Incidents where people are shining laser beams at passenger aircraft arriving at or departing airports in the UK are becoming more and more frequent, according to new evidence from the CAA – the UK’s primary aviation regulatory body. According to the CAA, laser beams have the potential to disorientate pilots trying to either take off or land from UK airports and they, therefore, pose a safety risk. While 29 laser-shining episodes took place in 2007, there were over 700 more last year, but this isn’t just a problem confined to the UK.

In the US, shining a laser beam towards an aircraft constitutes a federal crime, and the expectancy of pilots that experience laser incidents is that they officially report them to the FAA. To date, no airport accidents have occurred in which laser beams were to blame, but the fear is that they could happen, and with more and more incidents now taking place, the potential is becoming ever-greater.

Laser Beams: Airport Incidents

In one extreme episode at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2009, 12 airliners had the same green laser beamed into the aircrafts’ cockpit areas while they were trying to land.

The root of the issue is strongly linked to the availability of laser pointers strong enough to extend a beam thousands of feet beyond the point of origin. Laser pens are cheap, ready to buy online and, so, widely-accessible.

Like the US, the UK now also penalises people who shine lasers at passenger aircraft through a new law that took effect at the start of January 2010. This may be boosted by the introduction of new Police technology that can determine the person/persons responsible for operating the laser.

In 2004, the FAA carried out assessments of how laser lights might affect pilots at various stages of flight. These were performed under simulated conditions and they all involved laser lights beamed at a range of levels that were considered safe for the eyes. The highest beam strength resulted in over 50 per cent of the participating pilots saying that they found it difficult to carry on flying, and some sought to block the light out. Four of the pilots responded by aborting their planned landings, in favour of a second approach, while a further five said that, under real conditions, they would have done the same.