Wiltshire Air Ambulance subjected to laser attack

Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA) had been called to a medical emergency at 21:42 hrs on Sunday 10 April, and was approaching the village of Combe Down, southeast of the city of Bath, when a green laser beam was repeatedly shone in the direction of their Bell 429 helicopter.

Both the Pilot and one of the Critical Care Paramedics sustained headaches and impaired vision due to the glare of the laser, and the crew was unable to land at the scene of the incident, eventually aborting their landing and returning to base.

“This laser attack has had a real impact, endangering multiple lives,” said WAA Chief Pilot Matt Wilcock. “We were unable to tend to a patient in peri-arrest. This is a crucial moment where our critical care paramedics are able to intervene before the patient goes into full cardiac arrest.”

“The incident also affected our aircrew, meaning we were unable to continue flying for the rest of the shift, with a potential knock-on effect for other patients. We are grateful to the South Western Ambulance Service for continuing to support the patient and the local Police, who themselves have recently suffered from laser attacks to their own helicopter,” he added.

Following WAA’s aborted mission, the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust sent an Operations Officer and a double-crewed land ambulance to the site of the incident and conveyed the patient to the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

Laser attacks are a serious crime which can endanger lives

Laser attacks on aircraft are a criminal offence in the UK, and carries a penalty of an unlimited fine, or a prison sentence of up to five years. Despite this, WAA’s helicopter was targeted four times by laser attacks in 2020, with another occurrence reported in 2021.

Avon & Somerset Police inspector Ruth Gawler said: “Shining a laser at any aircraft seriously endangers the lives of those inside it as well as people on the ground. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to phone police on 101 and tell the call handler they’re phoning in relation to log 1134 of 10 April.”

The crime is also a growing problem in the US, where the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received 9,723 reports of laser strikes from pilots in 2021 – its highest annual number on record – despite similarly severe legal consequences. One man was convicted earlier this month of a laser strike on a Philadelphia police helicopter, receiving a year in prison and a US$1,000 fine.