A laser beam was aimed into the cockpit of an Air Canada passenger jet several times on Wednesday, leaving police on a challenging search for the culprit.
The flight's pilots reported the laser flashes while they were arriving at Pearson International Airport this morning.
"We just had two green laser hits," one of the pilots can be heard saying in radio communication between the plane and the airport. "(They came from) about three blocks east of where (Highway) 400 meets (Highway) 401."
The pilots later report receiving three more flashes from the green laser.
Lasers are distracting to pilots, having the ability to blind them at a critical time in the flight.
Aviation expert Phyl Durdey compares a laser's impact to that of very bright flash photography.
"You know what it's like after you get your picture taken -- It distorts your vision," he told CP24 on Wednesday. "A laser beam can go anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 feet."
Police say they get several reports of lasers flashes each year. Aiming a laser at an airplane is a criminal offense, although it's very hard to track down the culprit because pinpointing the exact source of the laser from the air is nearly impossible.
Transport Canada says one arrest was made in connection laser flashing in the country when a 29-year-old Calgary man was found guilty of flashing a laser under the Aeronautics Act and fined $1,000 last summer.
