Aviation securityThe number of incidents of lasers being flashed into aircraft rises sharply; federal, state prosecutors respond
The number of incidents of lasers being flashed into aircraft has risen steadily in the past five years — from 283 cases reported to the FAA nationwide in 2005 to 1,476 incidents last year; studies have supported pilots’ reports that bright external lights can cause a flare in the goggles pilots wear, temporarily impairing sight; a laser beam hitting the eyes of a pilot who does not wear goggles may cause temporarily blindness and disorientation; as ever-cheaper lasers have made their way into ever-more hands, federal and local prosecutors have picked up the pace of criminal cases; in many cases, the prosecution uses the Patriot Act, which include a provision about deliberately interfering with the pilot of an airplane or “mass transportation vehicle” with reckless disregard for human safety
Lasers cause a blinding flash made worse when viewed through night vision equipment // Source: mathworks.com
A grand jury in Virginia is expected to decide whether Raymond Jeffrey Poli should stand trial for shining his green laser light at a police helicopter, thus jeopardizing the police crew’s safety.
The Washington Post’s Mary Pat Flaherty quotes Poli’s attorney to say that his client was just a guy who wondered why a helicopter kept passing over his house on Blue Jasmine Court in Springfield at 5:15 a.m. on 27 February. When Poli’s conventional flashlight could not pierce the fog to make out the helicopter’s markings, Poli grabbed his son’s laser pointer to take a look, the attorney, Rodney Leffler said.
Fairfax police spokesmen said they could not discuss the case, and a prosecutor in the case did not return phone messages. In an interview, Leffler told Flaherty that his client “had no idea why the aircraft was up there at that hour and brought out the light trying to see who it belonged to.”
The Fairfax officers in the helicopter had been searching for a suspect.
As laid out in a preliminary hearing 23 June, police video and audio equipment captured a burst of white light and then the laser beam that cut across their vision as they scoured the ground. To enhance their sight in darkness, members of the police crew wore night-vision goggles.
Flaherty notes that other pilots, including military and medevac teams, as well an FAA study, have found that bright external lights can cause a flare in the goggles, temporarily impairing sight.
By shining a laser on the helicopter, Fairfax police argue, Poli interfered with the operation of an aircraft and endangered lives, which is punishable as a felony under a section of Virginia state law that carries a potential prison sentence and fine. He also was charged with obstruction of justice. The flight team worked with patrol officers on the ground to track the source of the laser and arrested Poli, 47, at his home.
Criminal cases over lasers and aircraft have followed increased interest by federal aviation experts in the threats posed by lasers. Pilots told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of about 1,476 incidents last year of lasers flashed into their aircraft, with 20 of those in Virginia and 13 in Maryland, federal records show. The number has risen steadily in the past five years from the 283 reported to the FAA nationwide in 2005 (with three in Virginia and two in Maryland).
The National Transportation Safety
