Laser shone at rescue helicopter in Dublin

The helicopter left Dublin Airport for the seas off the Co Wicklow coast at about 09.30 on 22 August, following a call from Dublin’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

As the aircraft took off from the airport, what has been described by the Irish coastguard as ‘a high-intensity green laser’ was beamed directly at the helicopter’s cockpit, inhibiting the crew’s visibility for a time.

Despite the laser incident, the helicopter continued with its mission to assist in the search for a sailor who was reported to have fallen overboard from a container ship some 16 miles off the Wicklow coast.

Aircraft targeted a second time

The rescued man was then winched onto the coastguard helicopter for transportation to hospital in Dublin city. However, as the CHC S-92 helicopter made its approach back towards Dublin Airport, the aircraft was targeted by the laser beam for a second time.

Despite this, the crew managed to safely land back at base at Dublin where the rescued man was transferred to hospital. The Irish Aviation Authority has confirmed it is assisting the Irish police with their ongoing investigations.

This isn’t the first time an air ambulance was targeted by a laser. Last year, for example, a British Columbia air ambulance flight over Vancouver Island was targeted by what Transport Canada described as a ‘deliberate and ongoing laser strike’.