US authorities cautioned Americans on Wednesday not to shoot lasers at planes after pilots reported a record number of occurrences in 2023.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the newest figure of 13,304 laser hits represents a 41 percent rise from the previous year and by far the largest amount since data collection began, posing a significant safety risk to pilots, passengers, and people on the ground.
“A laser strike can temporarily blind a pilot or cause severe eye injury, and the FAA takes this threat very seriously”, Administrator Michael Whitaker said in a video statement.
“Bottom line: lasers and aircraft do not mix. If you have a laser, please use it responsibly and never point it at an aircraft”, Whitaker continued, urging civilians to report laser attacks to authorities.
Offenders may face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation, or $30,800 for numerous offenses, in addition to criminal penalties from federal, state, and municipal authorities.
Most laser strikes on cockpits occur at night, during takeoffs and landings.
Authorities explain the fast rise to a larger quantity of devices available online at lower prices and bigger power capacities, as well as the introduction of green lasers, which are more visible.
Extensive outreach to pilots to encourage incident reporting undoubtedly contributed to the increase as well.
Lasers can severely injure the retina. The higher the power, the more deadly, yet labeling is frequently ambiguous or purposefully misleading.
Pilots have reported 313 eye injuries since the FAA began collecting data on laser impacts in 2010.
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