Aug. 22--The crew of an international charter flight descending into Kennedy Airport Tuesday evening reported the cockpit being hit by a green laser beam somewhere over Brookhaven Calabro Airport, police said.
Minutes later, the crew of a Suffolk County police helicopter dispatched to investigate also reported being hit by a laser in that area, police said.
Police said the crew of the police helicopter -- two officers and a civilian medical technician -- were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment after being hit by the laser, where they were treated and released.
The initial incident was reported by the crew of Sun Country Airlines Flight 8800, a chartered Boeing 737-800 from Reykjavik, Iceland, that records show arrived at Kennedy at 8:36 p.m. on a stop-over en route to Minneapolis. Police said the flight was descending from 12,000 feet when the incident occurred, and the crew notified air traffic controllers, who, in turn, notified the Federal Aviation Administration. T
he FAA then notified police of the incident at 8:34 p.m. -- and police said the police helicopter was en route at 8:36 p.m. when it reported being hit with the green laser beam.
It was not clear if anyone in the cockpit of the jet liner was injured by the incident.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been notified of the incident, police said.
Following the two incidents police also sent investigators to canvass the area near the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Flower Hill Drive in Shirley. The area is at the northwest corner of Brookhaven Airport. Police said a canine unit also was dispatched to the scene.
Police were unable to locate a suspect.
The incident is the latest in a series of laser-related incidents in Suffolk. In July, police said a 14-year-old from Brentwood aimed
a laser at the crew of a police helicopter. A pilot of a New York-bound JetBlue flight reported an eye injury after being hit with a laser over Suffolk. Earlier this week a teen was arrested after police said he aimed a laser at a Suffolk police Marine Unit on
patrol in Great South Bay.
Authorities nationwide have reported a growing number of dangerous laser incidents in recent years, noting the potential dangers include the potential for in-flight accidents.
In November 2009 a California man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of firing a laser beam at two jetliners descending into John Wayne Airport in 2008.
Copyright 2012 - Newsday
