FAA probes 11 laser hits on planes flying near Newark airport
By Barbara Goldberg
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the shining of lasers into the cockpits of 11 commercial planes flying over New Jersey on Wednesday night, a spokesman said on Thursday.
The small beam of light from a hand-held laser on the ground can travel for more than a mile and illuminate a cockpit, temporarily blinding the pilots inside. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime.
No injuries were reported in the New Jersey incidents, which occurred between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., said Jim Peters, FAA spokesman.
Nine of the flights were believed to be headed for Newark Liberty International Airport.
"Aircraft were hit by lasers on the right and left side of the cockpit," Peters said.
Nearly all of the pilots reported a green laser beam shot from the ground, he said.
So far this year, there have been 2,751 laser events reported nationally, he said.
In 2014 a man in California was sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiming a laser beam at a police helicopter. A man in New York City faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 9 after pleading guilty to using a laser on commercial planes departing and arriving at LaGuardia Airport.
The FAA said laser strikes on Wednesday were reported by:
- Porter Flight 141, at 3,000 feet, 15 miles southwest of Newark Liberty International Airport.
- American Airlines Flight 1472, 20 miles southwest of Newark Airport.
- United Airlines Flight 330, at 9,000 feet and near Robbinsville, New Jersey, about 51 miles south of Newark.
- Republic Airlines Flight 4632, at 9,000 feet seven miles northeast of Robbinsville. The flight was heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- American Airlines Flight 966 was at 3,000 feet, about 15 miles south of Newark.
- Delta Air Lines Flight 504, Shuttle America Flight 3489 and JetBlue Flight 828, all at 3,000 feet about 20 miles south of Newark.
- JetBlue Flight 2779, which did not report its location.
- American Airlines Flight 348, at 9,000 feet over New Jersey heading to LaGuardia Airport.
- One aircraft reported it was illuminated when it was over Ocean City, New Jersey, about 120 miles south of Newark.
(Additional reporting by Katie Reilly)
