Reports of dangerous laser strikes continue to increase around the U.S., with the number of reports made so far this year already surpassing those reported for all of 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday.
FAA Says Laser Strikes Continue To Rise
The administration reports that more incidents have been reported already in 2021 than in all of 2020, most since 2016.
Key Takeaways:
- Dangerous laser strikes on U.S. aircraft are at a record high, with 7,186 incidents reported by October 14, 2021, surpassing all of 2020 and marking the most since 2016.
- These strikes pose a severe safety risk, capable of temporarily blinding pilots and endangering passengers, and have caused at least 198 reported injuries over the past decade.
- The increase is attributed to the widespread availability of inexpensive, more powerful, and visible green lasers, alongside greater pilot awareness in reporting incidents.
- Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, leading to significant fines, with the FAA collecting $600,000 since 2016.
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