Griggs County officials investigate laser incident that endangered aircraft

COOPERSTOWN, N.D. — The Griggs County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident in which someone aimed a laser pointer at an airplane as it was flying over a field northwest of Binford on Friday evening, Jan. 30.

Department officials posted an advisory on its Facebook page, reminding residents that doing so is a federal crime and can potentially blind the pilot. The offense is punishable by FAA fines of up to $32,000, up to five years in federal prison or both.

“Thankfully, no harm came to those operating the plane or the plane itself,” the post read. “The culprit was not found, but if anyone has info regarding this matter please notify us.”

Authorities posted a photo of what a laser pointer looks like from the pilot’s vantage point, accompanied by an explanation of why lasers are so dangerous to aircraft: “Lasers expand at distance and can engulf the cockpit in a ’flashbulb effect’ similar to a camera flash. This can temporarily blind pilots, if not permanently damage their eyes.”

Anyone with information on the incident can contact the Griggs County sheriff at

sheriff@griggscountynd.gov

or 701-797-2202.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.