RPTR ADVISES THE PAPI LIGHTS FOR RWY 27 AT SAN DO NOT TURN THE NORMAL RED TO INDICATE BELOW GLIDE PATH BUT ARE ONLY ROSY COLOR AND COULD LEAD A FLC TO DSND BELOW GLIDE PATH WITHOUT A PAPI INDICATION.

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THE PRECISION APCH PATH INDICATOR (PAPI) LIGHTS FOR RWY 27 AT SAN DIEGO; CA; LINDBERGH FIELD ARE NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. SPECIFICALLY; NONE OF THE 4 PAPI LIGHTS WILL EVER APPEAR A BRIGHT RED; WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. AS YOU ARE AWARE; AS YOU DSND FROM ABOVE THE GS TO THE GS; THE PAPI LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO TURN FROM 'WHITE' TO 'RED' FROM R TO L. WHEN YOU ARE ON THE GS THE 2 R PAPI LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 'RED' AND THE 2 L PAPI LIGHTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE 'WHITE'. AS YOU DSND BELOW THE GS THE OTHER PAPI 'WHITE' LIGHTS CONTINUE TO TURN 'RED' FROM R TO L OR VICE VERSA IF YOU CLB ABOVE THE GS. THE TROUBLE IS THAT NONE OF THE 4 PAPI LIGHTS WILL EVER TURN COMPLETELY 'RED'. INSTEAD THEY WILL TURN A COLOR ABOUT HALFWAY BTWN THE NORMAL RED AND WHITE. FOR SOMEONE WITH NOT MUCH EXPERIENCE FLYING INTO LINDBERGH FIELD THERE COULD BE SOME CONFUSION AS THE PLT IS CONCENTRATING FOR THE R LIGHT TO TURN 'RED' AND NOT REALIZING THAT THE LIGHT IS AS RED AS IT IS GOING TO GET WHILE ALL THE TIME THE OTHER 'WHITE' LIGHTS ARE TURNING THE SAME DULL WASHED OUT RED; AND THUS DSNDING YOU BELOW THE GS. YOU DON'T NEED TO DO A FLT CHK TO SEE THIS PROBLEM. JUST GO OUT ON THE RUNUP END OF RWY 27 AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. THESE PAPI LIGHTS ARE POOR REGARDLESS OF THE TIME OF DAY; WX CONDITIONS; OR THE TYPE OF ACFT.