Lasers Fired Into Cockpits Becoming National Problem, Officials Say
Posted March 5, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s seems like a strange thing to have to worry about, but an increasing number of pilots in Canada are reporting incidents in which lasers have been zapped into their cockpits during flights.
The potentially-blinding rays have been reported with growing frequency since 2005 when air authorities first began keeping track of such incidents. To date there have been 33 cases nationwide, according to Transport Canada spokeswoman Kirsten Goodnough.
“It certainly is on our radar and it’s a situation we’re taking very seriously,” she said.
Thirteen of those incidents have occurred in Ontario since March 2006, with the most recent coming at Pearson International Airport on Jan. 7 and Feb. 21 of 2008.
Veteran Air Canada pilot Capt. Stephen Guetta, who’s got 20 years flight experience, said the lasers present a serious risk to both pilots and the public.
“The level of occurrences of this have certainly raised the profile,” Guetta insisted.
He added that the dangers are increased during takeoff and landing, when pilots need to keep an eye on the ground and their instruments. This is especially true at night, when pilots have mere seconds to take their eyes from a dim cockpit to the bright runway lights.
“For the most part, you still require that visual reference, so you can imagine the kind of distraction an actual concentrated beam of light probing the cockpit would pose,” Guetta said. “We’re dealing with this for just a few seconds during a very critical time of the flight.”
There’s also the matter of pilots’ eyesight, something that could easily be damaged with direct contact. The reported cases mostly deal with high-powered beams such as lasers used for scientific or industrial purposes, though there’s no indication that people are doing it with intent to harm or distract pilots.
Nationally, there have been nine reported cases in Alberta, six in Quebec, four in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan.
Private pilots in smaller airplanes are also at risk, says Kevin Pesutka of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association.
“We tend to fly at lower altitudes and slower speeds,” he acknowledges. “So if people want to do some damage, they can certainly get a better beat on us than they could on a higher flying airplane like an airliner.”
“It doesn’t take much to temporarily blind somebody,” Pestuka continued. “Even those hand-held lasers can be an issue, especially for airplanes on approach.”
