PILOTS at King Shaka International Airport have complained about laser beams being directed at their aircraft as they descend to land.
Not only is shining laser beams at airplanes dangerous, it is against the law too and could land the perpetrator with a fine or prison sentence, or both.
What starts out as a beam of light only a few millimetres in diameter in proximity, expands to many centimetres at great distances and a direct strike on a cockpit windscreen lights up the entire windscreen.
People have been arrested both locally and abroad for pointing laser beams at aircraft as these lights can distract pilots, with the potential to cause fatal crashes. Pilots can be temporarily blinded, or unable to see past the lights. This is especially dangerous at night in darker regions, when eyes are adjusted to take in the most light.
There is also speculation that a direct beam into an eye, even from distance, could cause permanent retina damage.
If not blinded by the light, a pilot will be able to pinpoint the origin of the laser as the beam points in a straight line to its source, making arrests easier for officers on the ground.
In South Africa these laser beam incidents spiked around 2012, when various aviation authorities took action to educate the public on the dangers and put pressure on authorities to take action against perpetrators.
In a press release on the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) website, 102 incidents of strong laser beams flashed at aircraft had been reported from in the six months December 2011 to the end of June 2012.
The director of SACAA, Zakhele Thwala, said: “Flashing a light beam or other energy source, whether visible or not, towards any aircraft, air traffic control tower or any person therein is prohibited by the Civil Aviation regulations and contravention could result in a fine or imprisonment of 10 years, or both.”
