Green Laser'd on approach to SFO from East Palo Alto [29-Jul-2011]
Jul 30, 2011, 9:59 am
#1
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Green Laser'd on approach to SFO from East Palo Alto [29-Jul-2011]
Coming into SFO 7/29 on CO1033 (CO6033 if you want to check it on flightaware), I'm looking out of the left side of the plane. As we make our turn to final over East Palo Alto, bright green light from the ground and my eyes are acting like someone just shone a flashlight in them. They're still having some of that effect this morning.
I let the flight crew know when we landed and they'd said they'd pass the info along. They didn't see it, which doesn't surprise me - it came perpendicular to the flight path and looking forward it wouldn't have even been in peripheral vision. Anything else I could have done or can do?
I let the flight crew know when we landed and they'd said they'd pass the info along. They didn't see it, which doesn't surprise me - it came perpendicular to the flight path and looking forward it wouldn't have even been in peripheral vision. Anything else I could have done or can do?
Jul 30, 2011, 10:11 am
#2
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Jul 30, 2011, 3:37 pm
#3
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As always, be cautious. However, short-term exposure to laser pointers (class 2 or 3a) is usually limited by blink reflex and generally does not pose a long term health risk.
Jul 31, 2011, 9:03 am
#4
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This is really getting out of hand. Wonder if they can make a coating for the pilot windscreens that reflects the proper wavelength of light?
I would let the FAA know just to make sure the incident got passed on to them.
I would let the FAA know just to make sure the incident got passed on to them.
Jul 31, 2011, 11:42 am
#5
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Option (1) is nice because the filters are clear plastic and the effect on your vision is limited; however, the laser blocking is not complete and you can still see the attenuated laser. Option (2) has far better blocking capabilities but is a colored filter. This is especially annoying because your vision takes a while to return to normal after wearing the goggles for an extended period (i.e. everything looks very pink!).
I'm guessing option (1) could provide some protection, although you'd need multiple layers to block out the various laser wavelengths. Whether the filters would meet aviation safety standards is another matter.
Aug 7, 2011, 9:11 pm
#6
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I did wind up talking to an ophthalmologist, as luck would have it my 1 year check up was the following week. I had no effects by the time I saw him, and he said one way or the other there was not much that could be done. If retina cells were burned/destroyed, he can't repair them. For temporary damage, he can't speed up recovery or otherwise affect that either. Apparently they also are less impactful over distance than I thought, and it was probably 2 miles away.
Didn't really see a way for a good way to report for the FAA, hence my notifying the pilot as hopefully they have a streamlined way to do that.
Didn't really see a way for a good way to report for the FAA, hence my notifying the pilot as hopefully they have a streamlined way to do that.
Aug 7, 2011, 9:16 pm
#7
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Aug 7, 2011, 11:15 pm
#8
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What is being described is a green 532 nanometer laser pointer. This is the same wavelength that is used for therapeutic laser surgery for people with retinal diseases. In order to get a burn on the retina, the laser needs to be focused precisely on the retina.
I had the opportunity to purchase a few of these pointers on ebay for cat toys and they are indeed powerful enough to put a spot onto a building 2 miles away. It is unlikely there is any damage from a spot shined 2 miles away. The main concern is in distracting pilots or drivers if shined into a car.
The definitive way for an ophthalmologist to determine if there is any retinal damage is to do a fluorescein angiogram which is a diagnostic test in which dye is injected into the arm and photos are taken of the retina. If there is laser damage, the angiogram would show leakage of dye in the affected area.
Later on, a small pigmented scar would form.
If this happened to me, I would wish to have this done now and redone 3 months later. The reason to do this is because if you subsequently have another eye injury, such as in a car accident or in the workplace, the insurer, after reviewing your ophthalmologists records, may try to claim you have a preexisting condition and deny your subsequent claim.
Sorry this happened. Good luck.
I had the opportunity to purchase a few of these pointers on ebay for cat toys and they are indeed powerful enough to put a spot onto a building 2 miles away. It is unlikely there is any damage from a spot shined 2 miles away. The main concern is in distracting pilots or drivers if shined into a car.
