When I soloed, I could only get to the airport after work, and by that time it was near dark. I loved flying at night, the lights of the city were really cool and the airport was easy to find due to the white runway lights and the blue taxiways, but I can see it being a hazard with an engine out, looking for a place to set it down, and you can't see the ground.
Yes, that's all fine if there are plenty of lights on the ground but, around here, the water starts vast and deep at the end of the runway and there are no lights at all. My first attempt at the night cross country had to be aborted due to "Excessive Darkness" once we got out over the ocean on the way to Lanai. No moon and overcast. Man, it was just BLACK. I got disoriented in just a few minutes. As soon as we turned around and I could see the lights of Oahu again I was fine.