Laser injures Delta pilot's eye
 

"A pilot flying a Delta Air Lines jet was injured by a laser that illuminated the cockpit of the aircraft as it approached Salt Lake City International Airport last week, U.S. officials said. "


http://washingtontimes.com/national/...1356-3924r.htm

A pattern may be developing here, I hope someone is taking notice in the UK.....

See Here: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=140569

Could the manufacturers of Aircraft Windscreens not develop a coating that would disperse Laser light that was aimed at a cockpit.

Boeing can't even build a decent sun shade for their flight deck windows, they have no chance for a laser disperser!

:}

Here's a couple of posts off another board from a few days before the incident. These folks are laser "hobbyists" and one of them was bragging about "dotting" aircraft with an illegal (i.e. > 5mw) laser.

Posted September 18:

>>While I'm sure that looked really cool, please be careful about dotting airplanes. That could make the gummint really angry...<<

>>yes, i know...but i probably wont do it again...i just wanted to see if my laser was actually capable of dotting an airplane, like many people advertise. and, now i know that it's possible...i no longer need to prove anything.<<

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubb...=365&fpart=all


A few somewhat more incriminating posts were removed earlier by the Candlepower Forums moderator.

These high power lasers are quite easy to buy online, for example:

"Hand held battery system up to 200 milliwatts of continuous optical power. Use for serious special effects star pointing, optical intimidation and experimentation. Includes a colliminator for ultra long range effect."

from: http://www.amazing1.com/green-lasers.htm

"Build a burning laser system using our sealed CO2 laser tube with special cooling. High efficiency current controlled power supply delivers over 100 watts of power to this directed energy beam device. Excellent demonstration of future weapons technology."

"Not only is the device a workhorse in welding, cutting and heat processing materials but it also is a likely candidate as an effective directed energy beam weapon against missiles, aircraft, ground-to- ground, etc..."

from: http://www.amazing1.com/burning-lasers.htm

I'm really confused about the physics of lasers causing harm after passing through glass. Richard Feynman was so sure that high energy photons could not hurt his eyes, that he watched the first? Atomic explosion through a lorry windshield.

Is anyone an expert on this topic?

Loose Rivets
If you loook at my previous reply in this thread
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=140569
I have tried to explain some facts about lasers.
I have worked on Lasers since 1978 military,medical and now industrial so have some experience.
Lasers can be absorbed by glass but that tends to be only those in around the 10.6 micrometer bandwith e.g. CO2 lasers.
Glass tends to let through most other bandwidths especially those in the visible spectrum eg Argon blue/green light and Krypton red light.
Contrary to what Airbubba says 200mW is not high powered enough to get up to an airplane tho this level is used in Opthalmic lasers to treat diabetics by a procedure called diabetic retinopathy and exposures of only 0.1 - 0.2 s to weld up leaky blood vessels within the eye.
Unfotunately old scientific lasers of upto 30W power in the visible spectrum are also available to joe public and with the right optics and a bit of knowledge could easily illuminate a airplane cockpit and cause eye damage.
IMHO these Laser systems should have a restriction on who can buy them.eg a licence.

>>Contrary to what Airbubba says 200mW is not high powered enough to get up to an airplane <<

Really? I guess all the folks "dotting" planes don't know that. Maybe the gravity makes the photons fall before they get that high...

Although I wouldn't normally come back to a remark Airbubba's has to be the most crass I've seen in a long time.

1.If indeed
this is happening around your area maybe Cleatus the slack jawed yokel isn't that far behind.There must certainly be a lot of morons there.Duuuuh I'm just goin outside to paint me a plane with this laser I got from e-bay.

If you maybe knew just a smidgen about our atmosphere you will notice that we do not live in a pure vacuum.The air we breathe has all sorts of bits in it most of them not conducive for laser light transmission from a cheap e-bay 200mW laser with poor optics.
How close are these ' folks' to the planes???
Do not try to compare cheap lasers with the ones they use in light shows either.These are high powered with top quality optics.

