By John Keller, Editor in Chief
Several recent incidents in which aircraft pilots claim to have been temporarily blinded by laser beams are igniting debate over whether legally obtained laser pointers in the wrong hands could be considered terrorist weapons, and if further restrictions should be placed on their use.
This issue finally came to a head in early January when FBI agents arrested David Banach, 38, of Parsippany, N.J., and charged him under the Patriot Act with interfering with a flight crew. Banach allegedly shined a green laser into the cockpit of a chartered business jet Dec. 29 as the aircraft was on approach to nearby Teterboro Airport.
Pilots of the aircraft, in various news reports, claim to have been “temporarily blinded,” “distracted,” or “startled” when Banach’s laser beam hit their cockpit windows and scattered its green light throughout the cockpit.
Similar but unrelated incidents of laser beams hitting aircraft have been reported in Medford, Ore.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Cleveland; Houston; and Washington. To date, no permanent injuries to the eyes have been reported.
Federal authorities have said they do not suspect terrorism in any of these cases, but instead want to make clear that they take the matter of lasers hitting aircraft seriously.
In New Jersey, FBI agents confiscated from Banach a handheld Class IIIa 5-milliwatt green laser called the Jasper, which produces a beam in the 532-nm wavelength, that he bought from Bigha in Corvalis, Ore. (www.bigha.com).
Bigha officials claim the Jasper is the “brightest, most reliable laser you can operate without a special permit.” One of the laser’s most common uses is pointing out distant objects, such as stars, planets, and objects on Earth.
The human eye is more sensitive to green than it is to red, and a 5-milliwatt green laser beam appears to be far brighter than a 5-milliwatt red laser beam, experts say.
Bigha’s site on the World Wide Web warns users not to shine the laser beam into passing cars, airplanes, or other vehicles, into windows of houses, into the eyes of any person or animal, into mirrors, or into any optical instrument that might focus the laser into someone’s eyes.
If legal 5-milliwatt handheld laser pointers are determined to be legitimate terrorist threats, then federal law-enforcement authorities would have their work cut out for them. At least 100,000 green lasers reportedly were sold in the U.S. in 2004 alone, which is reportedly twice the number sold in 2003.
This number does not include lasers more powerful than 5 milliwatts, which may be operated only with special permits, for outdoor entertainment and similar applications.
It is unclear at this early stage whether federal authorities will consider recommending or requiring aircraft pilots to have laser-protection gear available to them in the cockpit-or what types of protective gear would be involved.
One thing is clear from these incidents, however. Laser beams that hit aircraft are potentially harmful, even if they do not cause permanent eye damage. The bright laser flash can startle or disorient pilots, and could cause the temporarily loss of night vision, which is precious to pilots operating aircraft after dark.
Common sense dictates that handheld lasers are useful and amusing tools when used properly, but-like kitchen knives, hunting rifles, and carpenter’s tools-can be dangerous in the wrong hands or used improperly.
No one would innocently shoot a firearm at a passing aircraft. It stands to reason that no one would innocently flash a laser at an aircraft either.
