Washington ( CNN ) -- A U.S. Coast Guard chopper responding to a possibly distressed boater off the South Carolina coast was forced to make an emergency landing when the pilot was temporarily blinded by a laser , the service said . The scare on Wednesday near Garden City Beach was the third time in as many weeks that Coast Guard pilots in that area , called the Grand Strand , have reported being disabled by sharp laser light . `` We 've been very fortunate that the green laser incidents have n't yet resulted in tragedy , '' Coast Guard Cmdr . Gregory Fuller of Air Station Savannah said in a statement . In the latest incident , the chopper responded to reports of orange flares offshore . Following the emergency landing , another crew took over and continued the search . No distressed boater or any evidence of flares were found , the Coast Guard said . The Coast Guard is working with police to try to find out who is responsible . The pilot in this case was grounded for 24 hours before being cleared to fly again . It is unclear what type of laser might have been used in this case . But reports by commercial and private pilots of laser incidents nationally have jumped in recent years as hand-held technology has become readily available and easily used . Aviation safety officials and law enforcement are trying to curb the activity and are stepping up prosecutions . Phony Mayday calls vexing Coast Guard . Coast Guard officials have deemed the Grand Strand area of the South Carolina coast where pilots have reported lasers as very high risk , and now require crews to consider the possibility of a laser scenario before responding to a distress call . `` Every time we send our aircrews to the Grand Strand , we 're telling them to fly into the equivalent of a storm , where it 's almost guaranteed they 'll be hit , '' Fuller said . `` We 're simply asking the public to stop putting Coast Guard men and women in senseless and unnecessary danger . '' It is a problem becoming all too frequent for pilots . The number of reported laser incidents involving aircraft in the United States has risen 26 % from 2,836 in 2010 to 3,592 in 2011 . It has more than doubled since 2009 . `` Shining a laser at an airplane is not a laughing matter . It 's dangerous for both pilots and passengers , and we will not tolerate it , '' Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in May . FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta has said federal authorities will `` aggressively '' prosecute violators under a new law that makes laser targeting a federal crime , and will not treat incidents with warning notices or counseling . The FAA and the Justice Department are pushing for stiffer penalties against those responsible for targeting aircraft . Since June last year , the FAA has started enforcement action against 28 people charged with aiming a laser device at an aircraft and has opened `` dozens of additional cases '' for investigation , the agency said . Dealing with these incidents on top of an increase in false mayday calls have frustrated Coast Guard officials . `` The biggest downfall is that their night vision is ruined , and they 're flying blind . It 's dangerous for the pilots and the crew . Their lives and the lives of the crew are at risk , '' Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr . Jamie Fredrick told CNN . CNN 's Jim Barnett contributed to this report .
The Coast Guard chopper was alerted to reports of activity off South Carolina coast . Temporarily the pilot makes a safe emergency landing , no distressed boater reported . There have been multiple laser incidents targeting Coast Guard pilots in recent weeks .