SYNOPSIS
The aircraft was on a scheduled passenger flight from Lille Airport, France (LFQQ), to Porto Airport, Portugal (LPPR). After an uneventful flight, the aircraft commenced a non-precision approach to runway (RWY) 35 at LPPR.
When the aircraft was established on the final approach, the Co-Pilot, who was Pilot Flying (PF), was distracted by a green laser light being shone towards the aircraft and raised his hand to protect his eyes. The Commander, who was Pilot Monitoring (PM), looked up and was struck in both eyes by the laser light. The Commander’s vision became temporarily impaired.
Due to the laser illumination, Flight Crew coordination was compromised, which led to the final descent being delayed and the approach becoming unstable. The Commander elected to carry out a missed approach. The aircraft subsequently landed on RWY 17 without further incident. There were no injuries.
