Laser beams disrupt pilot’s vision during landing at Kolhapur airport

Kolhapur: A pilot of a private airline carrying 69 passengers, from New Mumbai to Kolhapur, struggled when laser beam projections obstructed vision and focus on Tuesday night at 8.25 pm, just when the aircraft was about to land at the Kolhapur airport.This is the second such instance reported in less than a month. Earlier, a pilot of an airplane flying from Ahmedabad to Belagavi reported laser beam interference.Kolhapur airport director Anil Shinde said, "The plane was about to land at the airport when the laser beams projected from the surface into the sky obstructed the pilot's vision. The source, according to the primary investigation, was around 15km to the northwest of the airport. The plane landed safely. We have informed the district administration about the incident, seeking required action."Gajanan Gurav, the resident district collector, said he had immediately asked the police to find out the source and ensure such laser beams are not used in the funnel zone of the airport. The police are yet to trace the exact source of the laser beam projection."We are going to request district authorities to implement prohibitive measures to avoid such instances from happening. People should be aware that such laser beam projections may cause untoward incidents, and risk air passenger safety," Shinde said.