Examination of laser levels associated with flight hazards Available to Purchase

A disturbing number of incidents have occurred in which outdoor lasers have illuminated commercial air carrier crews. In two specific cases, an October 30, 1995 incident involving a Southwest Airlines plane departing McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, and a November 29, 1996 incident of a Skywest aircraft arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, the person piloting the aircraft experienced symptoms so severe that control of the aircraft was transferred to the copilot. Ocular symptoms included momentary loss of vision, light sensitivity, and tearing. No permanent damage was found. Because of these and similar illuminations of military aircrews, Optical Radiation Division (AL/OEO, Brooks AFB, TX) personnel have been working with members of the SAE G-10T Subcommittee, the FAA, FDA, NTSB, airline pilots associations, laser light show manufacturers, and others to update FAA outdoor laser guidance. These crew illuminations have occurred at exposure levels well below the ANSI Z136.1 Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE)¹. Calculated light levels for some of the actual incidents will be presented, along with a review of some experiments that examine the effects of lasers on vision. While the safe exposure level for most flight conditions is still debatable, and every case is different, it is clear that visible laser light exposures of 1.0 μW/cm² can be a flight hazard during high workload aircrew activities.