Engineering360: "NTSB Urges System Alert After Close Call at SFO"

A simple traffic light system that only displays to approaching planes could work well here while the traffic lights are not visible to aircraft on the ground.

Runways and taxiways that are not safe to land on would of course display a red traffic light at the front of the runway or taxiway and runways that are safe to land on would display a green traffic light.

In this case the taxiway in the photo would be showing red lights while the runway 28R would be showing green lights.

A very simple and very safe visual confirmation of safety or otherwise.

Pilots attempting to land on a wrong runway or taxiway could not then be misled by the green strip lights at the side or the center of the incorrect runway or taxiway, whose green lights are meant for the aircraft that are taking off or lining up on a taxiway to take off.

Red and green traffic lights are so universally known to everyone in the world that a visible red traffic light in front of a runway or taxiway would signal errant pilots from miles away that they're approaching the wrong strip and give them time to correct their error.

Traffic lights are so intensely bright now they could be seen from miles away by an approaching aircraft and there's no reason why a whole bank of them could not be on show at the very front of runways and taxiways.

Taxiway traffic lights would always stay on red to approaching planes just as a double check to block approaching planes.

It's all very well known and very well tested technology so not an expensive thing to adopt for runway use.