Posted on: Saturday, January 15, 2005

FAA asking pilots to report laser beams

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Federal Aviation Administration is asking pilots or other flight crew members to immediately notify authorities if their aircraft is illuminated without authorization by a laser pointer.

The move follows several incidents, including an undisclosed number in O'ahu, in which lasers were pointed at pilots.

Yesterday, Michelle Yu, a Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman, said HPD has conducted air and ground searches over the past month in response to complaints about aircraft being illuminated with lasers while flying over the East Honolulu area.

The searches done to date have not resulted in the identification of any suspects, Yu said. She would not say specifically how many searches HPD has conducted or when the searches occurred.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced Wednesday that a newly adopted FAA directive requests that pilots immediately report lasers being beamed at airplanes — a response to a rash of such incidents in recent weeks.

The FAA guideline is meant to speed word of such incidents to air traffic controllers, who would then broadcast warnings and notify law enforcement officers.

Mineta warned that federal officials will prosecute those caught shining laser beams into cockpits, adding that bright lights can temporarily blind pilots.

"Shining these lasers at an airplane is not a harmless prank. It is stupid and dangerous," Mineta said. "You are putting other people at risk, and law enforcement authorities are going to seek you out, and if they catch you, they are going to prosecute you."

As soon FAA workers get a report, they will notify appropriate law enforcement and security agencies, Mineta said. The changes will provide police with more timely and detailed information to help them identify and prosecute those who are shining lasers at planes.

The directive also includes a requirement that air traffic controllers immediately notify pilots about the laser incidents. If pilots have a laser pointed at them, they and other air crew members should avoid direct eye contact, according to the new FAA directive.

Mineta said officials are working on possible devices to protect pilots from lasers, including modifications to windshields, but no one solution has emerged. Research is being done in Oklahoma City.

A New Jersey man was arrested and charged under the Patriot Act last week for aiming a green laser at a small jet flying over his home near Teterboro Airport. The man, David Banach, said he had been using the device to point at stars from his back yard.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.