Aircraft laser incidents remain 'consistently high' in NY, throughout U.S., FAA says

Despite a drop in the number of lasers directed at aircrafts last year, incidents remain too high, putting the safety of the pilots and everyone on board at risk, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA received 12,840 reports of laser strikes from pilots in 2024, down 3% since 2023 when a record number of incidents were reported, according to the agency.

Laser strikes surged to 13,304 incidents in 2023, the highest since the FAA began tracking incidents in 2010, data shows. Many of the incidents occur at night, according to the data.

On Long Island, at least 164 incidents were reported by pilots last year compared with 220 incidents reported in 2023. Last year, there were 67 laser strikes reported near LaGuardia Airport and 27 near Kennedy Airport, FAA data shows.

"Laser strikes remain consistently high, which is why the FAA is continuing to raise awareness about the misuse of lasers," FAA aviation safety expert Kevin Morris said in a video on Wednesday. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is against the law and comes with potentially steep fines and prison time. 

In 2024, New York was seventh among states with the highest number of incidents, with 531 incidents. California topped the list at 1,489, followed by Texas with 1,463 incidents and Florida with 810.

A laser aimed at an aircraft is a safety threat that can temporarily blind a pilot and interfere with a crewmember’s flight duties, according to the FAA. Aviation safety experts said most incidents take place below 10,000 feet, during critical periods such as landings and takeoffs. Passengers are also put at risk.

The blast of light may cause eye injury requiring medical attention. Pilots have reported 328 injuries since 2010, according to the agency.

Fredrick Graff, a business pilot who works for a Farmingdale-based management company, said he knows firsthand the hazards of a laser strike.

About seven years ago, he said he was a flying a jet into an airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when a side window suddenly lit up green.

"I had never experienced it before, so it was really shocking with how bright it was," said Graff, who is an adjunct professor at Vaughn College in Queens and has been flying for 50 years.

"If I had gotten hit straight on, it would’ve hit me right in the face. It was the side and I just ducked down, and we kept going and landed," he added.

Michael Canders, an associate professor and certified flight instructor at Farmingdale State College, said a laser strike could impact a pilot’s vision and cause them to lose sight of their flight instruments or the outside.

"It's a dangerous practice," Canders said. "The bloom of light in the cockpit can ruin the night vision," He said. "It's very concentrated energy. When it strikes the windscreen or comes through the glass ... that causes almost like a flashbulb effect."

As for why anyone would point a laser at an aircraft, Morris, from the FAA, said in a video that some people may not realize the laser’s power while others may do so intentionally. 

Aviation consultant Robert Mann Jr., who runs a Port Washington-based company, said in an email he believed the rise in incidents was due to the easy availability of inexpensive lasers coupled with what he said was some people's lack of knowledge or concern about the hazards. 

"Targeting any aircraft, helicopter, or other vehicle, even trains, trucks and cars, can get people injured or killed," Mann wrote.

Although the FAA works with federal, state and local authorities to combat the issue, Douglas Carr, senior vice president of safety and security operations at the Washington, D.C.-based National Business Aviation Association, said tracking offenders remained challenging.

"A laser incident can be only seconds long. It could be difficult to actually identify where it came from, and following up with local law enforcement, hours or days later can be difficult," Carr said. 

Violators could face federal penalties of up to five years in prison, plus fines and state and local penalties, according to the FAA. FAA fines are as much as $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents.

In 2012, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act became law, making it a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft.