The L.A. Files

On a balmy night in the skies above Los Angeles, a United Airlines pilot dips his 737 into descent. All systems running smoothly. Altitude 13,000 feet.

But at 11:10 p.m., it happens. As the jet approaches Ontario Airport, the pilot is blinded by a burning beam of light. It’s apparently a laser, intensely green, fired into the cockpit from an unknown source below. With the pilot recoiling, his vision briefly blurred, the co-pilot lands the plane and its 99 passengers, all uninjured, all unaware of what went on.

The incident, on April 16, 1997, is reported, investigated, then largely forgotten.

Until three months later, when it happens again.

Same airline. Same airport. Same hour of the evening. This time a bright red beam rakes the cabin, then dances in the cockpit, tracking the plane like a “Star Wars”-style antiaircraft gun.

There’s another report. Another investigation without results. “We’re stumped,” says Bob Crispin, the air safety investigator who looked into both cases for the National Transportation Safety Board. The federal government does not take laser matters lightly. Laser sales are closely monitored and use permits are required. In these two cases, Crispin has ruled out common laser sources such as concerts, light shows and promotional events. He’s also scratched Martians off the list. “It appears to be someone around here engaged in some sort of illegal activity,” he says.

Investigators have also looked into a case near Las Vegas in which a Southwest 737 was bombarded by an ultra-bright light, possibly the laser atop the Luxor hotel and casino. But, as in Ontario, the mystery remains unsolved.