It warns that such laser attacks could lead to serious accidents. From January 1, 2010 until February 29, 2012, ATNS noted, there have been 181 reported laser attacks at some of South Africa's major airports.
Notable incidents generally involve people directing powerful laser beams at aircraft on final approach, and other low-flying aircraft such as police and ambulance or rescue helicopters are also targeted at times. There have also been incidents where lasers were directed at air traffic control towers, ATNS said, warning that the fact that these lasers can startle the crew during the critical phase of flight makes these events serious. Should a pilot lose control of the aircraft momentarily due to being blinded by these lights, this could lead to a serious aircraft accident.
Cape Town International Airport has had the highest number of reported events, with 106 (or 58.56%) incidents, followed by Lanseria Airport at 21 (or 11.06%) of incidents. OR Tambo International and East London Airports are joint third with 14 (or 7.73%) reported incidents each, defenceWeb reports.
Read the full article on www.defenceweb.co.za.
