4 flights at Boston Logan International Airport report green laser strikes, FAA investigating

The troubling trend of lasers being pointed at airplanes continued at Boston Logan International Airport this week, with multiple pilots reporting green laser strikes.

Four flight crews at Boston Logan reported green laser strikes on Monday and Tuesday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is now investigating.

“The flight crews of Alaska Airlines Flight 536, JetBlue Flight 988, and Delta Air Lines Flight 803 reported being illuminated by a green laser near Boston around 5:40 a.m. local time on Monday, Nov. 13,” the FAA said in a statement.

“The flight crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 536 reported being illuminated by a green laser near Boston around 5:10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 14,” the FAA reported.

Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense.

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Laser strikes have been rising in recent years. The FAA reported 6,852 laser incidents in 2020, followed by a major increase to 9,723 incidents in 2021. Last year, there were 9,457 reported incidents.

Nearly 300 pilots have reported an injury from a laser strike since 2010.

People who shine lasers at aircrafts face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation, and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents. The FAA issued $120,000 in fines for laser strikes in 2021.

The FAA said the jump in the number of reported laser strikes is due to several factors:

The availability of inexpensive laser devices.
The abundance of lasers for sale in stores and online.
The number of lasers being given as gifts.
Stronger power levels that enable lasers to hit aircraft at higher altitudes.
Green lasers, which are more visible to the human eye than red lasers.
Greater awareness by pilots to report laser incidents, due in large part to the FAA’s outreach program.

The FAA encourages people to report laser incidents, whether they are pilots, air traffic controllers or members of the public. People can report incidents at www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/report/laserinfo.

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