nooluv
your question is a valid one . the answer is a good pilot would have asked about the lights.
a good pilot who was tired, pressured to make schedule, who misunderstood certain provisions for no lights in reduced visabilty takeoffs and a WHOLE LOT OF OTHER THINGS might have taken off.
a bad pilot might have just gone for it
early on in this now HUGE thread, I mentioned that the NTSB SAID the CVR indicated cockpit mention of NO LIGHTS.
I asked who said this and gave a chain of events questioning possible CRM problems.
if the copilot asked about the lights and the captain dismissed it with something (see previous post) then that was the problem
if the captain mentioned it, he might have just picked up the mic and asked.
unless he misunderstood the notam about centerline lights and took it to be the runway lights and he mis understood ths bit about low vis takeoffs...the exemptions for low vis takeoffs don't WAIVE part 121.590 about NIGHT TAKEOFFS.
Often the NTSB will come up with a prelim report along the way with all the facts...sometimes quotes from the CVR show up and will give us more of a clue.