AMATEUR BUILT SMA PRIVATE PLT IS TEMPORARILY BLINDED DURING A NIGHT APCH AND LNDG AT A PRIVATE ARPT DUE TO FLOODS LIGHTS SHINING INTO HIS EYES FROM AN INDIAN OWNED CASINO ADJACENT TO THE AIRFIELD.

2002-01 · NASA ASRS report 535592

Date: 2002-01 · Aircraft: Amateur/Home Built/Experimental

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown|other-light-blindness

Synopsis

AMATEUR BUILT SMA PRIVATE PLT IS TEMPORARILY BLINDED DURING A NIGHT APCH AND LNDG AT A PRIVATE ARPT DUE TO FLOODS LIGHTS SHINING INTO HIS EYES FROM AN INDIAN OWNED CASINO ADJACENT TO THE AIRFIELD.

Narrative

THIS UNSAFE CONDITION IS THE RESULT OF LIGHTS BLINDING AND/OR DISORIENTING PLTS ON SHORT FINAL TO TOUCH DOWN. THIS CONDITION WAS CREATED WITH A PRIVATE AIRPARK ADJACENT TO AN INDIAN RESERVATION. THE AIRPARK HAS 50 PLUS ACFT. THE YAVAPAI-APACHE BUILT A CASINO ON THE RESERVATION WITH NO ILL AFFECTS TO THE NATION OR THE AIRPARK. IN 2001 THE NATION INSTALLED A ROTATING BEACON OF LIGHTS ON THE ROOF OF THE CASINO. THESE APPROX TWELVE BEACONS ARE IN THE SHAPE OF A CONE THAT ROTATE AND ARE DIRECTED OVER THE RWY OF THE AIRPARK. THE LIGHTS ARE DIRECTED AT A HIGHWAY ON A HILL APPROX FIVE MILES AWAY. DUE TO THE DRY AIR OF ARIZONA THE BEACONS VIEWED FROM THE SIDE ARE VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE. THE ROTATING BEAMS OF LIGHT ARE NOT SEEN UNTIL TURNING FROM BASE TO FINAL THEN ARE VIEWED DIRECTLY INTO THE BEAM. CONVERSATION WITH THE CASINO MANAGER MET WITH LITTLE COOPERATION IN REDIRECTING OR EXTINGUISHING THE LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON FROM THE ONSET OF DARKNESS UNTIL AROUND 3:00 AM. IT IS RECOGNIZED THAT THE RESERVATION IS A SOVEREIGN NATION AND NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE STATE OF ARIZONA. BUT; ONCE THESE LIGHT BEAMS CROSS THE PROPERTY LINE THEY ARE NO LONGER ON THE SOVEREIGN NATION BUT IN FEDERAL AVIATION AIRSPACE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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