FBI warns of laser strikes targeting aircraft near Bend, Madras
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Federal authorities are warning the public about the dangers and illegal nature of pointing lasers at aircraft following recent reports of laser strikes on flights near Madras and Bend. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime that carries penalties ranging from substantial fines to up to 20 years in prison.
The warning from the FBI comes amid a widespread rise in laser incidents nationwide, with the Federal Aviation Administration receiving more than 13,000 reports of laser strikes in 2023 alone. When directed at an aircraft, laser beams reflect off cockpit windows and fill the flight deck with blinding light, creating significant risks of pilot distraction, flash blindness or midair collisions.
David Gates, a supervisory special agent who leads the FBI Los Angeles satellite office at Los Angeles International Airport, noted that laser pointers do not need to be pointed directly into a pilot's eye to cause severe disruption. When a laser beam hits an aircraft, cockpit windows reflect and scatter the light, creating a blinding glare. The FAA reported that energy density from a laser beam can be intensified up to 100,000 times by the focusing action of the human eye when focused on distant objects like runways. Furthermore, green lasers present the greatest hazard to human vision, with green and purple beams accounting for most reported strikes.
“Laser pointers don't need to be pointed directly into a pilot's eye to do damage,” Gates said. “If you're on the ground aiming a laser pointer at a plane or a helicopter, it's not just that little tiny point. Once a laser beam reaches the aircraft, cockpit windows reflect it, filling the space with blinding light. By the time it reaches the cockpit and the pilot is looking out, that beam of light might be the size of a watermelon or a cantaloupe.”
The frequency of laser incidents has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Gates explained that the FBI received fewer than 300 laser strike reports in 2005, but that figure expanded to 2,800 by 2010 as consumer green lasers gained popularity. Direct exposure can cause flash blindness, a condition affecting vision after light exposure that creates severe risks during critical flight maneuvers.
“The last thing that we really want as a society is for people flying helicopters or planes to be blinded any time, but specifically when they're trying to land and take off,” Gates said.
Melissa Ventresca, a supervisory special agent who leads the International Counterterrorism Squad at the FBI San Antonio satellite office in Austin, Texas, detailed the physical dangers flight crews face during these incidents. Ventresca noted that even a distracted pilot can make critical errors, while physical damage to retinas or corneas could lead to catastrophic flight failures.
“If an aircraft is hit with a laser, the best-case scenario would be a distracted pilot, which could still lead to any number of errors,” Ventresca said. “But if a laser strike damages pilots' retinas and corneas, that could cause them to make all sorts of other failures that could be catastrophic, potentially resulting in a mass casualty event.”
Congress enacted the first specific federal laser law in 2012 as part of the FAA reauthorization. Under 18 U.South Carolina § 39A, knowingly pointing a laser beam at an aircraft or its flight path is a federal felony punishable by fines of up to $250,000 and up to five years in federal prison. More severe violations under 18 U.South Carolina § 32 carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison. The FAA can also impose separate civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
“That suddenly gave us real teeth in enforcement,” Gates said. “It made shining a laser pointer at an aircraft a five-year maximum penalty felony, which is a really big deal.”
Investigating agents work closely with local law enforcement and air traffic controllers to track down violators. Gates explained that federal investigators specifically target individuals who repeatedly track aircraft, looking for red flags such as laser beams that follow moving aircraft or persistent strike reports originating from the same airspace. When local police helicopters are targeted, crews can use infrared cameras to pinpoint the exact location of the laser on the ground.
“We're looking for that person who's intentionally tracking an aircraft, who does it over and over,” Gates said.
Federal officials urge the public to educate minors on the severe consequences of misusing laser devices. Suspicious laser activity can be reported directly to the FBI by calling one-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a report at tips.fbi.gov.
“If we can prevent one 15-year-old from ending up with federal or state charges or even the large fine, that's a win,” Ventresca said. “If we can prevent one catastrophe, prevent one pilot from being blinded, that makes it worth it.”
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