Hawaii officials warn against trend that’s blinding pilots

Hawaii officials are warning the public about the dangers of shining lasers in pilot’s eyes, and the consequences are costly.

In a joint release, the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office, Kauai Police Department and Maui Police Department wrote that laser sightings have increased recently, with sightings on Kauai and “in and around” Kahului and Kapalua Airports on Maui.

“Pointing a laser at an aircraft is extremely dangerous and puts the lives of those on the aircraft and on the ground at risk,” FBI special agent Steven Merrill said in a statement. “This action causes an imminent threat to aviation safety with the potential to cause grave danger. It is not a harmless prank, and the FBI, KPD, and MPD take these incidents very seriously.”

A laser pointer light can travel more than a mile and temporarily blind or disorient pilots.

“Those who have been subject to such attacks have described them as the equivalent of a camera flash going off in a pitch-black car at night,” according to the FBI website.

In 2022, pilots reported 9,500 laser strikes to the Federal Aviation Administration, and 278 pilots have been injured by a laser strike since 2010. The FAA charges fines of up to $11,000 for people who shine lasers at aircraft and issued $120,000 in penalties for laser strikes in 2021. 

In addition, breaking the federal law carries a maximum of five years in prison for “knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft” and an additional 20 years for “interference with an aircraft,” according to the release. It also carries a federal penalty of up to a $250,000 fine. 

“The FAA is committed to maintaining the safest air transportation system in the world. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and on the ground below at risk,” the organization told SFGATE in a statement. “ … The agency works closely with other federal agencies and state and local governments to report and investigate incidents, help apprehend suspects, and advocate for the prosecution of offenders.”