Lasers force 2 Coast Guard helicopters to land at LAX

Two Coast Guard helicopters were forced to land at Los Angeles International Airport in the last week after being flashed with laser beams, the latest of 63 such incidents reported near the airport so far this year and part of a growing problem nationwide.

Someone flashed a laser at a Coast Guard helicopter flying over San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach about 9 p.m. Thursday, forcing the crew to make a precautionary landing at LAX, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Adam Eggers.

Another Coast Guard helicopter was flashed with a laser late Tuesday afternoon while flying over Torrance. It also had to land.

In both incidents, crew members were grounded until a doctor cleared them to fly again. Aiming laser beams in pilots’ eyes is illegal and can cause temporary blindness.

Coast Guard helicopters usually are flashed with the high-powered beams about once a month, and crews have noticed it often happens when they fly over Torrance, Eggers said.

“We’re most concerned about the safety of our air crew,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Matthew Schofield. “Some people are shining a bright light and don’t know they’re doing something wrong, and some are doing it maliciously.”

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the aiming of high-powered beams at aircraft is a growing problem. They said the number of such cases has risen dramatically nationwide since the early 2000s.

The agency has logged 1,525 laser incidents this year, a big jump from the 283 reported in 2005.

“We don’t know if this is because more people are engaging in this type of dangerous behavior or whether pilots are more diligent in reporting these events,” said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

Last year, Dana Welch of Orange was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for aiming a green laser beam at airplanes as they tried to land at John Wayne Airport.

Dozens of others have been arrested across the country in recent years in similar incidents targeting law enforcement helicopters and airliners.

tony.barboza@latimes.com