Friday, December 09, 2011

Shining a Laser into a Plane Cockpit Is Illegal

By TISH KRAFT

WASHINGTON (CN) - Shining a laser into the cockpit of an airplane in an attempt to incapacitate the pilot is a serious safety risk and violates federal law, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA has published this information in the Federal Register in an attempt to get the attention of more people, since reports of these occurrences are increasing.

On June 1, 2011, the FAA had published an interpretation of a rule that provides that "no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated." The interpretation points out that "shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is a serious safety risk and violates federal law."

The FAA is working with law enforcement agencies across the country to pursue monetary civil penalties against people who purposely try to interfere with a flight crew by aiming a laser into an aircraft cockpit, the interpretation adds.

The civil penalty may be up to $11,000 per violation, according to a June FAA press release.

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