On Air Now

Tom Hooper

3:00pm - 6:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Diana Ross

I'm Coming Out

Download
Listen Live Advertise

Laser Attacks on Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Friday, 15 September 2023 11:03

By Matthew Pells

The charity says they have experienced two separate laser attacks toward their aircraft this week.

The Air Ambulance say the incidents are extremely dangerous. They say that pointing a laser at a helicopter can cause great danger not only to the crew by temporarily causing blindness and headaches during pivotal parts of a flight, but also patients whose trip to the hospital could be lengthened should the helicopter need to divert, they say there is also a risk to civilians if the aircraft crashed in a public place.

Owen McTeggart, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Chief Pilot, said:

“If we get a laser attack while trying to land at a HEMS site, it means we cannot land and the injured person on the ground doesn’t get the care that we are there to provide.

It doesn’t take much for the eyes to be permanently damaged by a laser and while the laser itself might not be a danger if it doesn’t make contact with the eyes, it is a massive distraction for the crew during a critical stage of flight”

A law passed in 2016 made it illegal for a shining light to be pointed towards an aircraft in flight.  The law states that a person must not in the United Kingdom direct or shine any light at any aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot of the aircraft. A successful prosecution could lead to jail time or a hefty fine or in some cases, both.

Owen adds:

"Unfortunately, laser pens are very easy to access and buy, and not many people are aware of the dangers they may cause.

A lot of it is ignorance of the implications to our operations. And I’m sure most people that point a laser at a helicopter think it’s just a laugh and no harm is caused. But it can in some cases have life-changing consequences for the pilot, the crew and if it’s an air ambulance, the patient in the back they are trying to save.”

Share

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Comments

Add a comment

Log in to the club or enter your details below.

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Low-level cloud

    High: 15°C | Low: 13°C

  • Filey

    Low-level cloud

    High: 14°C | Low: 13°C

  • Whitby

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 15°C | Low: 13°C

  • Bridlington

    Low-level cloud

    High: 15°C | Low: 13°C

  • Hornsea

    Low-level cloud

    High: 15°C | Low: 13°C

  • Driffield

    Low-level cloud

    High: 15°C | Low: 13°C

News

© Copyright 2025 This is the Coast Limited. This is the Coast is licensed by PRS & PPL to stream music online. Powered by Aiir.