VIDALIA, Ga. (AP) – The FBI is searching for someone who pointed a laser at a military aircraft in March.
Investigators are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible.
The FBI says that around 9:50 a.m. on March 9, a U.S. Air Force aircraft was deliberately struck by a high-powered laser for about one minute. The laser caused temporary eye damage to a member of the flight crew on the aircraft, which was approaching the Savannah Air National Guard Base.
Investigators believe the laser strike originated from an area northeast of Vidalia.
When aimed at an aircraft, investigators said a beam of light from a laser can travel more than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, disorienting and temporarily blinding pilots.