Pilot blinded by 'laser device'

[ToxicPaddy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7568645.stm




The pilot of a passenger jet was blinded by a laser device as the aircraft came in to land at Durham Tees Valley Airport, police said.

The KLM jet, with 40 people onboard, landed safely after the co-pilot took the controls on Sunday night.

A Cleveland Police helicopter was also targeted as it searched an area around the airport near Darlington.

A police spokesman said a 19-year-old man had been arrested and charged with two counts of endangering an aircraft.

Ground search

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: "The incoming flight from Amsterdam was coming in to land at Durham Tees Valley Airport when a laser device was shone into the cockpit.

"The pilot was temporarily blinded and the co-pilot landed the plane.
"When the police helicopter was sent to investigate, it too was targeted by the laser device.

"Officers on the ground were able to arrest a 19-year-old man, who was outside the airport, and the device recovered."

She said there were no reports of injuries. The man is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Friday.

[Yoshimitsui]

Stupid idiot! Why would you do that. Shine it in his eyes i say.

[Jordy]

Very stupid as he is, but to do it again the police helicopter is ridiculous. There was a recent report of someone going to jail for 6 months for doing it at a police helicopter.

I would of been a bit scared if I was piloting the police helicopter to be fair.

[5,5]

Not the brightest crayon in the box right there.
By the way by Cleveland do they mean Cleveland, Ohio, USA?
Thats where I live so im just wondering

[ToxicPaddy]

Not the brightest crayon in the box right there.
By the way by Cleveland do they mean Cleveland, Ohio, USA?
Thats where I live so im just wondering

No, its Cleveland in north east England :)

[5,5]

No, its Cleveland in north east England :)
oh ok, didnt know there was more than one cleveland in the world. lol

[ToxicPaddy]

oh ok, didnt know there was more than one cleveland in the world. lol

lol i think its only a small town :)

[5,5]

lol i think its only a small town :)ahh thats probably why then

[Ekalb]

This happens a lot really, I've heard of many news stories about the industrial size laser pointers being used to beam at plane cockpits and helicopters. It's really stupid, what would the person doing it get out of it? :S

[xxMATTGxx]

This happens a lot really, I've heard of many news stories about the industrial size laser pointers being used to beam at plane cockpits and helicopters. It's really stupid, what would the person doing it get out of it? :S

Not much to be honest. It happened around where I live with the Police Helicopter, the Helicopter told Police on the ground the location of where he laser was coming from and got arrested.

[sock]

stupid guy. if that was about a few metres off the ground could of caused some serious injuries/deaths if the co-pilot didn't have enough time to react.

[Adam!]

Happens all the time, seriously.

People think its funny to shine lights into flight decks, so much so that some ATIS's have to have warnings specificialy regarding unauthorised lazers operating in the area.

[GommeInc]

I'm amazed no-one saw him and punched him while he was doing it :S Loads of people get annoyed by those devices, and on a plane where it's very serious people will get angry. He deserves more than 6 months. 6 for the police helecopter and more than 6 for the plane, endangering loads of lives.

[PaintYourTarget]

Ruddy good shot, getting it through the window let alone into the pilots eyes whilst it was moving. Unless by blinded it meant it just shone off the glass obscuring his view.

Well done to the copilot though.

[Inseriousity.]

lol at cleveland, ohio, usa. I didn't know there was a cleveland in the usa until the final Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode.
"The hellmouth is officially closed for business"
"There's another one in Cleveland"
Any younger and I'd have found it hard to sleep :(

Very stupid thing to do tbh. But to do it twice on same night... god what an idiot...