>>this is happening around your area maybe Cleatus the slack jawed yokel isn't that far behind.There must certainly be a lot of morons there.<<

Yep, you sound like a real expert...

Anyway, the light from the little red and green aircraft nav lights somehow makes it through the mysterious atmosphere all the way to the ground. Wonder why that laser light just stops dead in its tracks? I'm sure us ignorant folks over here wouldn't understand your brilliant personal theories on coherent light propagation <g>.

>>How close are these ' folks' to the planes???

In some cases less than a thousand feet, near the airport boundary under an approach path.

Airbubba
Suppose I must be thankful that I worked for the oldest laser company in the world(American for 17 yrs)and I was "expert " enough to be sent worldwide.
Now working on a system(US) and there are only 6 systems worldwide.4 US 2 UK......Expert enough??????? Or do I need one of your $20 degrees available thro e-bay?
As I said Slack jawed yokels who stand
shining their pretty little lasers at planes....Grow up BTW and tell the yokels the same thing.

lasernigel might be right saying that 200 mW laser power is not too dangerous a few 1000 ft away from the laser source

However, i'd rather argue that most lasers have an opening angle as well. That's very similar to that flash light in your cockpit but a laser has an opening angle which is very small. Nevertheless, being some distance away you'll notice and that laser spot is no longer a 1mm spot but rather an illuminated disk of maybe 0.5 meter radius. Hence the power per area becomes rather small. (But might still hurt the eye; but the eye reflex should give sufficient protection.)

@Loose rivets
Good ol' Dick Feynman was a great and clever physicist but I, too, believe he was wrong here. :rolleyes:
Bright light CAN damage your eyes, just look at all those fools staring into the sun before and after a total ecclipse of the sun without special glasses, hurting themselves despite all warnings in the media.
I figured that Feynman didn't know anything about lasers then, because they haven't been invented back in 1945. By the way, it's the number of photons - the intensity - that counts, not their energy. :D

EoD

Like I said, this guy sounds like a real expert...

Airbubba
You just had to have a final cheap shot didn't you!
Try a dept of 3 engs with 2 BSc's 1 MSc all in applied physics and laser technology and a total of over 50 years on lasers between us.Good enough??

Either way this should be treated with the seriousness it deserves,and maybe next time you see someone having a giggle pointing a laser at a plane round your way,point a pistol back and see how they like it.

>>lasernigel might be right saying that 200 mW laser power is not too dangerous a few 1000 ft away from the laser source<<

Yeah, maybe that was what he really meant to say when he said "...200mW is not high powered enough to get up to an airplane..."

>>Try a dept of 3 engs with 2 BSc's 1 MSc all in applied physics and laser technology and a total of over 50 years on lasers between us.Good enough??

Either way this should be treated with the seriousness it deserves,and maybe next time you see someone having a giggle pointing a laser at a plane round your way,point a pistol back and see how they like it.<<

He seems more than a little insecure with his own alleged credentials. Or maybe he just forgot his meds again with this nutty pistol talk. Perhaps another teen troll...

Whatever, I agree that even a "low power" low divergence class IIIb laser can be quite dangerous to the dark adapted eyes at less than a mile. The idea that the light won't "get up to an airplane" is utter nonsense.

now come on boys, no need to argue! although all this sarcasm flying about is very amuseing! i had a look at the link to the laser forum listed above, and on the whole they seem a pretty sensible bunch with a smattering of responsibility, except for one or two that seem a tad excited that they could point at a plane and light it. these few will screw it up for the enthusiasts who like to point at stars and try to hit clouds, and licensing probably will become necessary. but, they are all dribbling about the the powers avalable on ebay etc of around 20-40 to 100mw, so surely a 200mw laser will most certainly light up a flight deck from at least 1000ft? any comments children?:confused:

>>so surely a 200mw laser will most certainly light up a flight deck from at least 1000ft?<<

Yep, that would seem pretty obvious to most of us...

