[Fidelista]

Strange happenings!
First off, at high altitude the only way a beam could enter the cockpit is thru side window---the nose of aircraft blocks much ground view.
On landing approach , it is much more understandable as manuevering gives a good chance for something like this---pilots know that looking out at quartering view on approach and landing is standard.
At altitude ---its really strange
Where's Mulder when we need him ? {Agent Mulder not the "other" one}.
Anybody have an idea about this? What kind of laser? >f
FBI Probes Laser Beams in Plane Cockpits

40 minutes ago White House - AP Cabinet & State


By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The FBI (news - web sites), concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of commercial airliners six times over the last four days.



A federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the bureau is looking into one incident in Cleveland, two in Colorado Springs, Colo., and three others. The official said there is no evidence of a plot or terrorist activity.


A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. Authorities said there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States.


It's a federal felony to interfere with flight crews. Laser beams can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.


On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 and 10,000 feet, the FBI said.


The pilot landed the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.


On Monday night in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Both planes landed without problems.


Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI agents were continuing to conduct interviews, agency spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.


In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The plane landed safely.


___


Associated Press Writer Curt Anderson contributed to this story.


___


On the Net:


FBI: http://www.fbi.gov


FAA (news - web sites): http://www.faa.gov

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...am_airplanes_2

[holy_saiyan1]

Found this interesting article that is about a non-lethal weapon (the "Green Laser Dazzler" that could be used for police business that involves green lasers. I'll excerpt the important part.

The green laser is six times brighter in daylight than a red laser, which often is used to target a suspect. At night, the green laser is 3,000 times brighter than the red, company officials said.

The Dazzler can shoot a cone of light three feet wide at a distance of 20 feet. With the use of lenses, the width of the cone can be adjusted to a point where it would nearly fill a room in an average-size house.

The only way to escape the laser light is to hide the eyes or turn away.

"The laser allows the user to engage a subject and not escalate the violence," Flanigan said. "It gives you stand-off distance. It gives time to see how conversation will work. And it takes away the sight of the subject and their ability to counteract the user."

The Dazzler is a "nonverbal tool that overcomes language barriers or an inability to hear," he said.

"It does not injure a subject, and in crowds, such as in the cabin of an airplane, you don't have to worry about collateral damage," Flanigan said.

Capt. Sid Heal of the Los Angeles County sheriff's department, a weapon's technology expert who has seen the Dazzler in action, agreed with Flanigan's assessment. "It has real potential for use in law enforcement and in jails without increasing the danger," Heal said.

LE Technologies needs more investment capital, Flanigan said, but the company plans to begin selling the first handheld Dazzlers by December. The cost of several thousand dollars for a single Dazzler could be reduced with volume orders, he added.

The company also is investigating another nonlethal weapon that would combine green and red laser light in a strobe. The combination would not only cause a temporary loss of sight, it would induce vomiting, company officials said.

"We can make this do a lot of things," Flanigan said.

Could whoever is doing this be hoping to stun/blind pilots?

[Wet Chicken]

Originally Posted by Fidelista

FBI Probes Laser Beams in Plane Cockpits

Now I know that they can give pilots special glasses to block the lasers effects. Why aren't they doing this? Is it cost related?

[Fidelista]

Originally Posted by Wet Chicken

Now I know that they can give pilots special glasses to block the lasers effects. Why aren't they doing this? Is it cost related?

Yes, the military has them. Battlefield lasers to blind are a fact.
I think that because this has never been a problem, in civil air---nobody has applied the fix--understandable.
I just wonder what kind of lasers are available that have this range? and how big are they. Portability has to be a factor in use.
It is a very curious problem and has popped up in different locals.
It is definatly no prank. >f

[Wet Chicken]

Originally Posted by Fidelista

Yes, the military has them.

Well they better get their butts to "Laser Glasses R Us" and get a pair for the pilots to use. This is unacceptable, especially since the fix is so easy and the cost (lives wise) is so high

[linskyjack]

Halburton happens to have an anti-laser division--they just formed it about five hours ago.

