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A laser pointer beamed at a plane's cockpit could have serious consequences. |
How could a laser pointer take down a plane?
.
Because laser flashes are
most likely to occur during takeoff and landing when an aircraft is closest to
the ground, even a minor distraction can be a hazard. Pilots in several laser
strike incidents have suffered temporary blindness, and, in a few extreme
cases, pilots have been hospitalized with retinal burns.
BY BETH
BRINDLE
It may sound like the stuff
of urban legends, but it's true: The same laser
pointer you've used in business presentations or to entertain your cat for
hours on end could actually take down a plane.
How can this be?
According to the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the beam of light from a handheld laser
pointer aimed at an aircraft from the ground can travel more than a mile.
Pilots who have experienced
laser attacks from the cockpit compare the experience to having a camera flash
go off in a pitch black car at night.
Typical laser pointers like
the kind used by amateur astronomers to point out constellations or by college
professors during a lecture have an output of around 5 milliwatts, which hardly
sounds like enough power to bring down a plane.
But unlike an incandescent
bulb designed to illuminate a large space, the light from a laser pointer is
concentrated into a narrow beam that spreads out very slowly.
The Federal Aviation
Administration found that a standard 5-milliwatt green laser pointer is capable
of causing retinal burns at distances of up to 50 feet (15 meters) and flash
blindness from nearly a quarter mile (350 meters) away.
At 2 miles (3 kilometers),
a 5-milliwatt laser pointer was able to interfere with a pilot's vision enough
to cause an aborted landing.
As of late 2013, no
airplane accident has been attributed to a laser pointer, but the potential for
harm is real nonetheless.
Because laser flashes are
most likely to occur during takeoff and landing when an aircraft is closest to
the ground, even a minor distraction can be a hazard.
Pilots in several laser
strike incidents have suffered temporary blindness, and, in a few extreme
cases, pilots have been hospitalized with retinal burns.
In the United States, it is
a felony to knowingly point the beam of a laser at an aircraft, and convicted
offenders can expect to receive jail time.
Since 2005, the FBI has
worked with the FAA to track laser strikes, offering rewards of up to $10,000
for information leading to the arrest of anyone who intentionally aims a laser
at an aircraft.
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