Strobe Light on Tower Will Help Pilots in LAX Landings

A strobe light will be installed this fall atop a 50-foot tower in Darby Park in Inglewood to help incoming pilots flying through the sun and haze above Los Angeles International Airport.

The Air Line Pilots Assn. has been pushing for the navigational aid for more than two years. Installed on the roof of the Forum last fall, the beacon was turned off after the Forum legal staff raised questions of liability in the event of a crash.

The Inglewood City Council approved a lease agreement Tuesday that calls for the light to be installed by the city of Los Angeles and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. The light from the beacon will be directed so it is visible only from the air, officials said.

FAA Approved

The FAA had approved the beacon at the pilots’ urging but has maintained that the device is not essential for safety because of the many electronic means for keeping planes on course when landing.

“If a pilot is dependent on a visual, then he or she is not using all the equipment available to get on the ground,” said FAA spokesman Fred O’Donnell.

But Richard Russell, president of the pilots association, said the light will provide a clear division between two sets of runways and help prevent pilots from overshooting the runways or crossing into improper flight paths while descending at LAX.

The beacon will be called the “Gunter Strobe” in memory of Gunter Johnson, a 21-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes man who died in a skateboarding accident in 1987. His parents, Charles and Ursula Johnson, donated $10,000 from Gunter’s life insurance for the beacon.

“We just thought if our son’s name was associated with such a worthwhile, lifesaving project, then he would not have died in vain,” Charles Johnson said. “Gunter was killed in a freak accident. If there’s anything we can do to save the life of one person, it’s worth it.”