Crash fears as laser louts dazzle pilots

Published on Thursday 26 August 2010 15:26

PASSENGERS are being placed at risk by a marked increase in "laser louts" dazzling pilots on their critical landing approaches to Scottish airports.

Pilots' leaders said it was a "miracle" there had been no crashes after new figures show incidents involving laser pointers had quadrupled to 28 at Edinburgh Airport - the country's busiest - so far this year.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) described such lasers as "offensive weapons" and said greater controls may have to be considered. They have already been banned in the Australian state of New South Wales.

The CAA said there had also been 41 cases this year at Glasgow, just one fewer than in the whole of 2008.

One involved a Boeing 757 carrying 200 passengers as it prepared to land.

At Aberdeen Airport there have been four incidents, one more than last year, while another case has been recorded at Prestwick.

The CAA said there had been around 15 other incidents in Scotland this year, mainly against police helicopters.

The figures suggest the sharply rising trend is accelerating. The number of cases across the UK increased 25-fold to 737 last year compared to just 29 in 2007.

Military aircraft have been targeted, too, with 28-year-old Romanian fruit picker Radu Moldovan due to be sentenced next month after admitting aiming a laser at a Tornado fighter near RAF Leuchars in Fife.

Trading standards officials are so concerned about the strength of the latest laser pointers - some of which are sold as toys but are used mainly as astronomical aids - that they have started clearing them from shops near Glasgow Airport.

The CAA said such lasers were 200 times as powerful as older ones, with their green beam 30 times more damaging to eyes than the previous red ones.

A CAA spokesman said: "Technically, their sale is already banned in the UK, or at least restricted. Most people using them buy them on the internet from foreign suppliers, which is not illegal.

"To ban the possession of a laser device would require them being classified as offensive weapons, which people with legitimate uses for them - such as astronomers - would strongly resist."

Renfrewshire Council, which covers Glasgow Airport, is leading a west of Scotland crackdown on laser sales after receiving scores of complaints about their misuse, including against aircraft.

In spot checks, trading standards officials found eight in ten were so powerful they were unsuitable for public sale because of their potential to cause eye damage.

A new law has already been introduced this year to make it easier for laser louts to be convicted, with fines of up to 2,000.The most serious cases can still be prosecuted under older laws, with penalties of up to five years' imprisonment.

The British Airline Pilots' Association said the problem was an increasing threat.

General secretary Jim McAuslan said: "This is a growing problem in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. The fact that Edinburgh has become a 'hot spot' for this kind of misuse is particularly worrying given the number of flights to and from the airport." It handles more than 100,000 flights a year.

McAuslan said: "People who do this see it as something as a lark, but these laser beams can temporarily blind pilots as planes are in the critical phases of take-off and landing, and it is a miracle that no crash has yet occurred. These laser beam guns are no bigger than a pen and can be bought for about 10, so unfortunately they are easily available.

"We urge the courts to use the new legislation that can find someone guilty of endangering and aircraft, its crew and passengers, and impose a tough sentence."

Strathclyde Police, whose helicopter has been targeted by laser louts, said it took a hard line because the risks were so grave.

Inspector David Dick, of the force's air support unit, said: "Shining laser pens at any vehicle, never mind a police helicopter, is incredibly dangerous and totally unacceptable. Doing this could cause a serious accident and cost people their lives."

Flight Lieutenant Keith Wardlaw, of RAF Leuchars, said: "Although thankfully a rare occurrence, a laser shone on the cockpit of an aircraft in its final approach to landing could result in serious consequences for both the crew and aircraft. The targeting of aircraft by lasers poses a threat to aircraft safety and security as it can cause temporary flash blindness, distraction and possible eye injury."

Liberal Democrat MSP Margaret Smith, whose Edinburgh West constituency covers the airport, said controls on lasers should be considered.

She said: "Lasers are potentially deadly in the wrong hands. We should look at limiting access, such as through a licensing scheme for legitimate users."

Labour's Wendy Alexander, whose Paisley North constituency covers Glasgow Airport, said: "There are two aspects to this that cause me real concern: the very steep rise in the use of lasers against aircraft, which has been documented, and the expert advice that as technology improves they will only become more dangerous.

"A device that can blind and burn from a distance should be a candidate for classification as an offensive weapon.

"I believe the Scottish Parliament's justice committee should consider looking at this on a cross-party basis at the earliest opportunity and make appropriate recommendations."