Washington:
U.S. authorities warned Americans on Wednesday not to target aircraft with lasers after pilots reported a record number of such incidents in 2023.
The latest number of 13,304 laser strikes was a 41% increase from the previous year, the highest number since data collection began, and posed a significant safety threat to pilots, passengers and ground personnel, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
“Laser strikes could temporarily blind a pilot or cause serious eye damage, and the FAA takes this threat very seriously,” Administrator Michael Whitaker said in the video.
“Bottom line: Lasers and aircraft do not mix. If you have a laser, use it responsibly and never point it at aircraft,” he added, encouraging citizens to report laser attacks to authorities.
In addition to criminal penalties from federal, state and local law enforcement, violators may face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation and $30,800 for multiple violations.
Most laser attacks on cockpits occur during nighttime takeoffs and landings.
Authorities attribute this dramatic growth to the emergence of more and more online devices at lower prices and higher power capabilities, as well as green lasers that are easier to see.
Extensive publicity to pilots to encourage reporting of incidents may also have contributed to the increase.
Lasers can cause severe damage to the retina. The higher the power, the more dangerous it is, although labels are often unclear or deliberately misleading.
Since the FAA began recording data on laser strikes in 2010, pilots have reported a total of 313 eye injuries.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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