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FAA To Provide Stiffer Penalties Against Aircraft Laser Strikes By Daniel Baxter |
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May 21, 2012 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
has directed its investigators and staff to pursue
stiffer penalties for individuals who purposefully point
laser devices at aircraft.
"Shining a laser at an airplane is not a laughing
matter. It's dangerous for both pilots and passengers,
and we will not tolerate it," said U.S. Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood. "We will pursue the toughest
penalties against anyone caught putting the safety of
the flying public at risk." The number of reported laser incidents nationwide rose from 2,836 in 2010, to 3,592 in 2011. Laser incident reports have increased steadily since the FAA created a formal reporting system in 2005 to collect information from pilots. |
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The FAA supports the Department of Justice in its efforts to
seek stern punishment for anyone who intentionally points a
laser device into the cockpit of an aircraft.
The FAA has initiated enforcement action against 28 people
charged with aiming a laser device at an aircraft since June
2011, and this week the agency directed FAA investigators and
attorneys to pursue the stiffest possible sanctions for
deliberate violations. The FAA has opened investigations in
dozens of additional cases.
The FAA announced last June it would begin to impose civil
penalties against individuals who point a laser device at an
aircraft. The maximum penalty for one laser strike is $11,000,
and the FAA has proposed civil penalties against individuals for
multiple laser incidents, with $30,800 the highest penalty
proposed to date. In many of these cases, pilots have reported
temporary blindness or had to take evasive measures to avoid the
intense laser light. The guidance for FAA investigators and attorneys indicates laser violations should not be addressed through warning notices or counseling. It also directs moderately high civil penalties for inadvertent violations, but maximum penalties for deliberate violations. Violators who are pilots or mechanics face revocation of their FAA certificates, as well as civil penalties. |