BENGALURU: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has revoked the approval accorded for operations of floodlights at Karnataka Golf Association (KGA), due to the risk they pose to aircraft landing at HAL Airport. The move comes on the heels of KGA’s repeated failure to switch the floodlights off, despite multiple warnings from HAL underlining the safety issue.
HAL first communicated the issue to KGA on January 12, asking the latter to keep the floodlights switched off, citing non-compliance to be in violation of Section 66 of the Aircraft Rules of 1937, Part 1 - Series 4 of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs), and the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam (Indian Aircraft Act) of 2024. The aforementioned Aircraft Rules and the CARs are set forth by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
According to a letter addressed by general manager of HAL V Sri Krishna Prasad, to honorary secretary of KGA Madhur Sood recently (January 20), the association not only failed to comply with the directions sent on January 12, but also disregarded the repeated instructions sent on January 16, keeping the floodlights on, on January 16 and 17. Pilots in the meanwhile continued to address to HAL their grievances regarding the issue, following which the approval to operate floodlights was withdrawn.
When TNIE contacted Sood, he said that “the floodlights will not be on today [January 26],” and declined to comment further on the issue, adding that he was out of station.
‘Floodlights pose safety risk at HAL Airport’
The presence of strong lights near an airport can pose mortal hazard to any aircraft. Strong lights or LED lasers have been known to cause partial blindness to pilots, which can disorient them and cause aircraft to crash while taking off or landing. Furthermore, there actually are lights on the runway that are critically necessary for safe operations: precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights let pilots know if they are on the correct glide slope for landing. The presence of other lights – especially in low visibility conditions – can be a cause of deadly distraction.
“HAL Airport unfortunately is bang in the middle of the town; floodlights or other lights can haze out the PAPI lights, and pilots have previously confused the Old Airport Road for a runway as well. Runway 09 at HAL Airport is especially prone to this; it can be very disorienting for the pilots,” said Captain Arvind Sharma, a former pilot.
This is not the first time that HAL and KGA have been tied together in terms of lapse in aviation safety. In February 14 of 1990, the pilots of an Indian Airlines Airbus A320-231 misjudged their glide slope, and crashed short of the runway on KGA grounds. The crash killed 92 of the 146 souls on board, including both the pilots.