Helicopter danger for second night

It's a dangerous situation in the skies.

For the second night in a row, someone shined a bright laser into the cockpit of Erie County's Air One Helicopter.

The Sheriff's Office said it happened near Women and Children's Hospital and the suspects got away.

But Thursday night, three men suspected of the same prank did not.

It's a stunt that could have been disastrous.

Three men are accused of shining lasers into the cockpits of approaching aircraft.

A laser device emitting a green beam, has landed three Buffalo men in hot water.

"It was considered to be a commercial grade laser," said Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard.

Forty-two-year-old Timothy Voight, his 20-year-old son Eric, and 28-year-old Bradley Campbell face felony reckless endangerment charges.

"It appears that this is just something that they were doing for kicks," said Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson.

Authorities say a Fed Ex flight was lasered while landing at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, Thursday night.

An extremely dangerous situation, pilots say.

"Definitely could've brought down an aircraft," said Captain Kevin Caffery of the Erie County Sheriff's Office.

When Air One, the Erie County Sheriff's helicopter responded, it too, was lasered six times.

"It was almost like a lightning strike. We could see the laser coming towards us. It lit up the entire aircraft," Caffery said.

For a period of time, air traffic was diverted to a different runway.

Meanwhile, Chief Pilot Caffery, a flight officer and a member of the Buffalo Police Mobile Response Unit were able to get a ground position on the suspects.

They were arrested at a house on Griswold Street in the city.

"They seemed to be standing in the backyard near a pool and pointing it up at the aircraft and following the aircraft as it flew by," said Caffery.

Authorities say they plan to interview the pilot of the Fed Ex plane, who first notified the tower about being lasered.

"Right now this crime is being reviewed by the FAA and the FBI, with possibility of additional federal charges be lodged against these perpetrators," said Gipson.

Captain Caffery says laser incidents are becoming more of a problem across the nation, and here in Buffalo.

"Buffalo air traffic control told me they had a problem all this week with laser incidents. As far as how many, I'm not sure," said Caffery.