City police are investigating after a complaint from North Bay's Jack Garland Airport around 9 p.m. Wednesday night.
A laser light was directed at an aircraft during a landing approach. Laser attacks can temporarily blind the pilot, putting all the people on board the aircraft at serious risk.
The plane was several hundred feet off the ground approaching the airstrip when it was targetted by the laser.
The landing was made safely.
Police say the laser appeared to come from the residential area geographically close to the airport, however, the exact origin could not be determined.
Police are warning that you could be charged criminally or under the Aeronautics Act.
You cannot possess a laser pointer over 1mW outside your home within a 10-kilometre radius of an airport or a certified heliport, which would cover most of the built-up area of North Bay.
Aiming a laser at an aircraft in Canada is a federal offence.
If you are convicted of intentionally interfering with an aircraft by using a laser, you could face one or both of:
- up to $100,000 in fines
- up to five years in prison
See: Use hand-held lasers legally and safely
In 2017, there were nearly 400 reported laser strikes on aircraft in Canada.
If anyone has any information that could assist, police ask that you contact North Bay Police or Crime Stoppers.
