I was driving by the field at Lake Charles at the time they should have landed and my passengers commented that both sets of runway lights were on. It was a crystal clear night with no haze, and low temperatures and therefore little humidity. Lake Charles has several large hangars and a terminal building. It also has navigation aids.
Southland field is several miles West near Sulpher, La and is a small single runway field with few buildings. There are a large number of chemical plants, all well illuminated, between Sulpher and Lake Charles. There is a large river and a big lake as well as the lights of the much larger city of Lake Charles. All clearly visible.
The tower is closed at that time of night as in many rural airfields with commuter service in the US, Not unusual.
To sum up, lazy or badly trained crews. Complacent comes to mind. This is the third occurance according to the local press. I notice Colgan as being the operator, is anyone watching their operation??
Speedbird 48.