Latest News

Pointing laser at an aircraft is not a bright idea

Dear Editor,

Imagine you’re driving down a dark stretch of road and a car is coming toward you with its high beams on. We’ve all been there and know that it impairs your vision and makes you feel unsafe on the road. Now imagine how it would feel to experience this same loss of vision while flying a plane with 400 passengers who are relying on you to bring them safely to their destination? This is exactly what it’s like for pilots when a laser is pointed into the flight deck.

Pointing a laser at an aircraft seriously threatens aviation safety, and Transport Canada is committed to raising awareness of this important issue in order to reduce the number of incidents, which are illegal for a reason. Lasers have the potential to cause a major accident and put the pilot, crew, passengers, and people on the ground at serious risk. They distract pilots, cause glare that affects their vision, or worse, can temporarily blind them. Laser strikes most often occur as crews prepare for take-off and landing, which are the most critical times during a flight.

The number of laser strikes on aircraft continue to rise. In fact, already this year, nearly 150 laser incidents have been reported to Transport Canada. To put that number into perspective, a blinding light is aimed at a pilot almost twice a day. What this shows is that some people still don’t understand the seriousness of the problem and that we need to work harder to reach them.

Make no mistake, this behaviour will not be tolerated, nor should it be tolerated by communities such as yours. That’s why Transport Canada is calling on you to report laser incidents to your local law enforcement. Offenders will be charged and could face up to $100,000 in fines, five years in prison, or both.

We need your help in educating people about the risks, dangers and consequences. To learn more, visit www.tc.gc.ca/NotABrightIdea or join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook using #NotABrightIdea. Together, we can put an end to this reckless behaviour.

Please, if you are using a laser, and pointing it at aircraft, or know someone that does this, remember:  It’s not a bright idea, it’s dangerous and it’s criminal.

After all, no one wants to be on board when a laser strike happens.

Aaron McCrorie

Director General, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada

UA-138363625-1