Days after setting up a website to allow the public to report instances of lasers being pointed at aircraft in flight, the FAA is urging witnesses to contact police after someone pointed a green laser at six airliners on approach to New York LaGuardia Airport over the weekend.
The laser was shined from a point about five miles southwest of the airport, hitting the airplanes as they were passing over New York City. On Friday night, the laser hit commuter jets operated by Continental, US Airways, American Eagle and Transtates Airlines. Pilots reported the laser incidents between 6:06 p.m. and 7:56 p.m., according to the FAA.
On Saturday, what is thought to be the same laser hit a Continental regional jet and a United Airlines Boeing 757, both around 7 p.m. The airplanes were below 2,500 feet at the time. All of the airliners landed safely, the FAA said.
The agency says laser incidents can lead to civil fines of up to $11,000. The FBI further warns that if an incident interferes with the safe operation of an airplane, the penalty could include a fine of up to $250,000 and a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
