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The ramp illumination lights at crp are blinding for taxiing pilots when approaching the terminal.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1281452 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201507 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | CRP.Airport |
| State Reference | TX |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Large Transport Low Wing 2 Turbojet Eng |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
The ramp at crp is lit by several light poles; each containing three extremely bright spotlights which resemble deer hunting spotlights. The lamps are hooded at the top and emit glaring light onto oncoming aircraft. Rather than the diffused yellow sodium vapor lights that most airport terminals have. These are bright white; aimed straight out; and have the effect of partially blinding anyone approaching the ramp. Gate lead-in lines and taxiway markings are almost indiscernible when the glare of the spotlights hit the windshield; especially when the windshield is dirty. After parking I queried the tower controller about possible complaints by flight crews. Controller said that some crews do complain and that the lights had been hooded to keep the tower personnel from being blinded as well. These are not your ordinary flood or ramp lights; but rather cylindrical lights that could be used for spotting or stage productions.the lights are problematic. The fact that the airport authority had to put hoods on them to keep from blinding the tower controllers proves that they are a hazard to any one approaching them at night. I fly to nearly 100 airports and have never encountered this particular type of lights. In my opinion; they are the wrong kind for the job.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: The ramp illumination lights at CRP are blinding for taxiing pilots when approaching the terminal.
Narrative: The ramp at CRP is lit by several light poles; each containing three extremely bright spotlights which resemble deer hunting spotlights. The lamps are hooded at the top and emit glaring light onto oncoming aircraft. Rather than the diffused yellow sodium vapor lights that most airport terminals have. These are bright white; aimed straight out; and have the effect of partially blinding anyone approaching the ramp. Gate lead-in lines and taxiway markings are almost indiscernible when the glare of the spotlights hit the windshield; especially when the windshield is dirty. After parking I queried the Tower Controller about possible complaints by flight crews. Controller said that some crews do complain and that the lights had been hooded to keep the Tower Personnel from being blinded as well. These are not your ordinary flood or ramp lights; but rather cylindrical lights that could be used for spotting or stage productions.The lights are problematic. The fact that the Airport Authority had to put hoods on them to keep from blinding the Tower Controllers proves that they are a hazard to any one approaching them at night. I fly to nearly 100 airports and have never encountered this particular type of lights. In my opinion; they are the wrong kind for the job.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.