LifeFlight crews talk on the tarmac at the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport in July. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

A LifeFlight crew was disrupted by a laser last week while flying back to their base in Sanford.

The light was pointed at the helicopter, which was flying at an altitude of about 2,000 feet around 7:45 p.m. on Nov. 11, according to LifeFlight of Maine, a nonprofit that provides emergency medical transportation. While the pilot was able to fly back safely, those flashes of light can temporarily blind the crew, who are often wearing night vision goggles, the company said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has monitored thousands of nationwide laser strikes, where someone points the beam at an aircraft. As of Sept. 30, a total of 8,863 incidents were reported to the agency, 24 of which happened in Maine. In 2023, the nationwide total was 13,304.

This is the fourth laser strike reported by a Maine LifeFlight pilot in two years, the company said.

Chief pilot Kirk Donovan said in a phone interview Friday that LifeFlight crews have learned to notify the team if they are lasered in flight. He said they are trained to start their warning by saying “don’t look outside” and then explaining the situation, to protect their eyes.

If the beam strikes the cockpit, he said it bounces off the windows and lights up the whole cabin. And night vision goggles can intensify light by about 200 times, Donovan said.

Pointing a laser at aircraft is a federal crime, punishable by a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. According to Maine law, pointing a laser at a uniformed law enforcement officer or injuring another person with a laser is a Class D crime.

While there are legal ramifications, Donovan said he’s more concerned about the safety of the crew and passengers.

“We may be carrying someone’s loved one,” he said. “Our cargo, our passengers are like gold to us. We want to make sure they’re taken care of.”