FO OF A320 IS STRUCK BY GND BASED LASER WHILE APCHING PDX. FOLLOWING ACFT RPTS A SECOND INSTANCE.
Synopsis
FO OF A320 IS STRUCK BY GND BASED LASER WHILE APCHING PDX. FOLLOWING ACFT RPTS A SECOND INSTANCE.
Narrative
DSNDING OUT OF 8000 FT I WAS HAND FLYING THE DSCNT AND WAS PREPARING FOR VECTORS FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 10L TO PDX. APPROX 15 MI SSE FROM PDX I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE TO MAKE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT OR RWY WHEN I WAS HIT WITH 2 FAST PULSING INTENSE AND BRIGHT GREEN LIGHTS FROM MY 2 O'CLOCK POS COMING FROM THE GND. THE COLOR AND INTENSITY OF THE LIGHT SOURCE WAS TOO STRONG TO BE FROM A HALOGEN OR OTHER CONVENTIONAL LIGHT. IT MOST DEFINITELY WAS A LASER OF SOME SORT. THE PULSES LASTED NO MORE THAN 1 SECOND FROM BEGINNING TO END. THE LASER DID NOT ILLUMINATE THE COCKPIT AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE COCKPIT TO SEE IT. THE CAPT WAS UNAWARE OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED PRIOR TO MY BRINGING IT TO HIS ATTN. WE MADE A RPT TO ATC AND RECEIVED A REQUEST TO CONTACT PDX ARPT POLICE AFTER WE GOT TO THE HOTEL. CAPT AND MYSELF BOTH TALKED TO THE POLICE AND ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS ASKED. AFTER OUR MENTION TO APCH CTL; SHE NOTIFIED THE FOLLOWING ACFT OF THE EVENT; TO WHICH THEY REPLIED -- THEY WERE JUST LIT UP TOO! THEY GAVE THE SAME DESCRIPTION AS I HAD GIVEN. AFTER THE EVENT; IT TOOK ME NO MORE THAN 5-10 SECONDS TO GET MY EYES READJUSTED TO NIGHT CONDITIONS; AND WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE FLYING WITHOUT FURTHER ISSUES. AFTER GETTING OFF THE AIRPLANE; I DEVELOPED A SMALL HEADACHE LOCATED BEHIND MY EYES. AFTER A FEW HRS; THIS TOO HAD PASSED AND NO FURTHER ISSUE HAS DEVELOPED. WAS INFORMED THE FBI WAS GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION AND WAS ASKED IF I WOULD BE WILLING TO COOPERATE WITH ANY FURTHER INVESTIGATION; I REPLIED I WAS.
More incidents for this aircraft family →
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.