Spike in laser strikes on aircraft at Whanganui Airport sparks fears of ‘major accident’

The New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy is concerned about a recent spike in laser strikes blinding pilots during flights. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui pilots are warning of the danger of shining laser pointers at aircraft as a recent spate of laser strikes sparks fears of a “major accident”.

The New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy (NZICPA) has recorded four laser strikes within a 90-day period, with most having occurred towards the end of May.

At Whanganui airport in 2022 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recorded just two laser strikes, and in 2021 there were three incidents.

NZICPA deputy safety manager Corey Taylor said the laser strikes had come from a variety of locations around Whanganui.

“It comes out of nowhere, it’s very unexpected. They illuminate the whole cockpit to the colour of the laser and make everything reflective. It’s very hard to see out the window from that point onwards.”

After being exposed to a laser beam a pilot’s night vision can take half an hour to fully return.

“If we’ve got multiple planes out flying and we’re all blinded, the worst thing that could happen was that the planes would crash into each other.

“There’s no two ways about it, this could cause a major accident.”

Taylor said pilots who experienced a laser strike would try to turn the plane around so that the laser was hitting below or behind the aircraft, rather than shining into the windows.

“Most of them are handheld and can fit into the palm of your hand. It could be kids who go and buy one from the two dollar shop but the ones we are most likely dealing with are used for hunting.”

Taylor said airport users reported all laser strike incidents immediately to the police.

The penalty for possession of a high-power laser pointer in a public space, without reasonable excuse, is three months imprisonment and a $2000 fine, and the maximum penalty for endangering transport is 14 years imprisonment.

Wanganui Aero Club chief flying instructor Jonathan Mauchline said if an aircraft was manoeuvring or on the approach to landing a laser strike would be disastrous.

He estimated he experienced at least six laser strikes per year, and often there were two or three incidents in the same night.

“People think it’s just a bit of a joke to shine a laser at planes, but at the end of the day if they got a pilot at the wrong time they could cause a crash.

“Imagine being that person hearing it on the news a day later and having that on your conscience.”

Mauchline said it was an ongoing issue and people needed to be aware that there were serious consequences if they were caught.

“It is actually fairly easy to pinpoint where it’s coming from in the plane. Just as someone on the ground can see the whole laser beam coming up into the sky, we can see it going straight back down.”

So far in 2023 the CAA has reported 102 laser strikes at airports across New Zealand.

That was compared to 112 incidents in 2022, and 111 in 2021.

CAA deputy chief executive David Harrison said laser strikes were a serious threat to aviation safety.

“It can completely disorient pilots or even incapacitate them.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.