The spinning search light atop a Dallas strip club inadvertently flooded the cockpit of a jet preparing to land at Love Field Airport on Sunday, sparking safety concerns. The incident happened just after 11 p.m. when the Southwest Airlines flight was on final approach, about 1,000 feet off the ground and a couple miles from the runway, officials said. That's when the powerful light on the roof of Bombshells in the 2400 block of Walnut Ridge Street apparently caught the inside of the cockpit.
The pilot then radioed to the control tower to report a laser strike, a dangerous situation in which a laser beam strikes the cockpit, possibly causing temporary blindness. "You have the potential of causing the pilot a problem. In fact, there have been occasions where the pilot, who was landed the aircraft, got hit by a laser and the co-pilot ended up having to complete the landing," FAA representative Lynn Lunsford said.
However, the pilot in this case was not harmed and landed the jet safely. Police later asked the club owner to switch off the light. The venue complied and said the light was installed at an angle, which it was told would not interfere with planes.
"It gives people a landmark. If you listen to our radio ads we say, 'Look for the spotlight.' It's just for publicity, not intended to hurt or harm anyone. It's just a light," club manager Zach Carson said. Bombshells said it will not turn the light back on until the FAA provides approval. According to the FAA, searchlight strikes are rare but laser strikes are on the increase - more than five times as common as they were in 2005.
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