Jet2 holiday flight to Newcastle Airport hit by laser

Sep 23 2010 by Kerry Wood, The Journal

A LASER pen was shone into the cockpit of an aircraft carrying more than 220 holidaymakers from the Mediterranean back to the North East.

Police are now trying to trace the culprits responsible for the potentially disastrous incident, which happened as the pilot of a commercial Jet2 airline was preparing to land the flight from Crete at Newcastle Airport.

Shining a light or laser at the cockpit of an aircraft can dazzle the pilot and cause a severe safety risk. It is believed a teenage boy could be involved after police responding to the pilot’s reports were also targeted by a laser light while flying the force helicopter in the area of Chester-le-Street in County Durham on September 15.

At about 10.15pm, an officer in the helicopter shared by the Northumbria and Durham forces reported spotted the beam of a laser pen being shone from a house.

Officers on the ground were called in and attended the scene in the village of Pelton Fell and a 17-year-old youth was arrested from a house in Howlett, Pelton Fell.