AN INVESTIGATION is underway into an incident in which a Shannon- bound cargo flight was targeted by someone using a laser.
The incident was reported by air traffic controllers following a complaint from the crew of a flight on approach to Shannon on Thursday.
But it is not believed the laser targeted the flight from anywhere in county Clare or Limerick.
The TNT Airways flight TAY-1461 from Amsterdam was descending over Co Wexford when the crew reported a green laser had been pointed at their jet.
The incident happened at about 10.15pm as the British Aerospace 146 jet was south of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, from where the laser is believed to have originated.
The crew were in contact with air traffic controllers in Shannon at the time and reported the incident to them.
The pilot said the beam appeared to have come from a built-up area in the vicinity of Enniscorthy. Controllers contacted gardaí in Wexford and made a report to them.
The plane landed safely at Shannon with no injuries to the crew or damage to the plane. “The Irish Aviation Authority takes such incidents very seriously and reports dozens of incidents to the gardaí every year,” the Irish Aviation Authority said.
“Shining a laser at an aircraft can affect the safety of an aircraft, especially if the aircraft is at a critical phase, such as landing.
“While the majority of reported incidents have been found to have a low-safety impact, pilots have reported flash blindness, glare and being distracted from lasers.”
Last Sunday, a transatlantic flight turned around north of Donegal and returned to London Heathrow after one of the pilots was affected by a laser.
