Pilots have been blinded by lasers before and civilians have been arrested and sentenced to prison terms for this offense. It probably depends on the timing. The guy wielding the laser might have fortuitously hit the sweet spot, the critical moments during which any mistake would have caused an accident. A guy with 10,000 flying hours doesn't seem like someone who would crash an idiot-proof plane like a large commercial jet by accident. Yes, it was his first landing at SFO, but every pilot has a first time.
I am quite aware of what you say in your first sentence and I am still calling it B*ll-SH*T.
Your last sentence is the bell ringer. Every pilot has a first time at an airport new to them; sometimes they blow it, accidents happen.
There is no need to look for a conspiracy or evil intent here; not saying the allegation shouldn’t be checked out, but I have a hard time buying into it.
Just makes more sense, considering the circumstances and the timeing of the accident that the pilot is trying to cover his ass. Don’t blame him for the effort to duck and cover; it is his career and professional standing, an incident like this would put his lively hood in jeopardy.
Perhaps he saw a reflection off the water or some other object that distracted him but I don’t think he got hit by a laser, particularly a white laser.
Always think about the fact that this guy was relatively unfamiliar with this aircraft, it was a new airport to him and he gets paid to not get distracted.