Black radio station busted in southwest China after it interferes with plane landing
Illegal radio stations a threat to civil aviation, authorities say
An illegal radio station in southwestern China has been shut down after a plane encountered communication interference with the control tower while landing at an airport.
Flight crew and ground staff at the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport found that the signal of their communication system became patchy because of an unknown electromagnetic interference, when the flight was about to land on April 15, Chongqing Times reported.
Instead, a radio programme could be heard clearly on the aircraft.
The report did not give more details on what the programme was about or which aircraft were affected, but said that the law enforcement officials tracked down the “black radio station” in a residential compound in Chongqing’s Nan’an district and confiscated the transmitters.
It cited an industry insider as saying the radius of interference created by a black radio station’s broadcasts can stretch up to 300km – the range for most take-offs and landings of a flight.
Illegal radio stations, which often broadcast using the same frequency as flight communications, have posed serious threats to civil aviation communication and national security, authorities say.
Last year, four aircraft, which were all set to land at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in Liaoning province, were force-landed elsewhere because of similar unknown electromagnetic interference.
Earlier, state-run Xinhua reported that black radio stations often broadcast advertisements for counterfeit drugs or aphrodisiacs.