Laser Nigel
Thanks for info. If it had been anyone else but Richard Feynman I would have disregarded the statement: I'll try to relocate the article again. With a windshield as think as an aircraft's, and typically a metallic film with enough substance to carry heating current, I would still be surprised if an amateur could blind a pilot. Also, I would have thought the angle that would have to be used, would be difficult to attain.

Incidentally, in the case of diabetic retinopathy, what is the diameter of the beam at the retina? 'scuse the thread slippage.

For all the discussion here back and forth about what type of laser it was, it does seem to be a real event:

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595094973,00.html

Thursday, September 30, 2004

Laser beam injures eye of Delta pilot

Incident occurs as airliner is getting ready to land in Salt Lake

By Jennifer Dobner
Deseret Morning News

_ _ _ Federal transportation officials and FBI agents are trying to determine the source of a laser beam that illuminated the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines plane last week, damaging the eye of a pilot.
_ _ _ The incident occurred Sept. 22 as a Dallas-to-Salt Lake City Boeing 737 was about five miles from landing at the Salt Lake City International Airport. The pilot and first officer told officials of the Transportation Security Administration that the light was visible in the cockpit, with the first officer later reporting he felt a burning sensation in one eye. A doctor confirmed the man had suffered retinal damage.
_ _ _ The plane, however, landed without incident and nothing unusual was reported to airport officials, airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann said.
_ _ _ Local TSA investigators and FBI agents are investigating the incident along with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, FBI special agent Bob Wright said.
_ _ _ "We are right in the middle of trying to ascertain what caused this to happen," said Wright. "We look at it from a number of places, with pilot safety being our number one concern, passenger safety being number two and the general public safety our third priority."
_ _ _ TSA director Earl Morris said this is the first such incident to be investigated in the Salt Lake area.
_ _ _ Whether or not the incident could be an act of terrorism or simply a prank remains to be seen, officials said.
_ _ _ "We're not ruling anything out," Morris said.
_ _ _ Delta officials in Atlanta confirmed the incident but said little else. Company spokeswoman Tanya Dunne said she did not know the pilot's name, nor did she know anything about his present medical condition.
_ _ _ Lasers are readily available to consumers for a variety of purposes, from simple low-powered penlight type pointers used in business presentations to higher-powered devices used for medical, construction or entertainment purposes such as light shows.
_ _ _ Astronomy buffs use lasers when star gazing because the long reach of the beams makes it easier for the human eye to identify features in the night sky, said Ken Warner, a software engineer who is a member of the Salt Lake Astrological Society.
_ _ _ Those lasers are typically red or green. The green models are the brighter and more powerful of the two, with a potential beam reach of up to 25,000 feet, Warner said.
_ _ _ The laser beam seen by the pilots last week was green, officials said.
_ _ _ "One could potentially reach (airline) altitude," Warner said.
_ _ _ Scientific research work is also being done in Utah with the help of high-powered lasers, Utah State University professor Vincent Wickwar said. For nearly a dozen years at USU, a high-powered beam has been measuring the atmospheric temperatures above the university's Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences. A second laser is atop the Space Dynamics Lab at the school, and Wickwar said lasers are in use at the University of Utah and at the Dugway Proving Ground. Wickwar's laser has a vertical-only reach of about 60 miles and wasn't in use when the Delta incident occurred.
_ _ _ "It's nothing that we could have been involved in," he said, adding that the potential dangers from a laser are real. "Basically the eye will focus on that . . . yes, there is a possibility of doing damage."
_ _ _ Federal Aviation Administration officials are well aware of the potential dangers. A 2001 report by the FAA's Western-Pacific Region indicated that from January 1996 through July 1999, there were more than 150 incidents of low-flying planes being illuminated with lasers. In a number of those incidents, pilots suffered some visual impairment.
_ _ _ Pilots are not overly concerned about such lights in the sky, said Mike Dunn, a Salt Lake-based Delta pilot who is also the spokesman for the Salt Lake chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association. Lasers first came to their attention a few years ago, when lasers became commonly used for promotional purposes along the Las Vegas Strip.
_ _ _ "It was not necessarily blinding, but distracting, and it turns out those things were high-powered lasers," Dunn said.
_ _ _ Still, lasers are not frequently a topic of conversation or concern, Dunn said. In flights Dunn has made in the past week, flight crews were not discussing the Sept. 22 incident, and Dunn said he first heard about it through media reports.
_ _ _ "On a daily basis, (pilots) don't concern ourselves with that sort of threat," he said. "It's one of several we face in the cockpit, but it's not high on the list. My take on it would be that what happened the other day was probably a prank."


