DOT Requires Immediate Reporting Of Incidents To ATC

An FAA database shows that lasers were directed at aircraft cockpits over 900 times in 2008, and pilots have occasionally been temporarily blinded by the incidents, according to a report in The Boston Globe. 

In some instances, pilots have reported having to abort landings or turn over the aircraft to a pilot who is not incapacitated. "You don't want a pilot to be incapacitated," FAA national office spokeswoman Laura Brown told the paper. "The message is: Do not shine laser lights at airplanes. You face federal prosecution and time in jail if you're caught doing this."

So far, there have been no accidents or injuries associated with laser activity, she said.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA's western region, said laser incidents have been on the rise this year, with over 730 reported contacts through July. Gregor said he didn't know why people shine laser beams at aircraft. Some have reportedly been intoxicated, he said, while others are teenagers. He also said some armature astronomers may accidentally cause a laser contact while using the devices to aim their telescopes.

Gregor said the vast majority of pilots report seeing green lasers, which have gotten more inexpensive over the years and can be seen from a greater distance. "I don't know whether people who engage in this kind of irresponsible behavior are ignorant or malicious or both," he said. "People have been arrested all over the country for shining lasers at aircraft."

FMI: www.faa.gov