From a pilot's perspective, the blinding light of a green or red laser beam looks more like a floodlight, than a laser.
Sgt. Scott May of Lexington Police’s helicopter unit, Air One, described it like looking into bright headlights or staring into a bright camera flash. “You get that spot in your eyes."
Lexington’s police helicopter has been victim to multiple laser beam incidents over the past few years.
May said when a laser beam hit any aircraft’s windshield, it could cause the pilot to suffer from a period of momentary blindness, May said.
“Some pilots have reported that [they got] that spot in your eyes where you can't see anything for up to 30 seconds,” May said. “That's a long time for an airplane on final approach."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, in 2013 there were nearly 4,000 laser incidents reported nationwide.
Of those 4,000, the FAA said there were 99 in Kentucky and 14 in Lexington’s airspace.
"It's very dangerous. When a laser pointer is pointed into an aircraft it basically lights up the cockpit and essentially blinds the pilot, Chief Division Counsel of Kentucky’s FBI Lisa Trotman said. “Briefly, but you could imagine in that scenario how dangerous that could be."
According to Lexington Police’s helicopter unit, people usually don't realize how powerful the laser can be.
"I know here in Lexington, we've had an aircraft report a laser and they found it 2.5 miles away,” May said. “If people are curious about how far those lasers will go, I promise you it will go further than you would possibly need it to.”
The lasers behind these sightings are legal, the FBI said. But only for their intended purpose.
The FBI said if you use it the wrong way, you could be facing up to 20 years in jail and fines upwards to $250,000.
"The law was written with the severity of the activity in mind," Trotman said.
Although no catastrophic incident has occurred just yet, experts tell ABC 36 News it is just a matter of time.
"If you can't see you gauges, your instruments or your outside references, then you have a very good chance of have an aircraft accident,” May said.
"I think we've just been lucky,” Trotman said. “This could end in absolutely horrible set of circumstances."
Story and Video: http://www.wtvq.com
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