@marcopolo and benm
At altitude I doubt permanent harm, depending upon the stage of flight, flight conditions, particular approach, and number of pilots, I think there are serious potential problems. As it is, at night above 5,000 feet I used to use oxygen since vision deteriorates above this altitude. We use red lights of course. At altitude, probably no big deal unless you are a single pilot flying a GA aircraft, like a 172 with no autopilot. In a dense area...maybe very small change of problem air to air collision.
Having flown a Cessna 210 every week between Manassas, VA and Youngstown, PA through the worst instrument meteorological conditions the US has to offer short of bush pilot Alaska stuff, precision landing with a minimum of 200 feet...I think one could have a really big problem.
The very first time I flew an approach after getting my IFR...totally unplanned...weather went down...all flights Baltimore/DC...three major airports....during the 4 to 7 pm push divert to Dulles....I am circling hagerstown....trying to read the approach plates...fuel going down to reserves after 3 plus hour flight from Nashville....I don't want the paperwork of declaring an emergency and telling control critical fuel he sequences me between two "heavies" (read potential air turbulence) and asks me if I will give him 160 I on final....stable approach is 70...mind you...while I had practiced...never actually did this and my planned first was no less than 600...the altimeter is unwinding like you see in a crash movie....in order to land I have to see the runway environment at DH (decision height)...if I don't declare a missed approach and re-sequence...not good....I won't go into all the gory details of uncoupling the auto-pilot and suddenly going 20 degrees off course....i was never so happy to see the "Christmas tree"....what you see from the cockpit when you are at the end of the runway....thanked my instructor that night....
Can you imagine some idiot shining a laser at me just as I broke through the clouds at 200, 400, or 600....that ground comes up very fast at 160 and trying to slow down quickly is not easy either....all attention required.
There are a lot of GA (general aviation aircraft,) as well as charter flights. The former are mostly single pilot. On approach in particular, a laser shined in your eye could really result in disaster.
The visual (River) approach to Reagan National is one of the most dangerous in the nation. For emergencies I used to practice it at night (without landing...$100 landing fee if wheels touch.)
DCA River Approach Plate RWY 19 I did it at 70 KIA (which would be normal on a long, straight final,) slowing down to between 60 and 65 on short final which in the sequence you are about to see occurs at over 130 KIA. The hard right turn occurs about 3/4 mile from the end of RWY 19. I warn you, you might get dizzy watching this. If you really want to enjoy and learn something from the ride, copy all of the following down before you watch because it goes by quickly.
At 1:13 you will see the Key Bridge immediately below you connecting Roslyn, VA with Georgtown. At about 12 o'clock, the prohibited area P-56 (the mall/White House not seen) comes into view...the Washington Monument. At 1:16 as the aircraft rolls and turns right the big building right on the DC side of the river is the Kennedy Center. The Watergate complex (across the street from where I called home for 3 years when I first came to DC lol,) is to its left. Imagine that somebody whether during the day or worse at night aims a laser straight into the cockpit from there or any of the other buildings. Remember, the pilot is flying hands on using visual references. At 1:37 Roosevelt and Memorial bridges come into view less than 2 miles from the runway threshold. At ~160 mph this distance would be covered in less than 80 seconds, less than the amount of time to recover from a laser strike. It is entirely possible that the pilot could lose control and the flight end up crashing into any part of the prohibited area or Foggy Bottom...State Department for example.
At 1.55 the two spans of the 14th street bridge north span first, can be seen. A laser strike could emanate from the Virginia side bank of the Potomac where there is a bike path and park.
At 2:19 you are crossing the north span of the 14th street bridge where Air Florida Flight 90 collided before falling into the Potomac (more about that to come.) The Blue, Orange, and recently finished Silver Line of the DC Metro go over the bridge following the South span. (Probably no fools with lasers lurk on the bridges...but who knows what crazies come out with the full moon.) This landmark is critical because it is after crossing the final bridge that a hard right bank/turn is made less than 3/4 mile from the runway threshold. You will see this pilot is not waiting to cross the bridge...heck with that....he is giving himself more altitude and time for the turn and runway alignment.
The park you see coming into view on the Virginia side is Gravely Point, my favorite place to go to watch aircraft land and if lucky feel some down draft from the wing turbulence :crackup: What you do not see which is about two miles to your right is the Pentagon. After 9-11 their was obvious fear about a ground to air myself being fired at commercial aircraft from Gravely Point and it was patrolled by armed police. (All BS...that is another story.) Those patrols are long gone so our mystery laser man could lurk in the park for a timely strike at a very critical point in the approach.
At 2:31 at 12:00 the end of RWY 19 first comes into view. At night the PAPI (precision approach path indicator) can be seen. This offers glide path guidance. There are four lights. If you see two white and two red your are on the right glide path. Three whites too high and three reds too low. (Pilot speak...red your dead!) A laser strike now...forget it!
What you are about to observe is the most harrowing part of the approach. Less than a 1/4 mile form the runway threshold an almost 50 degree turn with 30 degrees bank is made to achieve alignment with the runway. Oh, and one minor point, this is occurring at 424 AGL (above ground level.) Not to mention the 737-800 700 foot per second sink rate, 130 foot wing span, 50 foot tip of the right wing, turning now 200 AGL...calculate last minute wind correction...line up and land. This was fine when the airport was built....for aircraft with propellers! This is hairy piloting even for a C210 although far easier than in a commercial jet.
Hope you enjoy the ride, laser free.
If you like, why not try it at night...that's when I practiced!
Now that you have enjoyed that...a little historical note...January 13, 1982. I was a 4th year clerk with a desire to play Quincy doing an elective at the DC MEs office. It was a bitter cold winter. We don't have them anymore. It was snowing. National Airport would eventually close....not long after Air Florida Flight 90 departed what was then RWY 36 (The change in magnetic deviation results in changes to RWY headings. It is now RWY 1 or 10 degrees.)
The traffic was terrible and I was not about to drive into DC from Alexandria, VA where I was living during my last year. Then I heard the news regarding the crash. It took me forever since the 14 street bridge was closed but I got there. James Dixon, the ME who brought home the Jonestown bodies was the ME at the time. On the blackboard he wrote down, "One Body at a Time." What I remember most was the smell of kerosene (jet fuel) on the bodies and that they were very, very cold having been immersed in the icy Potomac. I will never forget what remained of a woman whose car was hit...won't go there. The passengers received limited exams because the majority died from subarachnoid hemorrhages. If you are sitting upright in a seat, the seat belt only serves to have you jackknife your upper body, head hitting the seat in front of you. Conclusion: the passengers did not know they were going down.
Really weird: all present were questioned by what I realized was a CIA spook. The investigators were looking for a suitcase. This was never published.
Also never published see NTSB:
NTSB Report Air Florida were the full finding of the pilot and co-pilot autopsies. They both had fractures of the left foot. At the time, the aviation enthusiasts had already put most of it together. We thought they had their left foot on the rudder although rudders are not used to turn commercial aircraft...they just bank.
For years because of noise and the dangerous approach, there were calls to close National. Congress, who like its convenience, always prevent this. The NTSB report does not indicate that any attempt was made to roll left as required by the departure procedure:
RWY 1 departure procedure You see the left turn immediately after take off to 332 degrees. A banking aircraft loses lift.
Is it possible Air Florida attempted that bank and the addition of that loss of lift to all the other factors was the coup that brought it down? Could the NTSB simply left this out. They state the airlons were set for level flight. My point is that if this were the cause and it ever came to light, there would have been a real push to close the airport because of the crazy departure turn required to avoid the prohibited areas. Just a thought.
