New York Senator Chuck Schumer has suggested a ban on high-powered, long-range handheld lasers, which can seriously damage vision and pose a flight hazard when pointed toward aircraft.
Shining a laser toward an airplane is illegal and the penalties are severe; however, the number of reports of laser beams directed into cockpits continues to rise.
Just last week, a man in New York was arrested for pointing laser beams toward a helicopter and airliners taking off from the LaGuardia Airport. The New York Times reported that four pilots were injured in the incident.
Two of the affected pilots were flying a Bell 429 helicopter, operated by the New York police department. The officers tracked the beam to the apartment where the man was later arrested. In addition to the police officers, two airline pilots — a copilot on an Air Canada flight and the pilot of a Shuttle America flight — were affected by the laser beam, The New York Times said. While the pilots were treated for their injuries, they were able to safely complete their flights.
A news release from Senator Schumer noted there were 88 reported laser incidents near New York’s airports in 2014 alone, 74 of which were green lasers, which are more powerful and more damaging than other lasers, according to a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The New York Times said that reports of lasers being pointed at commercial aircraft rose from 283 in 2003 to 3,690 in 2013.
Schumer now urges the FDA to ban the devices. “I am calling on the FDA to use their authority to ban green laser pointers, which pose a serious risk to pilots and air travelers whose lives are literally in their hands,” he said.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
