Kolkata, Aug. 9 -- A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 159 passengers and seven cabin crew members was forced to circle over Kolkata after its pilots were briefly disoriented by a laser beam while approaching the city airport late on Saturday night.
The incident occurred when Malaysia Airlines flight MH-184, operating from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata, was about eight nautical miles from the runway at around 11:20 pm. The pilots reportedly saw a bright laser beam flashing into the cockpit from the Madhyamgram-Barasat direction while preparing to land at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
The sudden glare reportedly affected the pilots' vision and temporarily disrupted their ability to maintain their orientation towards the r...