Laser pointed at Air Force cargo plane in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Authorities in North Carolina say someone pointed a laser at a military cargo plane as it approached an airport.

Citing air traffic control audio, news outlets report the green laser hit the left side of a U.S. Air Force C-17 cockpit that was 12 miles (19 kilometres) north of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on Thursday night. The aircraft was about 3,000 feet (914 metres) in the air at the time.

Officials have not made any arrests. Pointing a laser at a plane is a felony that can carry a five-year prison term, but it’s typically hard to identify suspects in these cases. The pilots were not blinded in this instance.