‘People could die.’ The growing problem with lasers pointed at Tri-Cities airplanes
Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco saw the number of reports of lasers aimed at aircraft last year more than triple.
There were 28 reported laser strikes against aircraft in Pasco in 2021, according to the FAA’s Laser Incidents report, which was up from nine reported in 2020.
Though many of the laser strikes were against private aircraft, 11 lasers were aimed at SkyWest flights, the report showed, including most recently on Dec. 19.
During the month of April, the report showed five SkyWest pilots reported having a laser aimed at their aircraft.
Including the 28 incidents reported in 2021, there have been a total of 88 laser strikes reported in the Pasco area since 2010, McClatchy’s analysis of the FAA data showed.
Port of Pasco Police Chief Barry Gilk said the port has been coordinating with law enforcement in Walla Walla County and with Pasco Police Department about the incidents.
“Most of the laser incidents are coming from an area over by Burbank or over at an apartment complex near the Columbia River in Pasco but we’ve yet to find a (suspect),” he said.
Gilk said that while none of the incidents resulted in injuries, it is important to remember just how much danger a laser pointer creates for pilots.
“You can make the plane crash, it floods the cockpit with a bright light to the point where pilots cant see their instruments,” he said. “Most strikes occur when the plane is in a landing approach and it blinds them to where they cant see anything at all. People could die.”
Gilk said law enforcement takes the matter seriously, and will use the enforcement methods allowed by the state of Washington, which include fines and possible criminal charges.
100% increase in WA
Nationwide, pilots reported a record 9,723 incidents of lasers aimed at their aircraft last year, a 41% jump over the year before.
Washington state saw a more than 100% increase, McClatchy found, as reported incidents increased from 196 in 2020 to last year’s total of 397.
The news came just a week after four airline flights were hit by a laser near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. All four planes landed safely.
“The FAA continues to educate the public about the hazards of laser strikes because they pose such a serious threat to the safety of the pilot, the passengers and everyone in the vicinity of the aircraft,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a news release with Friday’s data.
The FAA said it handed out $120,000 in fines for laser strikes in 2021. Fines can range up to $11,000 for one incident and up to $30,800 for multiple violations, and violators can face federal criminal charges.
Lasers aimed at planes and helicopters have been a safety concern for more than a decade despite jail sentences for people who get caught. Authorities have tried rewards for turning in perpetrators and legislation making it easier to prosecute them.
The FAA said pilots have reported 244 injuries from laser strikes since the agency began keeping figures in 2010. None of those injuries were reported from incidents in the Pasco area, McClatchy found.
The number of laser incidents topped 1,000 in 2009 and has been rising most years ever since. Authorities say the problem is made worse by the availability of cheap laser pointers and devices getting more powerful.
—The Associated Press contributed to this story.
