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I took a plane from Hong Kong to Yangon (flight number: Cathay Dragon KA 250; Airbus A321 (twin-jet) according to FlightAware) and I noticed some flashing lights in the plane cabin throughout the flight. Video: https://youtu.be/3ccvmWNxTu0

Picture with and without the light:

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Pretty much all segments lighted up at some point during the flight. I couldn't detect any lighting pattern.

Why do some planes have such flashing lights within the plane cabin? It lasted the entire flight.

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    It looks more like a malfunction than anything, but the fact that different segments light up makes it quite weird... – jcaron Nov 22 at 14:09
  • @jcaron pretty much all segments lighted up at some point during the flight. I couldn't detect any lighting pattern. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 22 at 14:12
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    If it was a Southwest plane instead of an American Airlines plane, I'd say a flight attendant had probably climbed into the overhead bins one time too many.... – Mark Stewart Nov 22 at 16:07
  • Aircraft model? – Nean Der Thal Nov 22 at 16:44
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    You ask this like it's a feature...it's not. – CGCampbell Nov 22 at 19:01
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I am pretty sure the effect you describe is due to equipment malfunction.

Cabin lights are usually dimmed during night take-off and night landing, and on long-haul flights to allow passengers to sleep comfortably. This is normal behaviour. However, flashing lights are not.

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    I agree, seen this many times. It is usually due to bad programming of the light settings by maintenance, happens when lights are on dimmed settings. – Nean Der Thal Nov 22 at 16:52

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