The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has issued a safety plea and urged the public’s assistance in identifying the individual responsible for targeting one of their helicopter crews with a laser. The incident occurred while the helicopter was responding to an emergency call last December.
The pilot of the air ambulance was hit by the laser while on a life-saving mission. This reckless act could have dire consequences, as the EAAA has warned that similar incidents, under extreme circumstances, may compel them to abandon critical missions altogether.
On December 27, 2023, at 2:30 AM, EAAA crew members captured video footage of a laser being directed at their aircraft while attending a medical emergency near Attleborough, just outside of Norwich. In a bid to hold those responsible accountable, the EA has released the footage to the public.
The charity, which provides round-the-clock life-saving critical care services to Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire, emphasizes that shining a light at an aircraft in flight is a criminal offence.
Captain Seb Powderham, representing EAAA’s aviation partner, Babcock International Group, stated, “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 take evasive action, adjust cockpit lighting, or even abandon missions if they are targeted by lasers. Such incidents could lead to delays in providing urgent out-of-hospital critical care to individuals experiencing life-threatening medical emergencies, putting lives at risk.
Norfolk Police has received seven reports of laser incidents in the Attleborough area since 2021. PC Dion Phillips of Norfolk Police appealed to the local community for assistance, saying, “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.”
The EAAA and law enforcement authorities are determined to prevent such incidents from endangering lives and are urging anyone with information to come forward and assist in bringing the culprits to justice.
