In an incident that’s not a first, a medical flight in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, was in for an unpleasant surprise last Sunday when a laser pointer was flashed at it, almost blinding the pilot momentarily. The police had immediately received a complaint about the incident from the medical flight operators. Thankfully, nothing untoward occurred and the medical flight went on to complete the flight safely. The incident happened at 7:30 in the evening, on a day when the medical flight was involved in several rescue missions.
It was a Child that Targeted the Medical Flight
Call it mischief or an innocent mistake; it was later found that a child had committed the act. However, the residents of Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, were not too pleased with the incident with one of the residents opining that the parents of the child should be held responsible for the act.
When such an incident takes place, the perpetrators not only put the medical flight in jeopardy but also the community on which the chopper might potentially crash. There is a need to educate both adults and children regarding the dangers of flashing laser pointers at aircrafts.
The Officials Showed their Concern for the Medical Flight
The Chairwoman of Witham St. Hughs Parish Council, Karen Harrison, said that the act of flashing the laser pointer by a member of their community was just appalling and that the community was in full support of any action that would be taken against the perpetrator.
A police spokesperson was reported as saying that such acts were not only dangerous but also a criminal offence. The spokesperson went on to say that the device was not a toy and must be kept out of reach of little children. It was advised that the parents take such device away from kids and destroy them before disposing them off.
The matter has been brought to the notice of UK’s Civil Aviation Authority as well as the local police of Lincolnshire.
