Airport lighting is a critical element in aviation, providing more than just illumination for nighttime flights. It plays a vital role in guiding pilots to their destinations on the airfield ...

Runway lights and an automated system that provides weather conditions were out of operation at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport before a Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood amid foggy ...

The pilot also would have likely noticed the lights weren’t working as he descended. Without lights, procedure dictated that he should have climbed and diverted to another airport, Guzzetti said.

One of the safety measures currently in place at Charlotte Douglas is called Runway Status Lights. They are on most of the airport’s runways. Schifano says they are simple, but effective.

Miller said the replacement and repair will cost the airport about $6,500. Removing the covers from runway lights has been a teenage pastime for more than a decade, Miller said.

SAN DIEGO — The runway lights were out, a weather alert system wasn’t working and there was heavy fog at a San Diego airport when a pilot who had flown across the country made the decision to ...