Plane crashed -- what happened?

Neil Gould wrote:

IÂ*don'tÂ*haveÂ*muchÂ*nightÂ*flyingÂ*experience. Â*OnÂ*theÂ*eastÂ*coast,
it'sÂ*notÂ*easyÂ*toÂ*seeÂ*placesÂ*thatÂ*farÂ*out Â*atÂ*night...Â*but
that'sÂ*mostlyÂ*dueÂ*toÂ*allÂ*theÂ*lightsÂ*onÂ*t heÂ*ground!

You may be able to see them, but not discern the airport from the other
lights. The tower lights may be more easy to find.

As Neil wrote earlier in his note, it is often possible to spot the traffic
using the airport before the airport. I'd that experience recently
approaching Albany: I didn't see the airport, but I did see traffic lined
up on final. Follow the line drawn by the traffic...and there's the
airport.

The rotating beacon (if that's what you mean by "tower light") I find much
more difficult to spot. The flash frequency is so low that one really
needs to be looking at the same spot for a while to catch it. Plus, if
there's any civilization there are plenty of other lights flashing about.

I'll occasionally think I see a tower only to realize it's a curve in a road
(with headlights "flashing" me as cars drive the curve).

- Andrew