Wednesday, December 21, 2022

He didn’t like aircraft over his home — so he pointed lasers at police helicopters, cops say

A North Miami man is facing state and federal charges after being accused of pointing a laser at U.S. Coast Guard and Miami-Dade County police helicopters.

According to a federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Patrick Longsworth, remained defiant after being caught by Miami-Dade officers holding a laser pointer in his backyard last month, saying he did it to stop the choppers from flying over his house.

Longsworth, 55, was arrested by Miami-Dade police earlier this month and released on a $5,000 bond. U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services agents filed a criminal complaint against him Tuesday in U.S. Southern District Court. He could not be reached for comment, and it was not immediately clear Tuesday afternoon if federal agents had arrested him.

Pointing a laser at an airplane or helicopter is illegal because, although the beam is not strong enough to damage the aircraft, it can cause pilots to experience temporary blindness, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. If convicted, Longsworth faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

According to the complaint, a Coast Guard helicopter crew reported being beamed by a green laser around 8 p.m. November 22 as it flew about six miles east of Coast Guard Station Miami at Opa-locka Executive Airport.

On November 28, around 6 p.m., another Coast Guard helicopter crew members reported having a laser pointed at them as they flew about one mile from the first incident, the complaint states.

Then, a Miami-Dade police helicopter crew was illuminated by a laser in the same area, agents said. This time, the pilot was able to see a man pointing the laser from the backyard of a home in the 1500 block of Northeast 140th Street in North Miami, according to the complaint.

Road patrol officers went to the house and found Longsworth, who lives there, still in his yard holding a laser pointer, agents said. He told officers “he was tired of aircraft flying over his house,” the complaint states.

When federal agents interviewed Longsworth days later, he told them that he was so bothered by planes and helicopters flying over his home that he considered buying a new laser pointer after Miami-Dade police confiscated his original device, agents said.

Cessna 172F Skyhawk, N8768U: Accident occurred December 21, 2022 in Auburn Hills, Oakland County, Michigan

National Transportation Safety Board - Accident Number: CEN23LA067 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; East Michigan 

Aircraft crashed after experiencing engine issues.


Date: 21-DEC-22
Time: 19:47:00Z
Regis#: N8768U
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 172
Event Type: Accident 
Highest Injury: Minor
Flight Crew: 1 Minor Injuries
Pax: 0
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
Operation: 91
City: AUBURN HILLS
State: MICHIGAN






AUBURN HILLS, Michigan – A pilot crashed his plane on Stellantis property in Auburn Hills after trying to make an emergency landing, officials said.

A 63-year-old man from Detroit was flying the plane Wednesday afternoon (December 21) when he started to experience engine trouble, according to authorities. He crashed on Stellantis property, which is on Chrysler Drive between I-75 and North Squirrel Road.

He was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

Nobody else was on the plane or involved in the crash, police said.

Piper PA-28-181 Archer III, N4144P: Accident occurred December 18, 2022 at San Manuel Airport (E77), Pinal County, Arizona

National Transportation Safety Board - Accident Number: WPR23LA071

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Aircraft landed, veered off runway and impacted left wing. 

Chandler Air Service Inc


Date: 18-DEC-22
Time: 21:25:00Z
Regis#: N4144P
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Flight Crew:  1 No Injuries
Pax: 2 No Injuries
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: SAN MANUEL
State: ARIZONA

AutoGyro Cavalon, N518DT: Incident occurred December 19, 2022 in Benson, Cochise County, Arizona

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Rotorcraft nose gear collapsed and rolled over on its side.  


Date: 19-DEC-22
Time: 17:45:00Z
Regis#: N518DT
Aircraft Make: AUTOGYRO GMBH
Aircraft Model: CAVALON
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: UNKNOWN
Flight Crew: 1 Unknown Injuries 
Pax: 0 
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
Operation: 91
City: BENSON
State: ARIZONA

Cessna TR182 Turbo Skylane RG, N737MX: Incident occurred December 20, 2022 at North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT), Clark County, Nevada

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada

Aircraft landed gear up.  


Date: 20-DEC-22
Time: 15:08:00Z
Regis#: N737MX
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: TR182
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Flight Crew: 1 No Injuries
Pax: 0
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: LAS VEGAS
State: NEVADA