Lasers reported by pilots landing at Seattle airport

On Sunday, pilots of 12 planes landing at Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle reported a green laser being shined into the cockpits of their aircraft, reviving concerns about a problem that arose several years ago when cheap laser pointers were first introduced.

All of the incoming aircraft were targeted over a 20-minute period on Sunday evening, and all were able to land safely. Pilots all tried to avoid being temporarily blinded while at the same time attempting to help airport authorities identify the source of the beam, which was thought to be coming from a location around one mile north of the airport.

Air traffic controllers cautioned pilots on all planes about the laser from 7:10pm to 7:30pm local time.

“All right, I’ll keep an eye out for that,” said one pilot before he corrected himself. “Er, I’ll keep an eye away from that.”

Another pilot said that the source seemed to be just west of the interstate. Authorities at the airport noted that two searches of the area had been conducted, but the culprit was not found.

In recent years the number of laser attacks on aircraft has increased, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Spokeswoman Laura Brown said that 148 incidents have been reported so far this year.

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