The incident took place on February 23.
Landing is considered one of the trickiest parts of any flight. Pilots are perhaps at their most alert before touchdown to ensure the plane makes safe and proper contact with the runway. But what if a pilot is distracted at this critical moment or his vision is obscured by improper lighting outside? That’s exactly what happened with an IndiGo pilot recently while landing in Kolkata.
Momentarily blinded by laser lights
In an alarming incident on February 23, the pilot of an IndiGo flight between Bengaluru and Kolkata was blinded momentarily during his landing approach when a powerful laser beam penetrated the cockpit. The incident occurred on IndiGo flight 6E223, which has a scheduled arrival in Kolkata at 19:30, well after sunset.
Coincidentally, this happened a week after the Kolkata Airport Environment Management Committee held a meeting on the issue of laser lights around the airport premises, according to The Indian Express.
Friday’s flight was carrying 165 passengers and six crew members and took place when the aircraft was very close to the runway. Thankfully, the pilot was able to land the plane safely, and his complaint was later forwarded to the police station in charge of the airport.
The problem around Kolkata airport
Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is a major airport in India, connected by many domestic and international flights. But there are many wedding and party venues around it that often use flashy lights and drones for celebration, even though current rules dictate that laser lights are banned within 18.5 km of the airport area and drones within 12km. The Indian Express quotes a senior airport official as saying,
Each time the Air Traffic Control (ATC) gets an informal complaint from a pilot, we alert the local police station and they visit the place and stop the use of laser lights, which takes time. Hence the Bidhannagar police commissionerate and airport police station have been told that if anyone seeks permission to use laser lights or drones, they should be asked to get the nod from the airport authority
Not an isolated incident
Pilots getting distracted while landing in Kolkata is nothing new. In 2022, the cockpit crew members of a SpiceJet Dash 8-Q400 had some tense moments before landing when a kite struck its windshield. The aircraft was rapidly descending toward the airport when the pilots spotted kites in the air. As the captain alerted the ATC about the situation, a kite struck the windshield, temporarily distracting the pilots at such a crucial moment.
In 2021, three pilots complained in October during the popular religious festival of Durga Puja that the laser light from a temporary structure modeled after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa affected their ability to concentrate during the landing. Hopefully, the authorities will take strict action after the latest incident.
Source https://simpleflying.com/laser-lights-obscure-indigo-pilots-vision-before-landing-in-kolkata/