Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration say on Wednesday night, over 20 planes were struck by lasers from the ground.
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Thursday night, those strikes did not stop.
The FAA released a statement about the laser beam strikes.
As of 2012, it is a federal crime to interfere with the operation of an aircraft.
The FAA can impose a civil penalty of $11,000 per violation on individuals who point lasers at cockpits which can interfere with the flight crew.
Such strikes can temporarily blind pilots at critical times when they are taking off and landing.
“Our main concern is with the safety of the aircraft”, Lunsford said. “You don’t want to have a situation where the pilot can’t fly”.
Although the concentration of the laser incidents is unusual, the crime itself is not. As of October 16, the number of laser strikes reported in the US was 5,352. Last year, there were 3,894, and in 2005, there were only 283.
One man was arrested in NY after a Channel 4 news helicopter was struck by a laser beam while flying near the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn at 5:15 p.m. ET (2215 GMT) on Wednesday.
Three inbound flights to Dallas Love Field also reported laser incidents between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m., according to the Dallas Morning News.
The NBC4 pilot notified the tower at LaGuardia Airport, who in turn notified the NYPD Aviation Unit, police said. Two suspects were taken into custody by police for this incident. Lasers can not damage a plane’s structure.
An NBC 4 helicopter was covering a story in Brooklyn when it suddenly came under fire from a bright green light. But thanks to Protsko’s keen eye, the police were able to find and arrest the culprits, which NBC caught footage of from the air.
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It didn’t address whether the incidents were believed to be connected, or how, and said the matter was an ongoing investigation when asked by New Jersey 101.5. The pilot said the laser originated from a location west of US-27 in the Danville/Lancaster area. The pilots wear special glasses to protect their eyes and the helicopters have cameras equipped with thermal imaging. ‘When we were looking there, we got lasered, ‘ Biermann said.
