Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 6800; Flight Crew Type 4000
Confusion; Situational Awareness
No Specific Anomaly Occurred All Types
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related
Two developments have happened recently in the vicinity of RHV that have dramatically decreased safety at night.The first is that the street east of the runways (Capitol Expressway) has had new street lights installed. From the air these street lights look EXTREMELY similar to runway lights. The street lights exist only in the vicinity of and approximately parallel to the runways.The second of the two events is that the actual runway lighting has been converted to Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL). However since the conversion was done many pilots have complained that the PCL control circuitry does not recognize their inputs to the system and that they have been unable to turn on the runway lights.Now that the street lights are on permanently and the runway lights are difficult to turn on the opportunity exists for pilots at night to think that they have turned on the runway lights (when in fact the runway lights have not turned on) and mistake the street lights on Capitol Expressway for the runway.I have already heard reports of pilots mistaking the street lights for runway lights even when the runway lights are turned on. If the runway lights are turned off the temptation to assume the street lights are the runway lights will be VERY strong.There needs to be something done to prevent this potential disaster. At a minimum there needs to be an entry in the Airport and Facilities Directory that alerts pilots to the possible error. Fixing the PCL so that it is easier to turn on will also help.
An experienced area Flight Instructor advised that the new street lights installed to the east of and parallel to the runways at RHV are easily mistaken for runway lights. Difficulties associated with activating the newly installed pilot controlled runway lighting exacerbates the likelihood of misidentifying the highway as the runway.