Pilots being blinded by lasers as they approach Seattle.

A laser pointer. Photo by dcJohn. Flickr.

Someone keeps pointing a laser pointing device at airliners near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) as they approach for landing or are taking off.  Police are focusing their search on a three mile area north of the airport and are asking the public for help.

The idiot (or idiots) in question are using a green laser beam most of the time, but recent incidents have dealt with a red laser.  The Port of Seattle Police, as well as the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), has pointed out to the public that pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense.  KSEA has had 26 instances of lasers being pointed at aircraft so far this year, including 12 times during a 20 minute period in February.  In fact, by the time of the February incident, there had already been 148 laser encounters by US aircraft.

Of course, this is probably the work of some prankster.  While pointing a laser at an airplane may seem fun (at least for some), it can pose a serious danger risk for the people in the aircraft, as well as people on the ground.  Aircraft cabins are kept dimly lit so that pilots can better see outside the aircraft.  A laser’s sudden and strong light beam can temporarily blind a pilot or affect his night vision.  This could lead to errors by the pilot that could result in a crash if the pilot does not execute a go-around.

While I’m sure that most of these laser pointing events will go unpunished due to the difficulty in catching suspects doing this, the Seattle area laser pointers are active enough that they may get caught.  Hopefully this will happen soon; before the dangers of pointing a laser at an airplane become painfully clear in an accident.

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