Simviation Forums

By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
31 December 2004


The FBI is investigating six incidents over the past four days in which commercial aircraft pilots were flashed by lasers while preparing to land.

The authorities said they did not know whether the incidents were the result of children playing with Christmas toys or something more sinister and organised. It has been claimed that terrorists may use such devices to try to crash an aircraft, though so far there is no evidence of such a motive in these incidents.

In one of the latest incidents, which took place on Monday, the cockpit of a Continental Airlines plane was illuminated by a green laser when about 15 miles from landing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio. The plane, which was flying at 10,000ft at the time, later landed safely. Robert Hawk, of the FBI, said: "We don't know if it was a prank or if someone was trying to do something illegal. We just want to know what happened and why."

On the same day, the crews of two aircraft approaching Colorado Springs reported green, pulsating lights flashing into their cockpits. The passenger plane and the cargo aircraft later landed safely.

The authorities have previously claimed that terrorists could use such lasers. In November, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security sent an intelligence bulletin to police agencies claiming that terrorist groups have shown an interest in using the beams to try to bring down airliners. The bulletin said: "Terrorist groups overseas have expressed interest in using these devices against human sight. The US intelligence community has no specific or credible evidence that terrorists intend to use lasers to target pilots in the homeland."

The bulletin also said that lasers were not a proven method of attacking aircraft but that they could lead to a crash. "In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and co-pilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," it said.

CNN reported yesterday that government officials had said the six aircraft that had reported being illuminated by the lasers were from "all over the place [and in] kind of odd places". One of the government officials said it was not clear whether these incidents were the result of "kids who got a laser light for Christmas" or a deliberate attempt to target the aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Authority said it was possible that the eyesight of pilots could be damaged by such lasers. A report issued in June found that of 34 pilots who were targeted by lasers during simulated flights, more than 65 per cent experienced adverse visual effects, even at the lowest level of exposure. Higher levels of exposure resulted in much greater problems for them and even forced some of the pilots to abort their simulated landings.

The report said: "Illumination by a laser beam at night can distract pilots and even cause fatalities if it occurs during a critical phase in the flight."

Scary, It could be a number of things. Aliens perhaps.....?

Whoever it is, I hope that they're punished to the fullest extent of the law...why would you shine ANYTHING at an airplane, let alone a laser?

 It's those dang aliens I'm tellin' you, their everywhere.

Thanks. Now I'm really paranoid!

Me: "Hey, you! Are you an alien?"
Random person: "No."
Me: "Whew."
*ATI walks away*
*ATI gets eaten up by person within a second*
Random person: "Sucker...*burp*"

Man Charged Under Patriot Act for Laser

Tue Jan 4, 6:03 PM ET   U.S. National - AP


By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer

NEWARK, N.J. - Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot.


The FBI (news - web sites) acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent."


Banach, 38, of Parsippany admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said.


He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes.


Banach was charged only in connection with the jet. He was accused of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI, and was released on $100,000 bail. He could get up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.


Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, said her client was simply using the hand-held device to look at stars with his daughter on the family's deck. She said Banach bought the device on the Internet for $100 for his job testing fiber-optic cable.


"He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that," she said.


The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was coming in for a landing last Wednesday with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The flash temporarily blinded both the pilot and co-pilot, but they were later able to land the plane safely, authorities said.


"Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed in jeopardy by Banach's actions, so were countless innocent civilians on the ground in this densely populated area," said Joseph Billy, agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau.


Then, on Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a laser beam as its crew surveyed the area to try to pinpoint the origin of the original beam.


According to the FBI, the Patriot Act does not describe helicopters as "mass transportation vehicles." As for why Banach was not charged with some other offense over the helicopter incident, Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, did not immediately return calls for comment.


A few hours after the helicopter was hit by the laser, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood, trying to find the source of the beams. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined the laser at the helicopter, according to court papers.


Similar incidents have been reported in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Ore., raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind cockpit crews and lead to accidents.


Last month, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. But federal officials have said there is no evidence any the current incidents represent a terrorist plot.