Incident Reported Near O'Hare

Here we go again...

Authorities are attempting to locate the person who shined a laser into the cockpit of Northwest Airlines Flight 352 while it was trying to land at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday night.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the NWA pilots reported the laser originated from the ground, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
The DC-9  was a quarter-mile out when the green or possibly white light was aimed at the cockpit.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has joined the search as well. Spokesperson Cynthia Yates said, "The FBI takes these matters very seriously due to the potential impact it could have on the flight crew and passengers." The agency has narrowed the search area to the east side of the airport.

This occurrence is, unfortunately, becoming ever-more frequent. As ANN has reported just this year, there have been six incidents of such activity that we know about -- once in February, twice in June, once in July, twice in August and now once in September.

Legislation was approved in May by the House of Representatives that declared the use of cheap, handheld laser pens "presents an imminent threat to aviation security and passenger safety," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) before the voice vote to approve the measure, as ANN reported. 

Those convicted face up to 20 years in prison. The act is considered an attempt to disable an aircraft, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The National Transportation Safety Board has documented cases where pilots sustained actual injury to their eyes and were incapacitated during critical phases of a flight.

Airlines spokesperson Elizabeth Isham Cory said there were no reports of injuries in this incident and the aircraft landed safely.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.fbi.gov, www.ntsb.gov