BC air ambulance flight targeted by laser strike
A British Columbia (BC) air ambulance flight over Vancouver Island was targeted by what Transport Canada described as a ‘deliberate and ongoing laser strike’
The helicopter was a 1995 Sikorsky helicopter on a medical flight from Nanaimo Harbor to Victoria General Hospital when the pilot reported a strike from a green laser pointing up from the ground.
The strike happened during the aircraft’s final approach to Victoria. Nobody was injured and there was no damage to the aircraft.
Rick Hill, Vice President at Helijet, which operates the BC air ambulance service, said about the laser strike: "They are very dangerous of course because if they do incapacitate the crew, which they could, then of course you’ve got a serious situation.”
In February, an air ambulance pilot and a paramedic in Ontario sustained eye injuries when their helicopter was struck by a green laser. Anyone convicted of such an offence in Canada can face fines of up to CAD$100,000 and five years in prison.
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