Aiming a laser at an aircraft can distract or disorient pilots and is a federal crime,” begins the executive summary of a 51-page Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the practice. A typical incident occurs when someone on the ground aims a laser at an airborne aircraft, usually in a high-workload environment like an approach to a nearby airport. In even benign encounters, the intense light can temporarily blind flightcrew members; in more severe incidents, a pilot’s vision may be permanently harmed.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that lasing an airborne aircraft is illegal. The FAA investigates laser incidents and pursues civil penalties against perpetrators while assisting the FBI and U.S. attorneys in investigating the incidents. It also should come as no surprise that identifying those responsible is difficult. Nevertheless, enforcement actions resulting in penalties have included fines ranging from $50 to $27,338, and sentences of up to 51 months, according to the GAO. But the FAA’s investigative process is cumbersome and its results often are not shared with federal law enforcement, again according to the GAO. That’s a problem, especially since laser-aiming incidents are on the rise, the GAO says, as reflected by a graph accompanying the report, which is reproduced on the bottom of the opposite page.
