'Dangerous, reckless': Man sentenced to two years in prison for aiming laser at Delta Airlines plane

For his dangerous manoeuvres of aiming a laser at a Delta Airlines aircraft, 43-year-old Nicholas James Link of Rochester city in the US state of Minnesota is sentenced to two years in prison, as per a press release by the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Wisconsin.

The incident happened on the night of 29 October 2021. Pilots with Delta Air Lines reported to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) that they had just been struck by a laser.

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The Airbus A319, at the time of the incident, was on a commercial flight from Raleigh-Durham to Minneapolis and was at an altitude of 9,000 feet just west of River Falls, Wisconsin.

Everything was business as usual until the cockpit was lit up three times by a blue laser. The aircraft which was on its way to MSP airport was instructed by air traffic control to change runways. However, the pilots could not look at this brief on their iPads as the laser strikes carried out by Link resulted in causing a major distraction to the pilots in the cockpit.

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Link pleaded guilty to this charge on January 12, 2023, as US District Judge William M. Conley announced his judgement of sentencing him to prison for two years.

The laser strikes did not lead to any untoward incident and the pilots were able to brief, make a transition to the new runway and safely land the aircraft, said the statement by the attorney's office.

Even though the first officer did not suffer any disruption to his vision, but the captain reportedly said that vision in his right eye was affected for several hours after this event.

Following the laser strikes, air traffic control rang up Minnesota State Patrol aircraft. The patrol aircraft then flew to River Falls to investigate into the matter.

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When the State Patrol pilots were circling the area at 3,500 feet, their aircraft was also struck by a blue laser. Later, with the aid of the aircraft’s surveillance gear, the team was able to identify the suspect.

To nab the suspect, the patrol aircraft kept an eye on him and informed the law enforcement personnel of his location. The police officers reached the location and took him in custody.

The defendant Link in his defence said that the laser strikes were not commonly known to have been dangerous. However, Judge Conley rejected his argument. Judge Conley added that these incidents are frequently reported in the news and therefore the danger is commonly known.

Judge Conley termed aiming a laser at an aircraft "incredibly dangerous and reckless."

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