Laser Strikes On Planes Are Way Up

Exponential growth in this critical safety threat, say the Feds. Especially’€¦ on Sundays?

Last Friday, the FAA announced the number of pilot-reported laser strikes on aircraft set a record at 9,723 for 2021, a 41% increase over the 2020 figure. The Laser Strike Data page on the Department of Transportation website contains, ahem, rather enlightening details going back to 2010. In 2021, Saturday was the "busiest" day of the week for laser strikes, and November was the month with the most reported strikes. Frequency of reported laser strike incidents essentially follows the states with largest populations of people and largest, busiest portions of the National Airspace System.

The FAA also reported that it issued $120,000 in fines for laser strikes during the year. Agency fines may reach $11,000 for a single violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents. Other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies may seek additional penalties.

Did you know you can report a laser strike from your smartphone? The official Laser Incident Reporting Form is optimized for mobile devices and may be completed in about a minute. The form, which is located at https://www.faa.gov/mobile/?event=laser, requests your contact information, basic flight details and a precise account of the circumstances of your laser strike, including laser beam color, time, location and AGL altitude.

Based on the spike in laser strikes, you might want to add that reporting number to your speed dial.

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