Laser strikes on aircraft hit record pace
Laser strikes on planes are growing even as the federal government enacts
tougher penalties for people caught shining the devices.
From Wednesday
night through Thursday morning, federal authorities fielded reports of 20 laser
strikes on aircraft, adding to an already record-breaking number of strikes this
year.
The Federal Aviation Administration recorded 5,352 laser strikes
through Oct. 16, up from 2,837 for all of 2010. Such strikes can temporarily
blind pilots at critical times when they are taking off and landing. People
convicted of pointing a laser at a plane can be sentenced to 20 years in prison
and a $250,000 fine.
Pilots and airports reported three laser strikes in
the New York City area to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jet crews
landing at Dallas Love Field reported another three. Other airports reporting
strikes included Jamestown, N.Y.; Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Palm Springs
and Ontario, Calif.; Covington and Danville, Ky.; Salt Lake City; Albuquerque;
Detroit; St. Petersburg, Fla., Springfield, Ill., and San Juan, Puerto
Rico.
"None of the pilots reported injuries," Lynn Lunsford, an FAA
spokeswoman, said. "Nevertheless, shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal
crime that the U.S. vigorously pursues."
Some airports have reported more
than 100 laser strikes this year: Los Angeles had 197; Phoenix had 183; Houston
had 151; Las Vegas had 132, and Dallas-Fort Worth had 115.
On July 15,
during a 90-minute period, 11 airliners and one military aircraft reported laser
strikes near New York City-area airports. Those incidents remain under
investigation by the FAA, FBI and New Jersey state police.
In 2011, the
FAA began imposing civil penalties on people who pointed lasers at planes. Then,
the maximum fine was $11,000. Congress upped the penalties in 2012 and made it a
federal crime to point lasers at an aircraft. From February 2012 through 2013,
the FAA investigated 152 cases and took action in 96.
Sen. Chuck Schumer,
D-N.Y., urged the Food and Drug Administration in June to ban the sale of
high-powered, long-range lasers, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to
buy. His recommendation came after five flights were targeted heading to New
York's JFK Airport.
The Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing
50,000 pilots, has worked with the FAA and FBI on educational campaigns to
discourage people from pointing lasers at planes, including the phrase "Don't
let a prank lead to prison."
"We will need to do more to fully engage in
a solution that combines education, reporting, enforcement and technology to
protect North American air transportation," association President Tim Canoll
said.
The latest incidents included Chopper 4 of New York's NBC affiliate
while it flew over Prospect Heights. The helicopter pinpointed the source of the
laser from 1,500 feet, and police detained two people, the station reported. The
helicopter for New York's ABC affiliate was struck near Newark airport, and the
FBI had a suspect in custody, the station reported.
The Dallas incidents
involved a Southwest Airlines jet, a Virgin America jet and a private business
jet, each about 11 miles southeast of the city and flying about 3,000 to 4,000
feet in the air, the FAA said
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