Blinding Lasers Target Cockpits

(Toronto, Canada) According to cases reported in British Columbia and the U.S., lasers targeted at pilots' eyes have caused irreparable damage to retinas. And in Toronto, laser incidents have been occurring with increased frequency.

At least five pilots attempting to land at airports in the GTA have complained to Transport Canada about someone on the ground shining a laser at their planes, penetrating the cockpit window and flashing the pilots in the eye.

Transport Canada's civil aviation reports indicate the incidents are occurring with an increasingly alarming frequency in the GTA and Ontario. Deborah Baxter, a spokesperson with Transport Canada, says there have been 11 incidents reported in Ontario since last March but expects many more have gone unreported.

An airline lobby group spokesman, Steve Lott, suggests that the lasers used are more powerful than the typical laser pointers used in classroom and boardroom presentations.

It's presumed that the authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the laser incidents are actually dry runs conducted by terrorists trying to determine the most deadly combination of device and location. Interestingly, to date there have been no reported prosecutions of individuals involved in the dangerous practice.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.