Ominous.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Laser pointed at plane
Thursday, December 30, 2004
John CanigliaPlain Dealer Reporter

The FBI wants to know who pointed a powerful laser into the cockpit of a commercial airliner Monday as it descended toward Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Agents say the green laser came from a Warrensville Heights neighborhood near Randall Park Mall as the plane traveled 300 mph at 8,500 to 10,000 feet. Pilots were not affected. The plane landed safely. The FBI refused to name the airline. But The Plain Dealer learned it was a Continental Airlines flight. A Continental representative referred calls to the FBI.

"We don't know if it was a prank or if someone was trying to do something illegal," said FBI agent Robert Hawk. "We just want to know what happened and why."

The case is the latest in a series of lasers pointed at planes and helicopters across the country. The FBI said several instances have been reported this year, though no planes were affected.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., Monday night, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights shined into their cockpits. Both the passenger plane and a cargo plane landed without problems.

A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers to blind pilots during landing approaches, the Associated Press reported.

Fred Szabo, commissioner of Hopkins, said a laser has been aimed at an aircraft in Cleveland at least once before, but he would not provide details.

The Federal Aviation Administration has found hundreds of cases in which lasers have been pointed at planes since 1997, according to an agency report. In April 2003, the FBI said in a report that lasers are being pointed at planes "at an alarming rate."

"Illumination by a laser beam at night can distract pilots and even cause fatalities if it occurs during a critical phase in the flight," the report said.

On Monday, the plane left Washington, D.C., for Cleveland. At 7:50 p.m., the pilot noticed the beam, which streamed into the cockpit, the FBI said. The plane was about 15 miles from Hopkins and well into its descent.

Authorities said simple lasers, such as those used in office presentations, usually aren't strong enough to be seen 10,000 feet above ground. But others used in construction surveying and the building trades are.

With the Internet, it is not difficult to find lasers to buy. One company peddles a product that tells consumers to use with "extreme caution, as people miles away will be able to see the beam and its origin."

Anyone with information on these incidents should call the FBI at 216-522-1400.