Air ambulance crew member suffers eye injury in laser attack

The attack came on Friday evening (September 22) near Idle, as the crew was flying back to its base in Nostell, near Wakefield. YAA Technical Crew Member Alex Clark was struck in his eye by a laser that had been shone at the aircraft, leading to a burn on his cornea.

Clark is expected to make a full recovery. However, it’s understood to be the third laser attack suffered by the air ambulance in the space of a week after other incidents took place near Baildon and Wakefield.

YAA Chief Pilot Owen McTeggart emphasised the severe consequences of laser attacks on air ambulance operations: “If we get a laser attack while trying to land at the site of an incident, it means we cannot land, and the injured person on the ground doesn’t get the care that we are there to provide.

“It doesn’t take much for the eyes to be permanently damaged by a laser, and while the laser itself might not be a danger if it doesn’t contact the eyes, it is a massive distraction for the crew during a critical stage of flight and causes much distress.”

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police confirmed the incident in a statement, saying: “On 22 September at 19.35 police were contacted by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to report a laser being shone at the helicopter in the Idle area of Bradford.

“Officers have been made aware and are carrying out enquiries to identify the specific location and trace those responsible.

“Shining a laser at an aircraft can dazzle and distract the pilot and those caught committing such offences can face a prison sentence.”

Laws were tightened in 2018 so that anybody found guilty of shining lasers at aircraft or other modes of transport could face five years in prison and an unlimited fine.

McTeggart added: “A lot of it is ignorance to the implications it can have on our operations. And I’m sure most people who point a laser at a helicopter think it’s just a laugh and no harm is caused.

“But it can, in some cases, have life-changing consequences for the pilot, the crew, and if it’s an air ambulance under threat, the patient in the back whose life they are trying to save.”

Despite its crucial support to emergency services, YAA a charity that operates entirely on donations. It needs around £19,000 a day to support its two helicopters as they serve an area which covers a population of over 5 million people across Yorkshire.

Glenn Bradley, Head of Flight Operations at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the body responsible for regulating civil aviation in the UK, said: “Shining or directing lasers at aircraft is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. In the case of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, this could prevent people receiving vital medical assistance, as well as endangering the aircraft and crew. Anyone found guilty of shining a laser at an aircraft faces an unlimited fine or five-year prison sentence.”