The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after the crew of a National Guard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter reported being “illuminated” by a green laser about two miles from Hector International Airport in North Dakota.
FAA officials said the incident happened at about 9 p.m. local time on Thursday.
No injuries were reported, according to the agency.
The Army said the Black Hawk was being operated by the National Guard. (Roni Rekomaa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
FAA ‘PERMANENTLY RESTRICTING’ WASHINGTON HELICOPTER TRAFFIC AFTER FATAL MIDAIR COLLISION NEAR DC AIRPORT
The Army confirmed to Fox News Digital the aircraft was being operated by the National Guard.
FAA officials notified local authorities and will investigate.
The incident comes just more than a week after a tour helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey, on April 10, killing six people — including a pilot, two other adults and three children.
The crew on the Black Hawk helicopter reported being “illuminated” by a green laser. (US Army-Cap. Adan Cezarez)
6 DEAD, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN, AFTER HELICOPTER PLUMMETS INTO HUDSON RIVER
Elsewwere, in January, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with a passenger plane over the Potomac River during an Army “flight check,” killing 67 people. There were no survivors.
Since then, the FAA said it was “taking a series of steps” to improve safety near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Officials said they identified more than 15,000 instances of planes being alerted about helicopters in proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.
Crews retrieve the wreckage of American Airlines flight 5342 on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., after the plane was involved in a fatal collision with an Army Black Hawk on Jan. 29. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL INVESTIGATING SMALL PLANE CRASH, PILOT DEAD
The FAA announced in March it was permanently restricting non-essential helicopter operations around DCA, eliminating helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic, and permanently closing certain helicopter routes as recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Simultaneous use of certain runways was also prohibited, and the use of visual separation was limited to certain Coast Guard, Marines and Park Police helicopter operations outside restricted airspace.
The National Guard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
