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Message from Sheriff Timothy B. Howard


Timothy B. Howard,
Sheriff

A potentially dangerous incident occurred late last week as Captain Kevin Caffery, our Pilot of Air One, was flying over the Buffalo area with a member of the Buffalo Police Department's MRU (Mobile Response Unit) when he was struck several times with a green laser from the ground.

Green lasers pose particular hazards to pilots because they are perceived to be about 35 times brighter than equivalently powered red lasers due to the fact that humans are so much more sensitive to green light- so what may have seemed like a harmless prank could have just as easily turned into disaster not only for this pilot and his crew, but for people on the ground.

The laser light is similar to a lightening strike- lighting up the entire aircraft. A direct hit into someone's eyes can be blinding. And to a pilot, these visual distractions can produce spatial disorientation or loss of situational awareness. The focused beams of a laser light remain quite powerful at extended viewing distances. Because lasers remain powerful over large distances, a laser pointer can expose pilots to radiation levels above those considered to be flight safe for takeoffs and landings when seen from distances of up to two miles.

I'm not sure the general public has a full appreciation for the visual demands during critical phases of flight and the potential consequences of visual distractions in the cockpit. This wasn't a playful stunt even though that may have been on the minds of the individuals involved; who by the way were grown men- and have been charged with felony reckless endangerment.

In closing, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has compiled a data base of more than 400 incidents since 1990 in which pilots have been startled, distracted, temporarily blinded or disorientated by laser exposure. To date, no aviation accidents have been attributed to laser lights. But it certainly is not worth taking a chance.