This is something that has been a problem for a while, but seems to be getting worse every year. In ever increasing numbers, pilots have been reporting that they have seen laser beams being shone into their cockpits while on approach to land. There were 102 incidents reported at Los Angeles International Airport in 2010, the most at a single airport, while the total number of events nearly doubled from the previous year to hit 2,836 around the country. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport came in second with 98 reported events, and Phoenix Sky Harbor and San Jose International tied for third with 80 reported events each.
Part of the huge jump in the number of events reported in 2010 is due to the fact that the FAA is constantly asking pilots to report any events to ATC so that local law enforcement can be notified immediately. However, I cannot believe that is the only reason why the numbers have increased so drastically. The FAA attributes the rise to several factors, including inexpensive lasers being readily available, and green lasers becoming more prevalent, which are more easily visible than red lasers.
Why is this a big deal? Even with the large amount of automation present in modern aircraft, the pilot still needs to be able to see the runway in order to land. If a laser beam shines directly into a pilot’s eyes, it can disrupt his vision, cause temporary blindness, or even permanent damage. This is especially dangerous at night, when even an extremely brief exposure to a laser beam can cause the pilot’s eyes to quickly lose their night sensitivity and make it very difficult for the pilot to see anything outside of the cockpit for many minutes. This would be bad at any time during flight, but with the aircraft flying low and slow in preparation to land, it is especially so.
I have no sympathy for someone who would knowingly point a laser beam at an aircraft. If they are caught, and I hope more of them are, I think it would be fitting if law enforcement threw the book at them. According to the FAA’s press release, some cities and states have made it illegal to shine lasers at aircraft, and there may be federal penalties as well. Regardless of whether or not shining a laser at an aircraft is illegal, the individual with the laser is willfully endangering lives and property which is illegal pretty much everywhere. In my opinion, they should be charged with criminal negligence and attempted homicide (one count for every person onboard the aircraft), plus federal charges for interfering with the safe operation of an aircraft.
