A man charged with careless or negligent behaviour and endangering an aircraft and its passengers when he directed a laser beam at it this morning admitted to hitting an Air Malta plane with a laser beam.

However, but said he hit the aircraft on the tail and not the cockpit.

An Air Malta pilot recounted in court in October how a laser beam hit him in his eyes as an Air Malta flight from Frankfurt was coming in to land.

But accused David Camilleri said this morning he was showing his seven-year-old nephew some constellations south west of Malta when the plane crossed the beam.

A member of the Malta Astronomical Society, Mr Camilleri said he bought his laser, which had a three kilometre range, from Ebay for €10.

He said that the flight captain had told the court that he had blacked out when the beam hit the aircraft as he was over Mellieha.

This beam, Mr Camilleri argued, could not have been caused by his laser because at the time he was was nine and not three kilometres away from the plane.

Magistrate Carol Peralta said that he wanted an aviation expert to testify.

The case continues.