BRIGHT IDEA

FBI Investigates Surge in Laser Strikes Near Washington Airports

Pilots landing in the region have been targeted by dangerous lasers directed at the cockpits of their aircraft.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a “dramatic increase” in laser strikes targeting aircraft cockpits at Washington State airports. According to the agency, “Pilots landing at the airports have experienced a laser illuminating and tracking the cockpit of their aircraft” while on approach to land, especially at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Spokane International Airport. In March, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded 43 laser incidents in Washington, according to TheStreet. The FBI said it doesn’t believe the incidents in Seattle and Spokane are connected and suspects that multiple individuals are behind the laser strikes. Police on April 18 arrested a 45-year-old man near the Spokane airport after he allegedly struck a Spokane Regional Air Support Unit (SRASU) helicopter with an “intense green laser.” Lasers can distract or momentarily blind pilots during landing, endangering the crew, passengers, and citizens in the local area, the FBI said. They can also inflict eye injuries, with the FAA recording 328 incidents of pilots who suffered eye damage due to laser strikes since 2010. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.