SEA95LA054

The pilot stated that he had activated the runway lights for the dark night landing. While on long final, the pilot aligned the airplane with the VASI lights, which are on the left side of the runway, until the runway edge lights were visible. Just prior to touch down, the pilot realized that the airplane was over the grass area between the runway and the taxiway west of the runway, and that he had mistaken the taxiway lights for the runway left side edge lights. The airplane touched down in soft mud collapsing the landing gear. Three of the runway left edge lights were out and/or broken beyond the VASI; the furthest broken light was approx 1,300 ft down the runway.

On February 18, 1995, at 2117 mountain standard time, a Cessna TR182, N738NQ, landed between the taxiway and the runway at the Bountiful Skypark Airport, Bountiful, Utah, and collided with the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot and his four passengers were not injured. The flight had departed from Provo, Utah, at 2030, with a destination of Bountiful.

During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that while over Salt Lake City, he clicked the mike seven times to activate the runway lights at Bountiful, however, he was too far out to see the runway lights. The pilot stated that it was very dark and there was no moon. The pilot again clicked the mike seven times while over the Salt Lake City Airport and the runway lights were activated. The pilot stated that he aligned the airplane with the VASI lights, which are on the west side of the runway, until the runway edge lights were visible. The pilot realized just before touch down that the airplane was over the grass between the runway and the taxi way on the west side of runway 34 and that he had mistaken the taxi lights for the runway edge. The airplane touched down in soft mud between the runway and the taxiway. During the landing roll the landing gear partially collapsed and both wing tips contacted the ground.

A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector from the Salt Lake City, Utah, Flight Standards District Office reported that three runway edge lights were out and/or damaged just beyond the VASI lights on the west side of runway 34. The furthest broken light was located approximately 1,300 feet down the runway. The remainder of the runway edge lights and taxi way lights were functional.