CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Laser beams pointed at airplanes carrying passengers at Charlotte Douglas Airport has been a problem for years and it has happened again.
Police said someone pointed a laser at an inbound American Airlines flight at Charlotte Douglas late Thursday night.
The plane was able to land safely.
In December, someone pointed a laser at two planes, an American Airlines and a Delta flight, as they were getting ready to land at Charlotte Douglas. In July, someone pointed a laser at a medical helicopter flying into Charlotte from Concord.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 58 cases reported in Charlotte in 2019 and 5,487 cases nationwide.
Lasers can be extremely dangerous, not necessarily for planes but for their pilots. Lasers range in strength and some are powerful enough to temporarily blind someone or cause permanent damage to their eyes.
They can also distract the pilot, which could have catastrophic consequences.
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