Laser strikes that can blind or disorient pilots have surged in the last few years, and a government watchdog says the Federal Aviation Administration needs to improve how it handles these incidents.
, and a government watchdog says the Federal Aviation Administration needs to improve how it handles these incidents.out this month, the Government Accountability Office noted the FAA and law enforcement disbanded an interagency working group on laser strikes in 2015. Reported strikes nearly doubled that year and have continued to climb to more than 9,700 in 2021. Last year marked a 41% surge in incidents, and 47 pilots reported injuries from the strikes."Let's be clear.
"All you see is green," Manatee County, Florida, Sheriff deputy and helicopter pilot Ben Sehorne told CBS News in April. "So, it's very disorienting." And while aiming a laser at an airplane is a federal crime, arrests are rare. When they happen, penalties have ranged from as little as $50 to $27,338 and sentences up to 51 months in prison. FAA says it issued $120,000 in fines related to laser strikes in 2021.But the federal watchdog found pilot complaints rarely make it to law enforcement.
GAO made three recommendations including urging FAA to determine what information law enforcement needs as well as how best to collect and share it. The report also calls for that interagency working group to be re-established.
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