Three flights close to Boston Logan airport report inexperienced laser strikes: FAA

Three flight crews reported inexperienced laser strikes close to Boston Logan airport on Monday, in accordance with the FAA.

The crews of United Airways Flight 2356, Southwest Airways Flight 559 and Republic Airways Flight 4580 reported being illuminated by a inexperienced laser within the space of Boston Logan Worldwide Airport on Monday night.

“No injuries were reported,” the FAA mentioned in a press release. “The FAA notified local authorities and will investigate.”

The United flight was arriving from San Francisco, the Southwest flight was heading to Nashville, and the Republic flight was leaving for JFK, in accordance with FlightAware.

Shining a laser at a airplane poses a critical security risk, and is a federal crime. Lasers can incapacitate pilots whereas they fly airplanes with a whole lot of passengers.

Pilots reported 12,840 laser strikes to the Federal Aviation Administration final 12 months — in comparison with 13,304 laser strikes in 2023.

“Aiming a laser at an aircraft is against the law and creates a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and those on the ground below at risk,” the FAA’s Kevin Morris mentioned in a video.

“A laser strike can temporarily blind a pilot or cause severe eye injury, and the FAA takes this threat very seriously,” Morris added. “Laser strikes remain consistently high, which is why the FAA is continuing to raise awareness about the misuse of lasers.”

The FAA’s laser strike investigations have discovered numerous the reason why individuals shine lasers at plane. These vary from an individual who doesn’t understand how highly effective the laser is to individuals who do it deliberately.

Individuals who shine lasers at plane face FAA fines of as much as $32,000. Violators may face federal felony penalties of as much as 5 years in jail and a $250,000 high-quality.

“Bottom line: lasers and aircraft do not mix,” Morris mentioned. “If you have a laser, please use it responsibly and never point your laser at an aircraft.”