Coast Guard<\/a> helicopter crew was forced to cut a training mission short after they were targeted by someone with a laser near Port Angeles Monday night.<\/p>\nThe MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was airborne when a laser was shined at them around 6:30 p.m, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return immediately to Air Station Port Angeles, where they landed safely.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported, but all crew members are grounded until they are cleared by medical personnel as laser strikes can cause permanent eye damage.<\/p>\n
During nighttime missions, laser beams can also cause temporary loss of night vision, glaring and flash blindness, putting the crew members’ lives in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
“The public should report this type of incident to local law enforcement,” said Lt. Cmdr. Greg Lynch, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot at Air Station Port Angeles. “A laser can be just as dangerous as shooting a gun in bringing down an aircraft and crew. Unless they are held accountable, offenders may never learn that their actions are extremely dangerous and illegal.”<\/p>\n
Coast Guard<\/a> personnel are working with local law enforcement to investigate the incident. Anyone with possible information regarding the incident is asked to please contact the Coast Guard Investigative Service at 360-417-5823.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ANGELES, Wash. \u2014 A Coast Guard helicopter crew was forced to cut a training mission short after they were targeted by someone with a laser near Port Angeles Monday night. The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was airborne when a laser was shined at them around 6:30 p.m, forcing the crew to abort the mission […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5409,"featured_media":59029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Coast Guard Helicopter Grounded Due to Laser Incident - Breaking911<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n