The definitive way for an ophthalmologist to determine if there is any retinal damage is to do a fluorescein angiogram which is a diagnostic test in which dye is injected into the arm and photos are taken of the retina. If there is laser damage, the angiogram would show leakage of dye in the affected area.
Later on, a small pigmented scar would form.
If this happened to me, I would wish to have this done now and redone 3 months later. The reason to do this is because if you subsequently have another eye injury, such as in a car accident or in the workplace, the insurer, after reviewing your ophthalmologists records, may try to claim you have a preexisting condition and deny your subsequent claim.
Sorry this happened. Good luck.
Last edited by bloodyeyeballs; Aug 7, 2011 at 11:27 pm Reason: added content
Aug 8, 2011, 10:16 am
#9
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Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to deploy countermeasures that would target the location where the laser came from?
Aug 8, 2011, 1:14 pm
#10
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Aug 9, 2011, 9:27 am
#11
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This situation has become a big problem as well with law enforcement helicopters in the U.S., U.K. and probably elsewhere....
However, every once in awhile, the cops actually catch the person who did it. ^
And after getting out of jail, the guilty party is then mandated to fly only on Spirit Airlines for the rest of their life.....
However, every once in awhile, the cops actually catch the person who did it. ^
And after getting out of jail, the guilty party is then mandated to fly only on Spirit Airlines for the rest of their life.....
Dec 18, 2011, 1:13 pm
#12
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http://www.theonion.com/articles/wel...here-is,19975/
Well, Folks, It Appears Some Sh*thead Down There Is Shining A Laser Pointer Into The Cockpit And We're About To Crash
From the flight deck, this is your captain. Just want to give you a quick update as we make our final preparations for landing. The current weather in Los Angeles is 67 degrees with a slight northwesterly breeze, and in case you're wondering why the plane feels like it's completely out of control, well, there's currently some f*ckface standing on the roof of his car down near the tarmac shining a laser pointer directly into in my eyes.
I literally can't see a g*ddamn thing.
A natural question for you to ask would be, "What kind of sick individual does this?" On behalf of myself and my first officer whom you can hear screaming in the background, I'm sorry to say these motherf*ckers do exist. In fact, there were almost 3,000 lasering incidents last year alone—enough that they even warrant their own term: "laserings." By the way, in case you're keeping track, that's eight instances per day in which a human being—someone with a conscience who ostensibly knows the difference between right and wrong—drives to an airport, gets out of his car, and entertains himself by shining a f*cking laser pointer directly into a pilot's eyes.
If you're saying to yourself, "You'd have to be a real piece of sh*t to do something like that because you could kill 300 people," you'd get no argument from me, seeing as I am currently trying to safely land a packed 747 while human garbage is making figure eights in my window.........
From the flight deck, this is your captain. Just want to give you a quick update as we make our final preparations for landing. The current weather in Los Angeles is 67 degrees with a slight northwesterly breeze, and in case you're wondering why the plane feels like it's completely out of control, well, there's currently some f*ckface standing on the roof of his car down near the tarmac shining a laser pointer directly into in my eyes.
I literally can't see a g*ddamn thing.
A natural question for you to ask would be, "What kind of sick individual does this?" On behalf of myself and my first officer whom you can hear screaming in the background, I'm sorry to say these motherf*ckers do exist. In fact, there were almost 3,000 lasering incidents last year alone—enough that they even warrant their own term: "laserings." By the way, in case you're keeping track, that's eight instances per day in which a human being—someone with a conscience who ostensibly knows the difference between right and wrong—drives to an airport, gets out of his car, and entertains himself by shining a f*cking laser pointer directly into a pilot's eyes.
If you're saying to yourself, "You'd have to be a real piece of sh*t to do something like that because you could kill 300 people," you'd get no argument from me, seeing as I am currently trying to safely land a packed 747 while human garbage is making figure eights in my window.........
Dec 18, 2011, 1:50 pm
#13
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Dec 18, 2011, 2:02 pm
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Dec 21, 2011, 9:14 am
#15
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this could actually also be a laser torch,they are used as safty equipment on boats and they are speecificlly designed to flag down passing aircraft. they are green lasers