Laser beams in the cockpit

[Kip Powick]

FBI investigates laser beams directed into airplane cockpits

Associated Press

Washington — The FBI, concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of six commercial airliners since Christmas.

Laser beams can temporarily blind or disorient pilots and possibly cause a plane to crash.

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. Separately, law enforcement officials confirmed that a laser was aimed at a jet in Teterboro, N.J., on Wednesday, and another at a plane landing in Medford, Ore., on Christmas night.

Though the official said there is no evidence of a plot or terrorist activity, pilots are troubled by the incidents. The FBI earlier this month warned of the possibility that terrorists might use the devices as weapons.

"It's not some kid," said Paul Rancatore, a pilot who serves as deputy chairman of the security committee for the Allied Pilots Association. "It's too organized."

Loren Thompson, who teaches military technology at Georgetown University, called it a "rather worrisome development," though he said experts would be more puzzled than alarmed.

"What we're talking about is a fairly powerful visible light laser that has the ability to lock onto a fast-moving aircraft," Mr. Thompson said. "That's not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus store."

Thompson said a piece of equipment that could do the things the FBI suspects would be "fairly expensive and fairly sophisticated."

"It sounds like an organized effort to cause airline accidents," Mr. Thompson said.

Law enforcement officials, though, say they have no evidence of such an effort and that the lasers in question are readily available. Further, they say they've had reports of similar incidents since the technology became popular.

But 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, though there's no intelligence that indicates they might use them in the United States.

Pilots and safety officials have long been concerned about the dangers of laser light shows, which have caused temporary eye injuries to several pilots over the last decade.

Most recently, a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beamed into the cockpit while approaching the Salt Lake City airport in September. The plane landed safely.

The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute has a database of several hundred reports in which civilian or military aircraft were illuminated by lasers. Though there have been no accidents reported, pilots in some cases were startled, temporarily blinded and disoriented.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates laser light shows, consults with the FAA when someone proposes operating a laser outdoors near an airport. The FAA recommends the maximum safe level of laser light exposure for pilots manoeuvring near airports.

An FAA-commissioned study released in June concluded that "a laser attack could be quickly deployed and withdrawn, leaving no obvious collateral damage or projectile residue, and would be difficult to detect and defend against."

"A sufficiently powerful laser could cause permanent ocular damage, blinding crewmembers and make a successful landing virtually impossible," the report said.

More recently, some pilots have pushed to analyze the possible dangers posed by terrorists trying to cause an accident with the devices.

"It's a low-tech way to cause crashes," Mr. Rancatore said.

On Christmas night, two SkyWest pilots said they saw two laser-like rays of light in their cockpit as they attempted to land at the airport in Medford, Ore.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 22 kilometres from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 2,550 metres and 3,300 metres, the FBI said. It was determined the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Also on Monday in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search.

In New Jersey, the pilot of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation carrying 13 people said three green lasers were pointed into his cockpit while approaching the Teterboro airport on Wednesday night. Law enforcement officials said they were believed to have originated near a mall in Wayne.

All the planes landed safely.

[handyman]

Soooo, those sitting on the left will close their left eye and those sitting on the right their right eye.

[SkyBlazer]

could the lasers be testbeds for guided missle systems?

thoughts?

SB

happy new year to all.

[Say Again, Over!]

Just finish reading "Blackout" by John J. Nance, a novel which deals with that very topic. Good read! I recommend it.

LX

[Airband]

In New Jersey, the pilot of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation carrying 13 people said three green lasers were pointed into his cockpit while approaching the Teterboro airport on Wednesday night. Law enforcement officials said they were believed to have originated near a mall in Wayne.

Jan03, 2005 - CBS/AP

A Parsippany, N.J., man who was playing with a laser was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," his lawyer said.

David Banach and his young daughter were using the laser on the deck of their home, illuminating neighborhood trees and houses and pointing it into the sky, lawyer Gina Mendola Longarzo told the Newark Star Ledger. The green laser beam apparently hit the helicopter, carrying a top police official.

Banach, 38, was questioned by the FBI in Newark until 4:30 a.m. New Year's Day. The lawyer said Banach, a father of three young girls and the husband of a local PTA president, works in fiber optics and uses the laser in his work.

Longarzo said the laser, while strong, is "totally legal."

On Wednesday night, a pilot preparing to land the jet at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey reported seeing three green laser beams about 11 miles from the airport. The plane, a Cessna Citation with 13 people aboard, landed safely with no injuries reported.

[Kip Powick]

A Follow-up to Airband's post above....

N.J. man charged with aiming laser at aircraft

By Alan Levin

A New Jersey man was charged Tuesday under federal anti-terrorism laws with shining a laser beam at a charter jet flying over his home, temporarily distracting the pilots.

David Banach, 38, is the first person charged in a rash of recent incidents in which lasers were shined at aircraft around the country. Justice Department officials said they do not suspect terrorism in any of the cases, but said Banach's arrest shows how seriously they take the matter.

"We need to send a clear message to the public that there is no harmless mischief when it comes to airplanes," said Christopher Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey.

Banach made an initial appearance in court Tuesday and was released on $100,000 bond. He was charged with interfering with a flight crew under the USA Patriot Act. He also was charged with lying to federal officers. The charges carry a maximum jail sentence of 25 years.

Unrelated incidents of laser beams hitting planes have been reported in Medford, Ore.; Colorado Springs; Cleveland; Houston and Washington.

Banach's attorney blasted federal officials for what she called an overreaction. "One would think they would want to devote their time and resources to prosecuting real terrorists, not people like my client," Gina Mendola-Longarzo told the Associated Press.

She said her client was playing with his young daughter, using the laser's narrow green beam to point at stars and illuminating trees and neighbor's houses. FBI agents and police swarmed Banach's Parsnippany, N.J., home Friday night after a green laser was pointed at a police helicopter overhead. The helicopter was carrying a charter jet pilot who was attempting to locate the source of a green laser beam that hit his flight on Dec. 29 as it prepared to land at nearby Teterboro Airport.

After being taken to an FBI office and given a lie-detector test, Banach said he had hit the jet with the beam, court documents say. During questioning by the FBI, Banach showed an agent his laser. After the agent switched it on, Banach warned him "not to shine the laser in his eyes because it could blind him," the court documents say.

Lasers have become increasingly cheap and commonplace in recent years. Thousands of inexpensive lasers used for home repair jobs were sold before Christmas, some for as little as $15.