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Helicopter 'laser attacks' could result in 'catastrophic accident', pilots warn
The CAA said 94 attacks were reported in 2025 and warned that laser strikes can blind pilots and disrupt critical care flights.
- On Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority warned that laser strikes against air ambulances risk causing a "catastrophic incident" during UK Air Ambulance Week.
- Statistics released by the CAA reveal 129 incidents of air ambulances being targeted by lasers in the 18 months leading to June 2026, with attacks occurring monthly.
- Cpt Kevin Sutherland, chief pilot at Somerset Air Ambulance in Dorset, explained that laser light becomes "very obvious" in night-vision cockpits and can cause "serious damage" to pilots' eyes.
- Targeting an air ambulance is illegal, carrying unlimited fines and up to five years in prison under the Laser Misuse Act, while Bath Air Ambulance Chief Pilot Matt Wilcock warned attacks reduce helicopter availability.
- Nationwide data shows specific laser attacks in Taunton, Somerset, alongside Torquay and Plymouth in Devon; with 35 reported incidents in the first half of 2026, officials emphasize these vital flights remain under constant threat.
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Helicopter 'laser Attacks' Could Result In 'catastrophic Accident', Pilots Warn
Pilots have warned that the laser attacks, which are a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison, could result in a “catastrophic accident”. Shining a high-intensity laser directly at a helicopter can cause temporary blindness to pilots and even long-term eye damage, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) warned. […]
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