Laser Pointer Grounds Flight
Ryan Boyd February 16, 2016
A Virgin Atlantic flight from London to New York was forced to return to Heathrow Airport (LHR) when a laser was pointed at the aircraft mid-flight. “Following this incident, the first officer reported feeling unwell. The decision was taken by both pilots to return to Heathrow rather than continue the transatlantic crossing,” said Virgin Atlantic on its website.
The plane landed safely at Heathrow, and passengers have been offered overnight accommodation until Monday, when the delayed flight is scheduled to depart. Similar incidents are on the rise as laser-pointers become cheaper and more available, and the devices can burn the cornea and cause serious injury, as well as cause temporary blindness in airline pilots. Shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime.
To learn more about this story, go to CNN.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
I get it, lasers can be bad. I've had laser pointed at me before during night flights while trying to land the plane. But "he reported feeling unwell"? That's a new one for me. Sounds like something out of a 50s TV show: the sick-ray