[jackal969k]

(CNN) -- Law enforcement officers were questioning a Parsippany, New Jersey, man who they say may have pointed a laser beam at an airborne police helicopter Friday night and a Cessna aircraft two nights before, said a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The officers spent much of Friday trying to determine the source of the laser beam reported by a Cessna pilot Wednesday night, spokesman Steve Coleman said. The flight was carrying about a dozen passengers.

As a Port Authority helicopter circled the New York area Friday, using information from the Cessna pilot, someone aimed a laser beam at the aircraft between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., Coleman said. He said the helicopter had Port Authority markings.

There were no injuries or other problems from either incident, he said.

The man was being questioned at his home by members of the FBI-New York Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI agents. He has not been arrested, Coleman said.

Coleman said authorities were trying to determine whether the man might have been involved in similar incidents.

On Wednesday, a government official told CNN that six commercial airliners had had their cockpits illuminated by laser beams during approaches at airports in the previous four days. (Full story)

The incidents have happened "all over the place" and in "kind of odd places," the official said. The official would not provide specifics.

None of the flights was affected as a result of the laser beams, but authorities have launched investigations.

Last month, the federal government warned police agencies that terrorist groups had expressed interest in using laser beams to try to down flights.

In an incident Monday, authorities said, the cockpit of Continental Flight 509 -- a Boeing 737 jet -- was illuminated by a laser as it approached the Cleveland, Ohio, airport.

FBI spokesman Bob Hawk said the light was directed into the cockpit at night from a suburb about 15 miles from the airport.

The FBI is trying to determine whether it was a prank or something more sinister. The FBI said no harm was done.

On November 22, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security sent an intelligence bulletin to police agencies to alert them that terrorist groups had shown an interest in using laser beams to try to bring down flights.

"In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and co-pilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," the bulletin said.

It is against federal law to intentionally shine a laser beam at a commercial airline flight.

There have been several other incidents this year when laser beams were directed into plane cockpits, including one on September 22 in which a Delta Air Lines pilot reported damage to his retina from a laser beam during a landing in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A report for the FAA in June 2004 examined the effect of laser beams on pilots.

Of 34 pilots who were exposed to lasers during simulated flights, 67 percent experienced adverse visual effects at even the lowest level of laser exposure.

Two high-exposure levels resulted in significantly greater performance difficulties, and nine aborted landings.

CNN's Mike Brooks and Maureen Madden contributed to this report

[Ciberblade]

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer

NEWARK, N.J. - A man who initially claimed his daughter aimed a laser at a helicopter was charged after he told federal agents that he pointed the light beam at two aircraft, authorities said Tuesday.

David Banach of Parsippany faces charges of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI (news - web sites). He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The aircraft were targeted by the lasers near Teterboro Airport.

On Wednesday night, a pilot preparing to land a chartered jet with 13 people aboard reported seeing three green laser beams about 11 miles from the airport. On Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a beam as they surveyed the area in an attempt to pinpoint the origin of the original beams.

The two incidents were among a rash of recent reports of lasers allegedly aimed at aircraft, raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind crew members and lead to accidents. Last month the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though federal law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence of any terrorist plot in the current incidents.

According to court papers, under questioning Banach admitted lying and said he shined a laser beam at both the jet and the helicopter. He has not been charged in the helicopter incident.

His lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

The chartered jet was flying at about 3,000 feet when the pilot and co-pilot saw a green laser beam strike the windshield three times, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The flash blinded the two temporarily, but they were later able to land the plane safely.

After the helicopter crew also reported seeing laser beams, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood trying. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined a beam at the helicopter, according to court papers. He denied the laser was in use when the jet had passed nearby. But later, Banach submitted to a lie detector test and eventually said he shined the laser beam at both aircraft, according to the court papers. The papers did not give any alleged motive.