A rescue helicopter in Queensland, Australia was illuminated by laser light six times in a week.

There were two attacks on April 10 2019, two on April 15, one on April 15 and one on April 17.

The Toowoomba LifeFlight Rescue helicopter was flying over the Toowoomba suburb of Glenvale, when the laser light hit the aircraft. There was no indication of any eye effect or injury to the pilots, and no indication of the flight changing or being interrupted.

After the first four events, police put out a “strong media campaign” about the dangers of aiming laser pointers at aircraft. They also asked the public to report any information they might have.

Interfering with crew or aircraft carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, under the Civil Aviation Act.

From Triple M

Tags: Australia, Queensland, Rescue, Helicopter, Multiple aircraft hit, Publicity campaign, Unknown perpetrator, Public

A 37-year-old Columbus, Ohio man was sentenced on May 1 2019 to county jail for 30 days, and given one year of probation for aiming a laser on July 19 2018 at a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 with 61 passengers on board.

In addition to the aircraft illumination, Eugene L. Robinson also aimed green laser light at police helicopters during the same night. He was indicted on four counts of interfering with the operation of an aircraft, and pleaded guilty to the Southwest illumination.

Eugene Robinson

Robinson had purchased the laser for $20 and aimed it at the aircraft to see how far it would go. He called it "a boneheaded mistake … I wasn't trying to hurt anybody."

In addition to the jail time and probation, Robinson is required to make a public service announcement telling viewers not to aim laser pointers at aircraft.

From the Columbus Dispatch

Tags: Ohio, Columbus, Airplane, Police, Helicopter, Southwest Airlines, 737, Publicity campaign, Age: 30-39, Sex: Male, Photo: Suspect, Color: Green

The case of a man arrested for aiming a laser at a police helicopter, was the subject of an FBI press conference for St. Louis-area media on July 26 2011. 26-year-old Justin E. Stouder of O’Fallon, Missouri, described how he aimed a green laser at a police helicopter on April 27 2010. One of the pilots said the illumination was similar to a camera flash. Stouder kept hitting the helicopter. Police converged on his home and he was arrested, spending the night in jail. Although Stouder was charged with “obstructing government operations” on May 14 2010, he successfully completed a one-year pretrial diversion program and thus has no additional penalty and no criminal record. (KSDK did note that Stouder “lost two career opportunities while his case was pending.”)

This screenshot shows Stouder at the FBI press conference where he apologized to the pilots. The full video is at KSDK.com

The conference was held to bring attention to the potential dangers of lasing aircraft. The agent in charge and the U.S. assistant attorney both stressed that the next person to be charged may face much stronger penalties than Stouder did.

From stltoday.com. A video interview with the FBI agent-in-charge is available at Fox 2 Now.

Tags: US, Missouri, St. Louis, Police, Helicopter, Video, Publicity campaign, Age: 20-29, Photo: Suspect, Color: Green