF MINE MANAGES THIS ARPT. UPON MAKING A RADIO CALL WITH OUR TAIL NUMBER AND SHOOTING AN APCH TO LNDG ON THE HELIPAD THE MGR SHUT OFF ALL OF HIS HOUSE LIGHTS AND CAME INTO HIS HANGAR ADJACENT TO THE AREA OF THE HELIPAD. THE MGR STOOD IN THE DOOR AND WATCHED US FLY 2 COMPLETE PATTERNS/APCHS TO THE HELIPAD. ON THE THIRD APCH WHILE ON SHORT FINAL APPROX 200 FT AGL -- 400-500 FT HORIZONTALLY AWAY FROM THE ROOF TOP; HE SHUT OFF ALL THE PWR TO THE ROOF HELIPAD AND THE RWY LIGHTS. I IMMEDIATELY GRABBED THE CTLS AND DIVERTED OUR APCH TO A LNDG ON THE GND. THIS ARPT HAS NO CELESTIAL LIGHTS AND IS VERY; VERY DARK. WITH ONLY OUR ACFT LNDG LIGHTS WE SAFELY LANDED ON THE GND. MY STUDENT MADE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO ACTIVATE BOTH THE HELIPAD AND RWY LIGHTS ON TWO DIFFERENT FREQS. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS WERE MADE VIA RADIO TO CONTACT THE ARPT MGR WHO WAS STANDING IN THE DOOR OF THE HANGAR WATCHING US. HE MADE NO RESPONSE AT ALL ON THE RADIO. AFTER FURTHER ATTEMPTS OF ACTIVATING ANY OF THE LIGHTS WITH NO RESULTS; NO RADIO RESPONSE; WE DEPARTED THE AREA TO CONTINUE NIGHT TRAINING ELSEWHERE. I FEEL THE INTENTIONAL ACT OF TURNING OFF PWR TO THE HELIPAD AND RWY LIGHTS PUT US IN DANGER WHICH COULD HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT IF DONE TO A LOW TIME PLT; WITH LOW NIGHT FLT EXPERIENCE. MY STUDENT WAS VERY SHAKEN UP BY THIS. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THIS WAS A DELIBERATE ACT IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE US UNWELCOME TO USE THIS PUBLIC USE ARPT. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT AND WAS TOTALLY PREVENTABLE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.