The Federal Aviation Administration saw the highest-ever number of laser incidents targeting aircrafts last year, and preliminary numbers show the agency is on track to meet – or possibly surpass – the record-breaking 2021 by the end of this year.
Not only is shining a laser at an airplane dangerous, as it could blind or distract the pilots, it is also a federal crime punishable by an $11,000 fine per incident. Violators can also face additional penalties from state and local authorities; the maximum penalty for aiming a laser at an aircraft is five years in prison.
Last year, the FAA recorded 9,723 laser incidents involving aircraft, a 41% increase from 6,852 in 2020. The FAA issued $120,000 in fines for laser-related incidents in 2021, which marked “the highest reported number of incidents ever.”
“Laser strikes on aircraft remain a serious threat to aviation safety. Intentionally aiming lasers at aircrafts poses a safety threat to pilots and violates federal law,” the FAA says in part. “Many high-powered lasers can incapacitate pilots flying aircraft that may be carrying hundreds of passengers.”
As of March 31, the FAA had recorded 2,276 laser violations, up from 1,946 in the same time frame last year, representing a nearly 17% increase in the first three months of 2022 compared to the first three months of 2021.
California, Texas and Florida led the country with the most reports of lasers targeting aircrafts last year at 1,556, 1,030 and 630 incidents, respectively. California so far is topping the list again with around 418 reports in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 248 from Texas and just 136 from Florida.
There have been more than 67,000 reports of lasers pointed at aircraft between 2010 – 2021, with numbers rising almost consecutively each year of the decade.
Lasers aimed at planes and helicopters have been a safety concern for more than a decade despite jail sentences for people who get caught. Authorities have tried rewards for turning in perpetrators and legislation making it easier to prosecute them.
Authorities say the problem is made worse by the availability of cheap laser pointers and devices getting more powerful.
While the incidents may not be maliciously intended, officials take every case seriously. Last year, an Alabama man was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for aiming a laser at a helicopter that was helping the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency in a nighttime operation to recover stolen firearms on April 11, 2020.
This year, authorities in Seattle have recorded a “dramatic increase of laser incidents involving arriving commercial aircraft” at the SeaTac airport, and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the person or people behind the incidents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
