Pope Francis' Plane Hit by Laser Beam Over Mexico City
Lasers can flash-blind pilots, potentially putting their planes at risk.
— -- Pope Francis' plane was struck by a laser beam as it approached Mexico City International Airport last Friday, Alitalia airlines said today.
The captain, Massimiliano Marselli, alerted air traffic control, "which is standard procedure," according to Alitalia, which operated the papal charter plane.
No one on the flight, Alitalia 4000, was harmed, and the plane landed without incident, the airline said.
Several other pilots in the area also reported laser strikes.
Lasers beamed at the cockpit can flash-blind pilots, potentially putting their planes -- and passengers -- at risk.
ABC News' Erin Dooley, Jeffrey Cook and Jon Williams contributed to this report.
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.
