Why shining a laser at an air ambulance could be 'catastrophic'

An air ambulance pilot has warned shining laser-pointers at an aircraft could end up having "catastrophic" consequences.

His warning comes as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) released its latest statistics, finding in the 18 months to June 2026 there were 129 incidents of air ambulances being target by the devices.

The CAA said the illegal activity was a nationwide problem but highlighted specific cases in places like Taunton, Somerset, and Torquay and Plymouth in Devon.

Cpt Kevin Rutherford, chief pilot at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, said the issue was "stopping these helicopters actually getting to these critical patients to give them the care" and could do "serious damage" to eyes.

Targeting an aircraft with a laser is illegal, carries an unlimited fine and up to five years behind bars - a man from Martock, Somerset, was jailed for four months in 2024 after shining a laser at a plane that was carrying almost 200 passengers.

Rutherford said he had experienced about half a dozen incidents in recent years and explained: "We're using a system that enhances the available light at night to allow us to see in the dark effectively and that also enhances the light that a laser emits so they become much more obvious to us."

He said the "narrow beam of light the laser emits, if it comes into the cockpit," it "becomes very obvious" and the crew ends up seeing "light dancing around the cockpit and it distracts you".

"If it then catches you in the eye, it can do some serious damage to the eye which is obviously bad for us as pilots or anyone else for that matter."

He added in worst case scenarios, a "catastrophic" incident could happen as a result of lasers being directed at the aircraft, particularly as there are often up to six people on board.

Jonathan Nicholson, head of special projects at the CAA, said the lasers "go hundreds if not thousands of feet into the air".

"If you're a pilot flying at night, obviously you're flying in darkness, sometimes you have night-vision goggles and these lasers are actually coming straight into the cockpit."

He added: "It can actually blind the pilots temporarily and take away their night vision, which is really dangerous.

"It could lead to a catastrophic incident if the pilot can't see."

Nicholson added: "We want these helicopters to go and help people and we don't want anybody stopping them doing that or potentially causing a catastrophic incident."

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