Laser Airlines flight QL-940 had to return and make an emergency landing in Caracas, Venezuela, on February 17th.
The plane took off for Maracaibo, Venezuela, but had to return shortly afterwards after the crew needed to shut down one of the engines.
The plane landed back safely. All 148 people aboard remained unharmed.
Laser Airlines flight QL-905 had to return and make an emergency landing at Santiago Marino Caribbean International Airport, Porlamar, Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela, on April 14th.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-81, en-route to Caracas, Venezuela, had just climbed out of Santiago’s runway when the crew reported a right hand engine failure, prompting the plane to return.
The plane landed uneventfully.
All passengers onboard remained safe.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS-25 had to return and make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, on February 14.
The Airbus A340-600 took off for John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, but had to return shortly afterwards after the first officer became sick due to a laser strike.
The plane landed safely. There were 252 passengers and 15 crew members aboard at the time; all of them remained injured.
According to UK CAA statistics, over 1.400 incidents of laser attacks on pilots were reported last year, most of which occurred at Heathrow airport.
In fact, on average four pilots are at risk of being blinded by laser light on approach to British airports every day.
The CAA has warned that if a pilot is blinded or dazzled by a laser light on approach, it could result in a catastrophic incident. According to a regulator, “An aircraft on final approach at 1,000ft has around one minute before it reaches the threshold of the runway and touches down…A pilot dazzled by a laser can be blinded for up to ten seconds followed by over a minute of impaired vision. The risks to passengers and crew are all too obvious.”