What are Stopway Lights?

Stopway Lights

Definition

Stopway lights are fixed lights that show red toward the runway along the sides and the end of a stopway.

ICAO defines a stopway as a defined rectangular area on the ground at the end of the take-off run available. It is prepared as a suitable area in which an aircraft can be stopped in the case of an abandoned take-off. Its length counts in the accelerate-stop distance available (ASDA), which is the take-off run available plus the stopway. The stopway page covers its size, strength and declared distances. It also explains how a stopway differs from a clearway, a blast pad and a runway end safety area.

This page covers the lights only.

What the standards require

ICAO states the requirement in Annex 14, 5.3.16. EASA states it in CS ADR-DSN.M.705. The FAA covers the lights in AC 150/5340-30J, paragraph 2.4, where it calls them stopway edge lights.

Item	ICAO Annex 14, 5.3.16	EASA CS ADR-DSN.M.705	FAA AC 150/5340-30J, 2.4
Rows along the stopway	Two parallel rows, coincident with the runway edge light rows	The same	The same
Spacing along the rows	Not given	As for runway edge lights, and at least one pair	As for runway edge lights, at most 200 ft (61 m)
Lights across the end	Required, no number given, at most 3 m outside the end	At least four, equally spaced across the width, at most 3 m outside the end	Two groups of three or four, at most 10 ft (3 m) outboard of the stopway edge
Colour and direction	Fixed, unidirectional, red toward the runway	The same	Unidirectional red in the take-off direction

ICAO writes the location and colour as Standards (“shall”). CS ADR-DSN writes the same items as “should”, and gives its own end-light count. The FAA gives the group sizes in the AC, and the choice depends on the runway.

When a stopway needs lights

ICAO requires stopway lights for a stopway that the operator intends to use at night (5.3.16.1). EASA recommends them for night use, and also where the runway visual range is below 800 m (M.705(a)).

The stopway itself is a choice. ICAO 3.7 says that its specifications do not mean that a stopway has to be provided. ICAO Attachment A says that the choice of a stopway instead of a longer runway depends on two things. They are the ground beyond the runway end and the performance of the aircraft.

Where the lights stand

Along the stopway. The lights stand over the full length in two parallel rows, equidistant from the centre line. The rows coincide with the rows of the runway edge lights.
Across the end. More lights stand on a line at right angles to the stopway axis. The line is as near to the end as possible and at most 3 m outside it.
Spacing. CS ADR-DSN.M.705 refers to the runway edge light spacing. That spacing is at most 60 m on an instrument runway and at most 100 m on a non-instrument runway, in uniform rows (M.675(b)(4)). The FAA limit is 200 ft (61 m) (2.3.1.2.1).

The FAA figure for a runway with a stopway also has a note on colour. If needed for visual guidance, 360-degree red fixtures may stand on the edge lights in the stopway area (Figure A-10, note 4).

Colour and direction

The lights show red in the direction of the runway. A light that shows red toward the runway is visible to an aircraft on the runway. CS ADR-DSN.M.705 refers to CS ADR-DSN.U.930 for the red chromaticity.

Neither ICAO 5.3.16 nor CS ADR-DSN.M.705 gives an intensity figure. GM1 ADR-DSN.M.705 is left blank. An inspection of these lights checks colour, position, direction and function, and not a value from an isocandela diagram.

Fittings

ICAO sets two rules for the fixture. Elevated runway, stopway and taxiway lights must be frangible, and low enough to clear the propellers and the engine pods of jet aircraft (5.3.1.6). Inset fixtures in a runway, stopway, taxiway or apron must withstand the wheels of an aircraft. The wheels must not damage the aircraft or the light (5.3.1.7).

Power

EASA Table S-1 lists the stopway end and edge lights among the lights that need a secondary power supply. Switch-over time is the time for the intensity of a light to fall to 50 percent and recover to 50 percent during a changeover.

Stopway edge lights. The maximum is 15 seconds in every row of the table that gives a number.
Stopway end lights. The maximum is 15 seconds for a non-precision runway and a CAT I runway. It is 1 second for a CAT II or III runway, and for a runway for take-off in runway visual range below 800 m.

Stopway lights, runway end lights and runway edge lights

Three groups of lights stand at the same place, and they differ in colour and position.

Runway edge lights show variable white. A section at the far end shows yellow. Stopway lights coincide with the rows of these lights, so the rows continue past the runway end (CS ADR-DSN.M.675(c)(1)).
Runway end lights are fixed unidirectional red lights. They stand across the end of the runway, at most 3 m outside it. ICAO requires them on a runway that has edge lights (5.3.11).
Stopway lights are fixed unidirectional red lights. They stand along the stopway and across its far end.

The runway end light page covers the lights at the end of the runway. The runway edge light page covers the rows that the stopway lights continue.

Inspecting stopway lights

An inspection of a stopway that is used at night checks these items:

Each light works and shows red.
Each light faces the runway.
The two rows coincide with the runway edge light rows, and the spacing is even.
The end lights stand across the stopway axis, within 3 m of the end, and in the number that the applicable rule sets.
Elevated fixtures are intact and low, and inset fixtures are flush and clean.

A drone can fly past the stopway and record the colour, position and aim of each light. TarmacView’s drone airport inspection covers the lighting at the runway ends.