FBI Investigating Laser Beam Directed at Airplane Cockpit

[LaxPilot]

FBI Investigating Laser Beam Directed at Airplane Cockpit

(Washington-AP, December 30, 2004) — The FBI, concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of commercial airliners six times over the last four days.

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A federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the bureau is looking into one incident in Cleveland, two in Colorado Springs, Colo., and three others. The official said there is no evidence of a plot or terrorist activity. A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. Authorities said there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States.

It's a federal felony to interfere with flight crews. Laser beams can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 and 10,000 feet, the FBI said.

The pilot landed the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights. On Monday night in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Both planes landed without problems.

Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI agents were continuing to conduct interviews, agency spokeswoman Monique Kelso said. In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The plane landed safely.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[ultrarunner]

(Washington-AP, December 30, 2004) — The FBI, concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of commercial airliners six times over the last four days.

Ohhh, I feel so much safer now!

 

[LaxPilot]

The Denver Post

Laser at planes spurs probe
FBI investigates in Colo. Springs One pilot said the laser appeared to come from the Cimarron Hills area about 8 a.m. Monday.
By Erin Emery
Denver Post Staff Writer

Thursday, December 30, 2004 -

Colorado Springs - The FBI is investigating reports from two pilots that their cockpits were filled with laser light on approach to the Colorado Springs airport.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin in November warning law enforcement agencies that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, but authorities know of no specific terrorist plan to blind airline pilots.

"We do not have any specific or credible information suggesting that this type of plot is underway in the United States," said Valerie Smith, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.

Colorado Springs police Lt. Rafael Cintron said there is no indication that the incidents Monday are "part of a major plot for anything. We're assuming that it is someone acting in a reckless manner."

Cintron said the Police Department's helicopter "experiences that all the time." No one has been arrested in those incidents, he said.

Authorities do not know what type of laser was used. Police would not disclose the altitude of the planes. Airport operations were not interrupted.

Similar incidents have been reported recently in Utah and Ohio. On Monday, a pilot on approach to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport reported that a laser filled the cockpit at more than 8,500 feet. Air traffic controllers used radar to trace the beam to a suburban neighborhood in Warrensville Heights.

In September, a Delta Air Lines pilot reported he suffered an eye injury from a laser while on approach to Salt Lake City.

The federal Transportation Security Administration has assessed the threat of lasers to commercial aviation as "low," Smith said. The "sporadic" incidents across the nation are typically "accidental or mischievous," she said.

One of the pilots in the Colorado Springs incidents said the light came from Cimarron Hills, east of of the city, about 8 a.m. Monday. A second pilot reported a similar light about the same time but couldn't say where it came from. One plane carried passengers; the other carried packages. Both landed safely.

Police sent officers and a police helicopter but could not find the source of the light.

"We're conducting interviews, looking into it and finding out what it was," said Monique Kelso, spokeswoman for the FBI in Denver.

Kelso said the bureau has not had similar investigations in Colorado and Wyoming.

Officials from Denver International Airport said they were not aware of any incidents involving laser beams directed at planes serving the Denver airport.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said directing a laser at an airplane is a federal violation akin to an assault, for "interfering with a cabin crew in performance of their duties." The severity of the punishment depends on whether authorities can prove criminal intent.

Lasers can be purchased on eBay starting at about $50. They come in different power levels, from those with tiny fractions of watts such as laser pointers and cat toys, to those used in light shows, which require power boosts and water cooling.

Eye damage from a laser depends on a number of factors.

"It's not a simple matter to say how bright it would have to be because it depends on how far you are away, and there's a certain amount of energy that has to go through your iris to damage your eye," said Margaret Murnane, a University of Colorado professor and laser expert. "A smaller laser, if you were closer to it, would do more damage than a bigger laser. It's the amount of light that gets into your eye that matters."

Justin Koch, a laser expert based in Peoria, Ill., said: "The question is, how far away the person was from the airplane. If they're approaching an airport, that means they have got to be past the airport, so we're looking at a couple miles, probably. A pointer isn't going to do much a couple miles away."

Tom O'Brian, chief of the time and frequency division at the National Institute for Standards and Technology in Boulder, said Monday's reports could have been anything from an ill-advised prank to people doing preapproved research.

"You have universities, a lot of high-tech companies, the Air Force Academy; there's a lot of potential of legitimate uses," he said.

Staff writer Jeffrey Leib contributed to this report.

Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or [email protected].

 

[CatYaaak]

Well obviously some laser-equipped geek on the ground rented "Die Hard 2", or "3" and actually believed that Hollywood tripe.

When I was a kid, at night I used to flash a flashlight at passing planes like I'd seen them do on Hogan's Heros and various WW2 movies in the hopes one of them would drop me a crate of something cool like submachine guns. It didn't work back then either.