E-mail: [email protected]
---------------
[Has anyone here checked with Delta to confirm the report?]

There have been previous newspaper reports of pilots being momentarily dazzled by laser lights. In one case there was a stadium rock event going on that resulted in a complaint about the laser light show bothering a flight crew.

There doesn't seem to be any concerted effort to control this problem, just an event-by-event reaction. Combine that with the access that dedicated nerds have to obsolete high-tech gadgets and you have the makings of a serious future problem. GPS jammers, lasers, radio transmitters... there is a whole gamut of toys available to people with nothing better to do with their lives than cause trouble, perhaps not really meaning to.

Even here you can see that some of the people responding are ignoring the real problem to nit-pick the technical aspects of other replies. What, they wouldn't mind being in the back of an aircraft with a crew having vision problems?

I have noticed that those little laser pointers are on sale, along with the usual tasteful assortment of other goods for semi-morons, on filling station shelves. We had one of our number amusing himself by shining one in the eyes of the other barflies one evening in our 'pub'. Perhaps we must wait for a report of one being used in the cabin of an airliner by bored and boozed-up SLF. I asked to examine the object in question, which had the usual warning message about possible eye damage. I suggested that he put his little toy away lest he be made the subject of a complaint but that was about all I could do at the time.

All of this seems to be part of a general trend towards the development of technology by geniuses that then trickles down to be (mis-) used by the hoi polloi. I remember chatting with a fellow who had a brain the size of a planet; he had access to one of the only two lasers in the state of Maryland back in about 1973. Now any jerk can buy one off the shelf.

We used to have people just zapping themselves trying to clean dead Indians out of their TV sets back in the Fifties. Then there was that celebrated idiot who got hold of a military surplus JATO unit that he built into the boot of his car, winning himself a Darwin Award. Now we have people bragging about 'dotting' aircraft. What next? Well, we have had a couple of dedicated enthusiasts firing off Strelas at an Israeli 757, only narrowly missing due to lack of training. Thanks to extensive de-briefings from the technical press they have learned where they went wrong so that they will presumably try again. That was perhaps the most extreme example to date of military technology escaping proper control, but it won't be the last one. And there are various non-military but high-tech devices out there, such as lasers, that can pose serious threats to civil aviation. If there is some study group paying attention to this growing problem I am not aware of it.

Loose Rivets Only too happy to answer your question,as opposed to getting sarcasm from people whose only knowledge seems to be cutting and pasting links.
Normally an opthalmologist would start to treat at a lower power than 'usual' settings.For most retinopathy a start spot size of 200 microns is used and a power of around 100mW and an exposure of 0.1-0.2 secs.What the opthalmologist is first looking for is effect eg a blanching of the sight over the vessel which is leaking and just enough to seal but not overburn on the sight.So by slowly altering the parameters for this effect the operation is carried out.Sometimes upto 2500 shots will be done at one sitting.Originally Argon lasers at 488nM-520nM were used but it was found that it was treated better and less painful for the patient if the blue light was filtered out and the green light component at 514-518nM was used.
Dye lasers at 585nM have been used as some opthalmologists think yellow light is the way to go and in fact the company I used to work for managed this using a Krypton tube with a different high reflector and filter to achieve this 561nM.
Red light can also be used to treat areas of the macula at 657nM.
No longer do diabetics have to go blind thankfully.

