Laser light disrupts IndiGo flight landing at Patna airport, flyers safe

Patna: Flyers of IndiGo's Pune-Patna flight had a narrow escape on Thursday evening when a sharp laser beam interfered with the pilot's vision during its landing approach at Jayprakash Narayan International Airport.
Flight 6E-653 was descending to touch down at Patna airport around 6.40pm, when it was struck by a DJ laser light, which temporarily disrupted the aircraft's stability. The pilot's quick response, however, ensured a safe landing at Patna airport. Subsequently, the aircraft departed for its next destination, Ahmedabad.
The airport officials have urged the local police to take strict action against individuals using laser beams near the airport premises. Airport and Phulwarisharif police reached the spot soon after receiving the information, and started an investigation to identify the source of the laser light.
Air Traffic Control officials said the pilots were momentarily blinded by the laser, raising alarms about the dangers posed by such actions. "It does not happen every day. Now that the wedding season has started, such incidents occur. There are marriage halls on Gola Road and surrounding areas. During weddings, they use DJ lights, which cause inconvenience to pilots," the officials told this newspaper.
Santosh Kumar, SHO of the airport police station, said that his team went in the direction of the light, searching for the source, but it couldn't be found yet. "The pilot knows from which area it came. We are trying to search for it," he said.