NTSB Factual Report

The pilot was making a night visual approach to an airport when, on short final, the pilot-activated runway lights timed out. The pilot re-activated the lights, which came back on at a high intensity that "adversely affected [her] night vision and depth perception." During the time the lights were out, the airplane descended below the glide path, and by the time she realized it, the pilot felt that she could not have successfully executed a go-around because "the aircraft would have most likely lost lift and stalled." According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airplane then landed "short and hard." No airplane mechanical anomalies were noted.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway. Factors included the night lighting conditions, the time-out and reestablishment of the high intensity runway lighting, and the pilot's failure to go around.