Tx for the info LN, very interesting.

Not sure why all the fur is flying here. Seems there are some pretty basic facts here.

Can a 200mW laser "reach" a plane a few thousand feet above the ground? Well, it depends on the amount of cloud rain etc. and on the laser type but on a clear night with an Argon ion laser the answer is definitely yes. However, without some reasonably clever optics, the spot size would be very large by the time it got to the plane and it would be very unlikely to hurt the eyes of the pilots. They would not be dazzled or temporarily bilnded. They would notice the green / blue light and it might distact them somewhat. Clearly not a good thing. If the laser was more powerful, 10W or 20W say and somebody knew what they were doing (with a simple telescope on the end of the laser) then the potential for eye damage would be greatly increased. As a 20W Argon ion laser requires water cooling and a three phase electricity supply (not to mention about $50k to buy one) it is unlikely that yer average amateur boffin would be able to run one in his shed.

Richard Feynman was a brilliant Noble Prize winning physicist. He absolutely never said or believed that lasers could not hurt your eyes. You are confusing what he said about radiation and looking at a nuclear explosion. That had nothing to do with lasers - there are all different kinds of radiation - not just visible radiation e.g. light.

In the very same book where he predicted (or quite possibly germinated the idea of) someone crashing an airliner into a major public building, Tom Clancy had his spook heroes John Clark and the Hispanic guy (Rameriz?) zapping the eyes of the pilots of two Japanese AWACS 767s with lasers as they approached to land at their home base, causing both aircraft to crash.

Anyone interested in giving himself a goodfright might like to take a look through some of these sites.
http://nrac.onr.navy.mil/webspace/ex...8lasereye.html
http://articles.findarticles.com/p/a...90/ai_82009542
http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/ap036.htm

Talking not about lasers but about Richard Feynman again ... the full quote was printed in his collection of adventures "Surely your joking, Mr. Feynman" in the chapter "Los Alamos from Below".

True, he did not have lasers in mind but look at the original text:
"20 miles away, you couldn't see a damn thing through dark glass. So I figured the only thing that could really hurt your eyes (bright light never can hurt your eyes) is UV light. I got behind a truck windshield, because the UV can't go through glass, so that would be safe ..."

True, ultraviolet light is strongly absorbed in glass, but bright light CAN damage your eyes. I still believe that Feynman was wrong here. :eek:
Since the sun's light can damage your light, a nuclear flash might be able to achieve the same. It's all about brightness and exposure time. While a brief look into the sun should be fine, a brief look into a high power laser usually isn't. :ouch: Probably the nuclear flash was just for too short a time, that's why nothing happened with Feynman.

Besides ... glasses used for laser protection in the lab are usually specially adopted to a certain laser wavelength. Glasses which keep green laser light out are transparent to red lasers. So protecting cockpit glasses just won't work for all lasers around.

EoD

410

The problem with Clancy novels and James bond films is tah they ignore the reality. A class 3 laser taht could really hurts someones eyes at a range of a 1000ft or more is a big bulky thing. You probably need a forklift to shift the power supply of some of these things. There the chance of someone hding in a crowd and shining one is pretty remote. They are not easily disguised into an Omega writs watch unlike the one that 007 has which can cut metal!!!

As my laser prof. used to say - the best way of hurting someone with a laser is to drop it on them.....

Looking at this from the GA point of view, notwithstanding that they do not present as great a risk to persons and property on the ground, is there just as much or even greater risk to pilots of slow moving light aircraft with a sheet of cling film for a windscreen and flying at a far lower altitude?

Most of my local GA traffic tends to be between 1500 - 3500'.

