Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt announced today that the FAA will begin to impose civil penalties against people who point a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft.
“Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke. These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it impossible to safely land the aircraft, jeopardizing the safety of the passengers and people on the ground,” said FAA Administrator Babbitt.
This year, pilots have reported more than 1,100 incidents nationwide of lasers being pointed at aircraft. Laser event reports have steadily increased since the FAA created a formal reporting system in 2005 to collect information from pilots. Reports rose from nearly 300 in 2005 to 1,527 in 2009 and 2,836 in 2010.
In 2010, Los Angeles International Airport recorded the highest number of laser events in the country for an individual airport with 102 reports, and the greater Los Angeles area tallied nearly twice that number, with 201 reports. So far this year, LAX has recorded 30 laser events.
Legislation that would criminalize purposefully aiming a laser device at an aircraft is currently pending in Congress. The Senate included this language in the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which it passed on 17 Feb 2011. On 28 Feb, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would enact a similar penalty for shining lasers at aircraft. Both bills are awaiting further action.
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| How a laser affects a pilot's vision. [Source: FAA] |
"When the laser hits the plexiglass windshield, it refracts the light and fills the cockpit with laser light, causing disorientaiton or temporary blindness. It has caused long term damage to some pilots," said Sergeant Morrie Zager, a helicopter pilot assigned to Sheriff's Aero Bureau. "This is a serious matter. The pilot's disorientation could cause loss of control of the aircraft."
Another person who pointed a laser at a sheriff's helicopter was arrested this past week. In the past seven months, helicopter pilots and Aero Bureau aircraft from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had lasers pointed at them six times while in flight. Four suspects have been arrested.
The most recent incident occurred on Tuesday night, 26 April, at 10:47 p.m.
Sheriff's deputy pilots flying a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s helicopter reported to deputies on the ground that a person in a car near the Interstate 5 freeway and Rosemead Boulevard was pointing a laser at them.
Pico Rivera Sheriff's Station deputies immediately responded and stopped the car which was traveling south on the 605 freeway. The occupants of the car, including a 16-year old Asian male resident of Los Alamitos who pointed the laser at the aircraft, were detained by deputies. A green laser pen light was found in the juvenile's possession. The suspect admitted that he shined the light at the sheriff's helicopter as it was flying overhead.
The suspect was arrested and transported to Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station. He was later released to his parents and ordered to appear in juvenile court to face the felony charge.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported by either the sheriff's helicopter pilot or the tactical flight deputy.
During previous incidents, pilots have been so distracted or disoriented by laser lights, they have had to land, cancel landings, or take evasive action resulting in not being able to help the public, in order to ensure the safety of flight crews and people on the ground.
Sheriff's deputies, police officers and all law enforcement ask that for the safety of the pilots and people on the ground, if you see someone point a laser at an aircraft, immediately call 9-1-1 and report it.
– c. Federal Aviation Administration, Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department; p. R. Nelson
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