FAA Reports Laser Strike Incidents Increased in 2019

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released an annual summary of reported laser strike incidents in 2019 showing there were 6,136 reports of people on the ground shining easily-obtained laser pointers at aircraft. According to the FAA, the availability of inexpensive laser devices for sale in stores and online is contributing to the problem, with lasers having stronger power levels giving lawbreakers the ability to hit aircraft at higher altitudes. Many of the reports were green-colored lasers, which are more visible to the human eye than red lasers.

The 6,136 reported strikes in 2019 was about 8-percent higher than the 5,663 reported strikes in 2018, and less than the 7,398 reported strikes in 2016. Laser incidents took a significant jump in 2015 with 7,346 reported strikes, up from the 3,894 reported in 2014. All of these numbers are up from the 385 strikes reported in 2006.

“The FAA is continuing its awareness campaign and working with law enforcement to reduce laser strikes throughout the country,” the agency said. “The FAA wants to let people know that pointing lasers at aircraft can create a serious safety risk to pilots and damage their eyes. It is a federal offense to point a laser at an aircraft. The substantial number of reported incidents clearly show that laser strikes on aircraft remain a serious threat to aviation safety.”

FAA works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to pursue civil and criminal penalties against individuals who purposely aim a laser at an aircraft, and it takes enforcement action against those who violate Federal Aviation Regulations by shining lasers at aircraft, imposing civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. Civil penalties of up to $30,800 have been imposed by the FAA against individuals for multiple laser incidents.

In one such case where enforcement action was taken, a 26-year-old man in Kansas City, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court in 2017 for shining a laser pointer at a Kansas City Police Department helicopter. The man was sentenced to three years in federal prison without parole after hitting the helicopter three times with a green laser light. He twice hit the eye of one of the pilots, causing eye strain that lasted for hours after the incident. In sentencing, the federal court found that he “recklessly endangered the safety of an aircraft, which was flying over a residential neighborhood.”

FAA’s guidance for agency investigators and attorneys is clear and stresses that laser violations should not be addressed through warning notices or counseling. “The agency seeks moderately high civil penalties for inadvertent violations, but maximum penalties for deliberate violations. Violators who are pilots or mechanics face revocation of their FAA certificate, as well as civil penalties,” the administration said. FAA strongly encourages people to report laser incidents, whether they are pilots, air traffic controllers, or members of the public.

To report an incident, complete the short version FAA Laser Beam Exposure Questionnaire on your mobile device. FAA will then email you the full questionnaire for you to complete and return with additional information. You can also download and complete the FAA Laser Beam Exposure Questionnaire (PDF) to your personal computer, with completed questionnaires saved and attached to an email to laserreports@faa.gov, or printed and faxed to the Washington Operations Control Center Complex (WOCC) — (202) 267-5289 Attn: Domestic Events Network (DEN).