I was informed of an incident not so long ago of the local pond-life amusing themselves with a bundle of fireworks and something akin to a length of scaffolding pole, knocking up a home-made RPG and firing it at (and apparently hitting) the police helicopter.

If they got their hands on this, they would really be in their elements!

Be grateful for any learned advice.

2close

Well, perhaps we can stop the one-upmanship between Airbubba and LaserNigel and return to debating the issue of someone maliciously or otherwise pointing a laser into a pilots face. I can assure you, from personal experience, that even a little Class III laser pointing into your eyes can cause serious, even if only temporary, problems.

A few years ago, waiting to depart at night from runway 35 at Corfu there was a "Cleatus, slack jawed yokel" who probably thought it would be amusing to stand on the road that passes less than 100m from the threshold and shine his laser into our flightdeck. I first noticed the light dancing around on the Captains face and turned to my right only to receive the red glow as it danced across my eyes a few times. As soon as I realised that there was a dipstick pointing his laser at us there followed the usual farce of trying to explain to the tower what was happening and could they please give us a take off clearance so we could get on our way.

To cut a long story short, I experienced spots in my eyes for the next 20 minutes or so. They were distracting and caused some concern for a while. THey did wear off and thankfully there was no lasting damage but to go on about how they are not to be worried about, is quite frankly, a bit of a problem. At night, whilst the eyes are accustomed to the low light level and just before a departure towards a big mountain with a turn out over a dark sea can become a few more layers in the Swiss Cheese if you are not careful.

These small lasers, never mind the more powerful ones, can cause problems even if they don't actually damage your eyes permanently. To dismiss them as being "not serious" is to ignore the circumstances of what they can do and if the dipstick who is pointing it has thought through the consequences of their actions.

Over a year ago there was an instance of a green laser tracking an A321 on finals to Heathrow at night. The Flight crew saw the green light dancing around the flight deck and could see the source north of the ILS path.

It was reported and investigated by the authorities but nothing further came of it. It is almost impossible for the authorities to act quickly enough to catch the idiots that do it.

Anne :O

Well when we all get our anti SAM lasers perhaps we can mod them to fight back :D

Just got dazzled by a laser tonight while hovering at 1000' over Wallasey. I spotted the little s**t and we trained the NiteSun on his bedroom window. My light was bigger than his!! Seriously though, we are regularly lasered and regularly have fireworks launched at the helicopter. Sadly a fact of life these days :sad:

>>I can assure you, from personal experience, that even a little Class III laser pointing into your eyes can cause serious, even if only temporary, problems<<

Yep, that's my opinion, however unpopular in more learned quarters <g>. If I had only finished grade school...

>>Federal Aviation Administration officials are well aware of the potential dangers. A 2001 report by the FAA's Western-Pacific Region indicated that from January 1996 through July 1999, there were more than 150 incidents of low-flying planes being illuminated with lasers. In a number of those incidents, pilots suffered some visual impairment.<<

Here's the 2001 FAA report which concludes that even low powered laser pointers can somehow "get up to an airplane" and be dangerous in critical phases of flight:

"Conclusions: Laser pointers have caused ocular injury and may compromise aviation safety when used to illuminate aircraft in critical phases of flight..."

http://www.cami.jccbi.gov/aam-400A/A...0TEXT/0107.pdf

Also, from a 2003 FBI bulletin:

"...The majority of laser pointer illuminations cause reactions of startling, after imaging, or flash blinding. However, if the laser is powerful enough or sustained on the eye long enough, eye damage can occur. Additionally, bundling lasers, or "six-packs," is a technique that gangs in California have used against law enforcement helicopters. Many varieties of pointer lasers exist and some that project a beam that can reach 1,500 feet cost as little as $15. For a helicopter operating at night between 500 and 1,000 feet, laser beams can present a real threat to pilot safety."

