A troubling aviation safety incident shared by meteorologist James Spann is drawing attention across the region after a pilot reported someone shining a green laser into his cockpit while flying at night near the Georgia-Alabama border.

According to information shared from Jonathan Womelsdorf, his son was flying back from eastern Tennessee when the incident happened. Womelsdorf said the aircraft was over the Georgia-Alabama state line when someone began shining a green laser into the cockpit in an apparent attempt to blind the pilot.

The coordinates shared from the aircraft place the incident in Chattooga County, Georgia, just outside Summerville, near the Teloga area. 

The pilot reported the incident to air traffic control in Atlanta and was able to make it back safely to Pell City Airport. According to the post, Atlanta controllers told him that shining a laser at an aircraft is a felony offense if the person responsible is caught.

Womelsdorf also urged parents to be aware if their children are outside playing with green lasers, warning that what may seem harmless can create a very dangerous situation for pilots. He said lasers aimed at aircraft can interfere with a pilot’s vision and “can actually bring a plane down.”

Aviation officials stress that laser strikes are especially dangerous at night, when even a brief flash can distract, disorient, or temporarily blind a pilot during critical moments of flight.