Blinding laser attack on cockpit caught on camera – half of pilots have faced it, says survey (Watch video)

January 3, 2016, NewsCrunch

More than half of British pilots say they have experienced laser attacks by pranksters, says a new survey.

The prank involves shining a hand-held laser at the cockpit of a plane, which is either preparing to land or take off.

Pilots say they are distracted or even blinded by the light depending on its intensity and that puts passengers to grave risk.

Worse, the menace seems to be spreading with the growing popularity of hand-held lasers, which are used in presentations.

In a survey of 810 pilots by British Airline Pilots Association, 55% of respondents said they had experienced a laser attack in the past 12 months.

The growing threat of lasers have prompted calls for the devices to be treated as offensive weapons, the Sunday Times reported.