LAT: LAX Instrument Landing System Fails

[DeepModem Mom]

LAX Instrument Landing System Fails
By Hector Becerra and Ashley Surdin, Times Staff Writers
3:20 PM PDT, August 7, 2006

Flights into Los Angeles International Airport were running about 90 minutes behind schedule today after an instrument landing system failed on one of the airport's runways, authorities said. Delays are expected until 8 p.m., according to airport officials.

This morning, two Alaska Airlines flights were diverted to Ontario International Airport because they did not have enough fuel to go into a holding pattern, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles.

The instrument landing system, which helps guide pilots during landing in periods of fog and low visibility, on Runway 25R failed shortly after 9 a.m., said Federal Aviation Agency spokesman Allen Kenitzer. Technicians were trying to determine what triggered the problem on the runway on the south side of the airport, he said

The problems forced the airport to reduce the number of arrivals to less than 40 an hour from the more than 50 that it normally handles, Castles said.

"The FAA has not given us a reason for the ILS failure or an estimated time when the system will be restored," Castles said. "Fortunately, this occurred after our early morning peak travel period."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-080706lax,0,1383946.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[MercutioATC]

1. Questions???

This isn't a big deal, just an equipment failure, but I'll answer questions if anybody's interested.

[ewagner]

2. I'll take you up on the offer

If there's a 25R, is there a 25L and a separate ILS for that runway?

Also, this: how bad does the crosswind component have to be before they can't use a separate runway with a functioning ILS?

TIA...

[MercutioATC]

3. The main runways are 6/24 Left and Right and 7/25 Left and Right

Yes, 6/24 L&R and 7/25 L&R all have ILS approaches.

I'm not sure I understand your second question.

[ewagner]

9. Okay....

I guess it was a mute point....

thanks

e

[pinto]

4. Equipment heat sensitive? I'm thinking about the recent

high temps damaging switches or whatever :shrug:.

[MercutioATC]

5. All electronics are heat-sensitive to some degree.

It's important to note, however, that these things do fail from time to time. An ILS failure really isn't a big deal...it happens all of the time.

[pinto]

6. Yeah. I didn't think it was a big deal. Seems LAX handled it as

pro forma. I thought it was interesting to "turn the airport around" - that was the phrase I heard mentioned - to get the holding line down on the ground.

[MercutioATC]

7. You do understand the "turn the airport around" thing, right?

Each runway is a big strip of concrete. It works in both directions. Runway 24 (a 240 magnetic bearing) is also runway 6 (a 060 magnetic bearing) if you use it from the other direction.

Winds usually favor the use of a particular direction of landing/takeoff, but unless they're strong, either 6 or 24 could be used.

6R, 6L, 24R, 24L, 7R, 7L, 25R and 25L (that's a total of 4 strips of concrete) at LAX all have ILS equipment. If they lost the ILS equipment on one of their 24 runways, they could "turn the airport around" (winds permitting) and land on 6 and 7 instead of 24 and 25 (same strips of concrete, just using them in the opposite direction) and they'd have operational ILS equipment on all of their active runways (6L&R and 7L&R).

[pinto]

10. Yes. I realize that. Thanks.

[Hardrada]

8. I just left from LAX this morning!

Good thing I was leaving rather than arriving.