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...2/ai_100876733

ok its not a LASER but from today 2nd Oct Guardian

Thanks for the info LN and C, it does seem that the danger lies in the concentrated energy of relatively low energy photons - when they are combed into an ordered beam. I imagined that the photons that leave the inner surface of the windshield are not those that enter the glass, and can only have the energy that the latter glass structure can provide. Feynman threw himself on the lorry floor by the way, and could only see a huge mauve flash for the next while, but it does seem that the pilot really did come to harm; the information coming in is certainly cause for serious concern.

The UK legislated quite quickly on the random sale of cheap lasers, but the determined will still find a source. There will always be people that have no concept of responsibility for their actions. It seems that age has little to do with concern for others; the Teeside defendant being an indicator. Prior to lasers, there were the ****** that dropped concrete blocks off motorway bridges...they just don't care, they feel no compassion.

I have always been against deterrent sentencing in principal, but I feel that it is time that, after appropriately promulgated warning, that people willfully endangering an aircraft, or indeed vehicular traffic in this manner, get a lot more to think about than community service.

Thanks Danny I tried to keep my answers on this thread sensible 'til diverted by
If my answers and what I had written in another thread had been read properly most ppruners would have seen that at no time have I condoned the use of these or other Lasers into the hands of Joe Public.In fact am all for withdrawal of Lasers for any use other than what they were designed for e.g industrial,scientific or medical use,and IMHO some sort of licensing is needed along with hefty fines dished out to those who use them maliciously.

Apology accepted, let's move on...

Regardless of how effective these lasers are (and I suspect they would be very effective at short range on landing aircraft), the individuals using them are trying to endanger or destroy aircraft. By definition, this is an act of terrorism, and 200 hours community service is not an appropriate punisment. Hanging is.

Thursday December 30, 11:34 AM

FBI Probes Laser Beam Directed at Cockpit

Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet.

The beam appeared Monday when the plane was about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the FBI said.

"It was in there for several seconds like (the plane) was being tracked," FBI agent Robert Hawk said.

The pilot was able to land the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Hawk said the laser had to have been fairly sophisticated to track a plane traveling at that altitude. Authorities had no other leads, and are investigating whether the incident was a prank or if there was a more sinister motive.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., Monday night, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights shined into their cockpits. Both the passenger plane and a cargo plane landed without problems.

Police dispatched patrol cars and a helicopter to a neighborhood to investigate but found nothing. FBI agents were continuing to conduct interviews, agency spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.

Federal officials have expressed concern about terrorists using laser beams, which can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.

A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. Authorities said there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States.

In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The incident occurred about 5 miles from the airport. The plane landed safely.

Lasers are commonly used in a number of industries and are featured in outdoor light shows.

The FAA mandates that laser light shows must register their locations and the lights cannot be directed above 3,000 feet. Lasers are also often used by construction companies to line up foundations.

Interfering with a commercial flight is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/041230/ap/d879nei00.html

_______________________________________________


Green Lights at Airport
Lasers Cause Problems For Pilots

Associated Press

Federal officials are investigating reports from two pilots who say bright lights were aimed from the ground into their cockpits as they headed into the Colorado Springs Airport.

Both planes landed without problems on Monday night.

Federal officials issued a warning this month that terrorists might try to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches.

The pilots heading into Colorado Springs about 8-30 p-m Monday reported a bright, pulsating light shining into the cockpits. Colorado Springs police say the pilots described the lights as "green laser lights."

F-B-I spokeswoman Monique Kelso says authorities haven't determined what type of light was used, and F-B-I agents are conducting interviews.

http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/1309846.html

Lasers for aviation.
 

A bit off topic but I stumbled across a site for this Alaskan company making LASER "flares" and LASER airport markings which might be of interest to some of you.

Does anyone recall the incident involving a U.S. military plane a few years ago? Apparently it was alleged that the pilot was blinded by some kind of laser device from a Russian freighter or trawler off the B.C. coast.