Authorities are investigating after the pilots of three different planes reported being hit by a laser originating from an area roughly 11 miles southeast of Dallas at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration revealed.
A plane from Southwest Airlines, one from Virgin America and a private business jet were affected by the beam, according to CBS DFW.
All three planes were flying at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,000 feet as they were en route to Dallas Love Field when the incidents occurred, FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford stated. The Southwest Airlines and Virgin America flights were coming from Austin.
A police helicopter was sent to search for the person responsible, but the source of the laser has yet to be discovered, according to NBC's Dallas affiliate KXAS-TV.
No one was injured during the incident, but pilots in the area say such occurrences are common, annoying and most of all - very dangerous.
"When it's nighttime, the lights in the cockpit are dim. We're trying to focus on exterior visual cues, which is the approach lights, the runway lights. And, instead, we are being blinded by this huge green light that's being shown in our cockpits," the pilot said. "It's not cool and it's really totally distracting."
An FBI campaign was launched last year targeting the illegal use of laser pointers to distract planes, reported the Associated Press. For three months the organization offered a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that led to the arrest of anyone who aimed a laser pointer at an aircraft.
Authorities at the time report that instances of such crimes have spiked since 2005, when federal officials began to record related statistics.
