Video: Police Catch Man Pointing Laser at Aircraft

By Sean O'Neill
October 3, 2012

The number of high-powered lasers being pointed at aircraft in the US nearly doubled in one year to 2,836 last year, according to a new report. The lights can temporarily blind pilots.

The problem is a global one. In late September, an Aeroflot plane with 128 passengers on board nearly crashed in Barnaul, Russia, when a 15-year-old boy beamed a laser pointer at the cockpit, says Moscow Times.

These laser pointers aren't the low-powered ones used in some classrooms and businesses. We're talking instead about high-powered devices that typically cost $500 or more and are usually labeled Class IIIa and Class IIIb. The devices are not illegal. But disrupting an aircraft from flying is.

A recently released FBI video shows someone pointing a laser light at aircraft and minutes later being arrested by police. There's a Minority Report thrill to watching this arrest.


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