Safety warning issued after East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot targeted by laser

The laser targeted the helicopter while it was on an emergency last December - credit East of England Air Ambulance
The laser targeted the helicopter while it was on an emergency last December Credit: East Anglian Air Ambulance

Air ambulance bosses have issued a plea to help track down the person responsible for targeting one of their helicopter crews with a laser.

The chopper was responding to an emergency call when the pilot was hit by the laser.

Now the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA)has warned incidents like this, in extreme circumstances, could force them to abandon missions altogether.

EAAA crew captured video footage of a laser being pointed at their aircraft while attending a medical emergency near Attleborough, just outside of Norwich, at 2.30am on 27 December 2023.

The footage has been released in the hope of identifying those responsible.

The charity, which provides 24/7 life-saving critical care to Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire, is reminding people that it is an offence to shine a light at an aircraft in flight.

Captain Seb Powderham, from EAAA’s aviation partner, Babcock International Group said: “Lasers directed at aircraft can significantly impact flight operations. Most importantly, if a laser were to incapacitate the pilot’s ability to operate due to impaired vision, flight safety would be compromised.

"Short-term effects include temporary flash blindness and potential distraction at a critical stage of flight. Long-term effects could include permanent damage to the eye.

“Pilots may be required to manoeuvre the aircraft to protect the crew from the source of the laser, adjust cockpit lighting to minimise the damaging effects of the laser, update planned landing options or abandon the mission altogether."

  • Captain Seb Powderham on the dangers of lasers

This could mean a delay to those experiencing life-threatening medical emergencies receiving urgent out-of-hospital critical care, putting lives at risk.

Norfolk Police has received seven reports, all in the Attleborough area, since 2021.

PC Dion Phillips, of Norfolk Police, said: “All the reported incidents happen overnight, often in the early hours of the morning.

"We’ve looked into every incident, and haven’t been able to identify the person responsible, which is why we’re appealing to the local community and people living in Attleborough to share any information with us. We think the person responsible is probably in the town centre at the time.”

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