2 years in prison to man who pointed lasers at planes, putting passengers in ‘incredible danger’
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“The laser strikes caused a major distraction in the cockpit as they were not able to look at their iPads to brief the new approach,” prosecutors said in a statement.
The pilots were eventually able to chart the new path and land safely, the statement said.
“The first officer did not suffer any disruption to his vision, but the captain said that vision in his right eye was affected for several hours after this event,” prosecutors said.
Air traffic control called a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft, which flew to River Falls. The State Patrol aircraft was also struck by a blue laser. The pilots spotted the suspect and worked with River Falls police, who found Link with a blue laser on his person.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge William Conley remarked on Link’s extensive criminal record, which included numerous domestic assaults. He also said the behavior was similar to a 2017 arrest when Link shined a flashlight in the eyes of the arresting officer.
“Judge Conley called aiming a laser at an aircraft incredibly dangerous and reckless, and in this case forced the Delta pilots to focus on their temporary blindness which put everyone on the aircraft in incredible danger,” the statement said.