BOSTON - A Northwest Airlines pilot reported being targeted by a bright green laser beam as the jetliner approached Logan Airport on Saturday night.
Air traffic controllers rerouted later flights away from the area, described by the pilot as seven miles southeast of the airport.
The pilot of the Boeing 757 radioed air traffic controllers about 10:25 p.m., notifying them that "we're being painted by a laser" that beamed a strong green light into the cockpit. Northwest Flight 170, which originated in Minneapolis, landed safely and the pilot reported no injuries.
It was the fifth laser-related incident reported in Logan airspace since early 2005, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.
Pilots have reported more than 900 laser incidents since late 2004, according to the FAA. All of the flights landed safely, although at least one pilot reported retinal damage.
"It can affect the flight crew," Peters said.
Controllers are required to notify Federal Aviation Administration headquarters when pilots report laser intrusions into cockpits. The reports are passed on to federal law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution under the Patriot Act.
In 2004, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security alerted law enforcement groups that terrorists have shown an interest in using laser beams to try to bring down planes.
"In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and copilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," the bulletin stated.
Other recent incidents have been described as dangerous pranks involving hand-held lasers available for sale to the public.
In January 2005, federal authorities charged a Parsippany, N.J., man with pointing a laser beam at a jet and a helicopter near the Teterboro Airport.
David Banach, 38, was charged under the Patriot Act with interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
On June 3, two 17-year-olds were charged with pointing a laser at a medical helicopter and a Northwest flight near the Boise, Idaho, airport. The helicopter pilot used a global positioning system to locate the source of the beam and guided police to the home.
And on June 25, police arrested a Tulsa, Okla., man after he pointed a laser from his car at a police helicopter. A high-intensity green laser was found inside his car, police said.
The most recent previous incident near Logan occurred Feb. 9, when a privately owned Bell Helicopter reported it had been marked by a laser eight miles southwest of the airport while traveling at 500 feet.
Aircraft traveling at higher altitudes also have been affected by apparent laser beams, even in broad daylight.
At 11 a.m. Feb. 13, 2005, a U.S. Airways pilot reported two white flashes in the cockpit of a Boeing 737 at 22,500 feet in an area southwest of Logan, Peters said.
In Saturday's incident, the Northwest pilot estimated that the incident occurred at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet as the jet was descending seven miles southeast of the airport. He told controllers the beam originated about one mile east of a large fireworks display.
