Danger Exaggerated?
It would appear in the 6+ years that this thread has been running that there have been no incidents of either helicopters or fixed wing aircraft crashing due to l@ser pointers being shone at them. Neither has any pilot suffered irreversible eye damage from being exposed to such attacks. This is a little puzzling in view of the thousands of reported incidents worldwide and the apparently wide range of powers used in various pointing devices.
It does seem from many of the reports that the aircraft were only saved by having two pilots, or supreme aviating skill, or a lot of luck. Statistically it is improbable that each of these factors was available either singly or in some combination in every incident reported.
While not wishing to understate the potential seriousness of these incidents and the unpleasant visual disruption caused to pilots, it seems that the dangers of l@ser pointers and bright lights being shone at aircraft has perhaps been exaggerated somewhat. It is an unecessary and avoidable additional hazard to flight, but I can't help but feel that these incidents have been sensationalised by the press and exaggerated by the victims in many instances.
The current range of penalties in the UK seems about right, at present, with the majority of idiots being fined and jail terms reserved for persistent offenders.
Has there actually been a substantiated case of an aircraft being downed, outside of military action, by a l@ser device anywhere in the world?