My dad non-reved up to State College on US Airways (I work part-time for them in SCE) since I had invited him to take a flight with me back to Jersey for a few days for Thanksgiving. I had filed IFR for the flight that night and everything was going quite smoothly...it was a clear night, no turbulence, etc. The only problem had been the alternator light coming on while on the ground still in SCE...and actually, the engine quit as I taxied it from the flight school I rented the plane at over to the FBO to pick up my Dad (cold night...once it warmed up enough, everything was fine).
Anyway, made it past Philly and Philadelphia Approach handed my over to McGuire Approach in Jersey. Eventually I got "64C, airport is at 12 o'clock, 10 miles, advise airport in sight." So I get closer, start clicking the mike, still can't pick out the runway but have the airport beacon...and I knew where it was because of the handheld GPS I was using. So I eventually thought I had the runway even though lights wouldnt click on with the mike, thought I had some approach lights, and began my descent, letting Approach know I had field in sight, only to get to about 100-200 feet above the ground to realize they were a small patch of blue taxiway lights. So I quickly climbed back up, and contacted Approach and declared a missed approach. I mentioned that I couldnt get the lights on and they gave me a few phone numbers to dial up...so while my dad used his cell phone to dial a few numbers, I was given some vectors by Approach, and I was also looking at some alternate fields. Couldn't get ahold of anyone, so my dad called my mom (who was meeting us at the airport to give us a ride home). She got ahold of a woman who was in charge of the airport but was at home sleeping, who said nastily that there was no pilot named Ed flying in that night and that the lights are turned off at 9 pm unless prior arrangement is made. Needless to say, I looked at the back of my approach plate and sure enough, saw that notation made. So I eventually picked another airport and landed there to be greeted by a cop, who saw the plane land and got suspicious because he'd never seen a plane land that late at night at this field.
So an hour later, my mom manages to make it over to this airport to pick us up. I learned an important lesson that night to read even the back of an approach plate much more carefully.
