Narrative:

All the media attention on laser beams has caused me to recall an exposure a couple months ago. The date I am attributing this to is a guess since it is one of my few night flts into lax. I was on about a 5 mi final to lax and noticed a beam emitting from the ground about 1/2 mi south. It was focused on my side window and I looked at it a couple times trying to determine its origin. I did not think to report it to the tower and continued to an uneventful landing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised the light was green in color and flashed into the cockpit several times over the space of a small but unspecified period of time. The beam had been visible prior to it entering the cockpit window. Reporter has recently visited a laser qualified vision specialist md for a complete examination out of concern resulting from the incident. The md advised reporter's eye condition appeared unaffected and normal in all respects. Reporter was interested to note it is odd that only flight crews have mentioned the laser activity, thinking that the odds are great that such activity would also have entered the passenger cabin at least as regularly as it has the cockpit just by happenstance due to the difficulties of aiming that precisely at as small a target as a cockpit window of a target moving 150 KTS. Reporter wonders if devices able to track this precisely might not have to be more sophisticated in aiming methodology than the average commercial laser.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CAPT OF B737-800 RPTS INCIDENT OF LASER LIGHT AIMED AT THE COCKPIT FROM THE GND ON FINAL APCH TO LAX.

Narrative: ALL THE MEDIA ATTN ON LASER BEAMS HAS CAUSED ME TO RECALL AN EXPOSURE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. THE DATE I AM ATTRIBUTING THIS TO IS A GUESS SINCE IT IS ONE OF MY FEW NIGHT FLTS INTO LAX. I WAS ON ABOUT A 5 MI FINAL TO LAX AND NOTICED A BEAM EMITTING FROM THE GND ABOUT 1/2 MI S. IT WAS FOCUSED ON MY SIDE WINDOW AND I LOOKED AT IT A COUPLE TIMES TRYING TO DETERMINE ITS ORIGIN. I DID NOT THINK TO RPT IT TO THE TWR AND CONTINUED TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THE LIGHT WAS GREEN IN COLOR AND FLASHED INTO THE COCKPIT SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE SPACE OF A SMALL BUT UNSPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME. THE BEAM HAD BEEN VISIBLE PRIOR TO IT ENTERING THE COCKPIT WINDOW. RPTR HAS RECENTLY VISITED A LASER QUALIFIED VISION SPECIALIST MD FOR A COMPLETE EXAM OUT OF CONCERN RESULTING FROM THE INCIDENT. THE MD ADVISED RPTR'S EYE CONDITION APPEARED UNAFFECTED AND NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS. RPTR WAS INTERESTED TO NOTE IT IS ODD THAT ONLY FLT CREWS HAVE MENTIONED THE LASER ACTIVITY, THINKING THAT THE ODDS ARE GREAT THAT SUCH ACTIVITY WOULD ALSO HAVE ENTERED THE PAX CABIN AT LEAST AS REGULARLY AS IT HAS THE COCKPIT JUST BY HAPPENSTANCE DUE TO THE DIFFICULTIES OF AIMING THAT PRECISELY AT AS SMALL A TARGET AS A COCKPIT WINDOW OF A TARGET MOVING 150 KTS. RPTR WONDERS IF DEVICES ABLE TO TRACK THIS PRECISELY MIGHT NOT HAVE TO BE MORE SOPHISTICATED IN AIMING METHODOLOGY THAN THE AVERAGE COMMERCIAL LASER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.