FAA to Impose Civil Penalties for Pointing Lasers into Cockpits

FAA to Impose Civil Penalties for Pointing Lasers into Cockpits

www.faa.gov

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Randy Babbitt announced today that the FAA will begin to impose civil penalties against people who point a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft.

“Our top priority is protecting the safety of the traveling public. We will not hesitate to take tough action against anyone who threatens the safety of our passengers, pilots and air transportation system,” said Secretary LaHood.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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About time they start taking this more serious. I've noticed an influx of 'UFO hunters' that shine these laser pointers willingly at aircraft and the number of cases reported has also increased exponentially. Heres a quote from the article..

"This year (2011), pilots have reported more than 1,100 incidents nationwide of lasers being pointed at aircraft. Laser event reports have steadily increased since the FAA created a formal reporting system in 2005 to collect information from pilots. Reports rose from nearly 300 in 2005 to 1,527 in 2009 and 2,836 in 2010"

So, if you have one of these laser pointers and have shined it at an aircraft before prepare for much harsher laws and much more effort to catch the guilty parties.

CBS news report www.youtube.com...

**I realize this story is a few days old but i didnt see it posted anywhere here and I didnt want to keep it strictly in the UFO section. MODs please move if needed.


www.faa.gov
(visit the link for the full news article)

Yup about time, it is disturbing how tech and society out disstance the law by leaps and bounds. Like this how did this not become a law as soon as some one filed a patent to sell laser pointers to the public. How was congress so stupid that they did not include voip for the great waste of time the so called "No call list".

What, are the pilots going to identify exactly where the laser is shining from while thousands of feet in the air, call the cops from the sky, and tell them the longitude/latitude of the dude shining the laser? I just can't see how this will be enforced.

In other parts of the world it is a criminal offence!!

Eg australia:

Last year the federal government passed new laws providing for up to two years' jail and fines of A$30,000 for directing mini-laser lights toward planes

From 2008!! - news.ninemsn.com.au...

So if the FAA is only just making it a CIVIL offence that sems a bit weak!

Originally posted by TupacShakur
What, are the pilots going to identify exactly where the laser is shining from while thousands of feet in the air, call the cops from the sky, and tell them the longitude/latitude of the dude shining the laser? I just can't see how this will be enforced.

I work in aviation in a small country - and that is EXACTLY what has happened a few times! Especially where there's a popular "lookout" point for idiots to do it from close to the flightpath.

IMO I think they should be pointing th elasers at the control towers ..Maybe it would help keep those nappers awake for once ..JK .. yeah not to swift to be pointing lasers at the pilots ..

Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul

Originally posted by TupacShakur
What, are the pilots going to identify exactly where the laser is shining from while thousands of feet in the air, call the cops from the sky, and tell them the longitude/latitude of the dude shining the laser? I just can't see how this will be enforced.

I work in aviation in a small country - and that is EXACTLY what has happened a few times! Especially where there's a popular "lookout" point for idiots to do it from close to the flightpath.

Well any more effort put forth can only help. People are stupid enough to post themselves doing this on Youtube thinking its 'alien UFOs'. In the youtube video below, they interview a pilot whose eyes were severely burned from these laser pointers.

reply to post by TupacShakur


Yeah it will be hard to find some offenders im sure, but with plane gps amd some fancy triangulation math I cannot do they might have a good headstart. But the law would be good to prosecute idiots that get caught red handed holding the thing at planes.

reply to post by TupacShakur

People stupid enough to do it are stupid enough to get caught.
www.nbcdfw.com...

They already do this...at least here near Dulles they do.

It seems like there are a lot of people with no discretion concerning their 'fun' antics, even in my neighborhood:

Shasta Lake man charged wih felony for shining laser at CHP chopper

“A Shasta Lake man accused of shining a green laser beam at a California Highway Patrol helicopter pilot flying over his neighborhood late last year will begin standing trial on June 21.

Kevin Wayne Foster, 39, who was in Shasta County Superior Court on this morning for arraignment, is charged with two felony and two misdemeanor counts, including discharging a laser and interfering with an aircraft.

He faces about four years, eight months in prison if convicted at trial.”

I think this man is getting hit with more than just civil penalties. I disagree with the possible four years in prison, but surely there needs to be some punishment for willful endangerment of someone piloting an aircraft or any moving vehicle.

Here's a google search for convicted of shining laser at aircraft - there are ersults from all around the world for a couple of years now

reply to post by czygyny

Because it is actually pretty difficult to bust someone doing it (if they have half a brain), when someone is caught every effort is made to apply the heaviest punishment possible in order to get the message across.

It's serious stuff, could easily lead to death.

reply to post by Phage


In the Pittsburgh (Murraysville) area the numbers more than tripled from 2009 to 2010, I wonder why?

n the Pittsburgh area, incidents jumped from six in 2009 to 33 last year. So far this year, there have been six incidents, including one on Memorial Day when the cockpit of an AirTran Airways Boeing 717, traveling at an altitude of 3,000 feet, was illuminated by a green laser eight miles east of Pittsburgh International Airport. That followed an incident last Tuesday when a Comair regional jet was hit by a white laser light on its approach to the airport.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com...

reply to post by ziggyproductions05

Alison
Sweet sweet Alison.

reply to post by Phage


Oh, yes indeed.
We have a winner!

reply to post by Phage


interesting how all the "usual suspects" are here chiming in [i expect weed, firepilot, and others here soon]

OP S&F for the heads up still it's not illegal to shine a laser into eeerrrmmmrmm...

whatever it is that's aaahhh....

trailing behind a plane

so no worries here.

this won't stop my experiment.

or the revelation.

see you sep 1

shining a laser into a COCKPIT [unless it's in self defense] is certainly stupid and criminal IMO

reply to post by DerepentLEstranger


What is your experiment? im curious.