LAX Tops Nation for Laser-Beam Incidents

The Federal Aviation Administration investigated 102 reports of laser-like beams being pointed at aircraft near Los Angeles International Airport in 2010, making LAX the top airport for such crimes, an FAA spokesman said Wednesday.

By comparison, Chicago's O'Hare Airport, the nation's busiest, logged 98 similar reports, the second highest number, according to the FAA.

At Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, the FAA got 31 reports of focused beams being directed at aircraft, while Long Beach Airport had 15 reports, Ian Gregor of the FAA said.

Even at the military airfield at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, there were 21 reports of people shining lights on planes, he said.

The beams, especially green ones, can temporarily blind pilots, and the crime is punishable under federal and state laws.

At Van Nuys airport, a general aviation airport used by private pilots, the FAA logged 16 reports of people targeting planes with lights, he said.

Nationwide, the FAA got 2,800 reports of people pointing laser-like lights at planes.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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