The idiots have made the news again

During the past four years more than 900 laser incidents have been reported by pilots. Lasers have been fired at airplanes and helicopters, temporarily blinding and disorienting pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration says.

The database of the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute contains several hundred reports of laser beams being directed at aircraft. Green and red are the most common laser-beam colors reported.

There were 186 laser incidents involving aircraft from the beginning of January to mid-May 2007, according to a Washington Post article 10 months ago. "Before 2004, these incidents were tallied anecdotally, but a spike that year prompted more rigorous reporting," the newspaper stated.

While no aircraft has crashed as a result of laser light entering the cockpit, "it's only a matter of time before one of these laser-beam pranksters ends up killing over 200 people in a commercial airline crash," an FAA source told the Post.

Physiological effects

Capt. Stephen Guetta, a seasoned airline pilot, explained that pilots are most vulnerable in the final 10 to 12 seconds before landing.

"You can imagine the danger of blinding a pilot at that point," he said. "The pilot has very little time to react."

The most common physiological effects associated with exposure to lasers and other bright lights, particularly at night, are glare, flash-blindness, and after-image. Visual effects can last from several seconds to several minutes.

Many lasers, including commercially available models, are at least 10 times more powerful than the typical laser pointers used in offices and classrooms. They can cause damage to the eyes and have the same effect as looking at the sun.

There are legitimate reasons for lasers being directed skyward, including atmospheric remote sensing, adaptive optics astronomy, and laser shows. Since 1995, several pilots have experienced temporary eye injuries due to lasers fired into the sky during concerts by rock groups or other entertainment events.

Pranksters or terrorists?

While police believe that laser light directed at cockpits is mostly the result of pranksters acting on a whim or dare, since 9/11 the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued warnings to pilots that lasers could be used by terrorists to down an aircraft. The maximum punishment for shining a laser at a cockpit is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Last month, police in Albuquerque, N.M. arrested two men on charges of pointing a high-intensity laser at a department helicopter. The laser attack was the second time in three years a police helicopter had been targeted in the southwest, and the latest in a series of similar incidents nationwide.

According to KRQE-13, an Albuquerque television station, two men pointed a construction-grade laser pointer at the cockpit of the police helicopter as it was landing to investigate suspicious activity.

Officer Tim Booth reported that he and the other police pilot were surprised to see a blinding flash in the cockpit.

"We were struck with a high intensity laser," the airman said.

Helicopter could have crashed

Booth stated that the helicopter could have crashed, but added both pilots knew how to handle the situation.

"Momentarily both pilots were completely blinded," he told KRQE-13. "As a result we aborted the landing, diverted our attention to the instruments and climbed to a safe altitude."

The helicopter later touched down safely. When officers caught the men, they told police they did not know their action could have hurt anyone - and added they thought it might be funny. The officers were not amused.

"It's very serious. Had we had an incident, had we had a mishap here, two individuals could have died," Booth said. "I don't know if the aircraft was just an attractive target but I think that people fail to realize how serious it can be."

In addition to possible local charges, the men also face the possibility of being prosecuted under the Patriot Act for domestic terrorism. In December, a man from Medford, Mass. was charged under the act after he fired a laser at a state police helicopter.

At least 12 other incidents of aircraft cockpits illuminated by ground-based lasers have been reported in the past year. The FAA and various aviation safety groups are now busily educating the public about the danger of shining a laser at aircraft.

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MB500 said:

How big is the dot of a typical laser at 30,000 feet? I think its a valid case that people aren't buying $700 lasers to blind pilots and not be responsible. I'm sure most of the cases are with cheap red lasers or poorly collimated 5mW greens.

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Ace82 said:

:'( so sad to see that.

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Ace82 said:

GD it! Stop showing me these pictures!
There is no way that was only 5mW.
WTF are people thinking? Pictures are worth a thousand words, and these pictures really vex me!

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SMIDSY said:

Yeah... we should give them all free plane tickets somewhere... and greet them all together on a runway...  

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Ace82 said:

[quote author=SMIDSY link=1207710665/0#11 date=1207846514]

lol, let's hold their eye lids open and force them to get a real good look of our lasers! [smiley=evil.gif]

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SMIDSY said:

[quote author=Ace82 link=1207710665/0#13 date=1207856225][quote author=SMIDSY link=1207710665/0#11 date=1207846514]

lol, let's hold their eye lids open and force them to get a real good look of our lasers! [smiley=evil.gif]

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