The FBI is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people involved in laser incidents on aircraft in Washington state.
According to the agency, pilots on approach to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) and Spokane International Airport (KGEG) have reported a marked increase in the number of laser incidents.
KING-TV, the NBC affiliate in Seattle, quotes the FAA as saying there were 107 laser strikes for Washington State between January and March.
When an aircraft is targeted by lasers, the cockpit is filled with a blinding light which can incapacitate pilots and compromise the landing. The FBI has identified neighborhoods where the attacks are coming from.
In Seattle, there have been laser incidents over SeaTac, Vashon, White Center, Burien, West Kent, Lake Meridian Park, East Hill, and Des Moines. These neighborhoods are under the approach and departure path of Sea-Tac airport.
In Spokane, laser incidents were reported from the Nine Mile Falls, West Plains, Green Bluff, and Hillyard neighborhoods.
The FBI does not think the incidents in the two cities are connected, and they are working with local law enforcement, and asking for the public’s help to identify and locate the people responsible for the attacks.
In 2012, a federal statute was passed making it a felony for people to “knowingly” direct a laser pointer’s beam “at an aircraft,” be it a commercial, private, or military aircraft, or shine the laser in the flight path. Persons convicted of a laser incident can face a federal fine of up to $250,000 and a five-year prison sentence.
The FBI has dozens of pages of updates on laser attacks involving aircraft around the country.
The FAA is also keeping track of the number of laser strikes, noting that pilots reported 12,840 n 2024. The agency also levies fines in laser attacks of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple events.
