FAA imposes fines for pointing lasers into cockpits
To deter people from pointing lasers into cockpits of flying aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration has begun imposing civil penalties and fines as high as $11,000 on anyone it catches.
Through May 27, pilots have reported 1,163 “strikes” nationwide, up 40 percent from one year ago. If a laser beam hits a pilot in the eyes, it could cause temporary blindness.
Last year, Las Vegas ranked fifth in the country with 72 strikes, compared with the highest of 102 in Los Angeles. However, the local count has fallen to 15 through May this year, taking Las Vegas out of the top 10.
Because lasers are easy to hide and a person with one could be in a number of concealed positions, the FAA says it catches a small but unspecified number of offenders. Then, a patchwork of local laws potentially applies to an offender.
To tighten enforcement, the FAA determined that existing statutes that prohibit interfering with flight crews would apply to lasers, too.