Lasers and aviation safety

The most likely scenario is when a bright visible laser light causes distraction or temporary flash blindness to a pilot, during a critical phase of flight such as landing or takeoff.

[2] In addition to lasers, other bright directional lights such as searchlights and spotlights can have the same dazzling, distracting, and flashblinding effects.

Lasers are used in industry and research, such as in atmospheric remote sensing, and as guide stars in adaptive optics astronomy.

Pilots straying into unauthorized airspace over Washington, D.C. can be warned to turn back by shining eye-safe low-power red and green lasers at them.

[4] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has tested laser-projected lines on airport runways, to increase visibility of "hold short" markings.

Even in deliberate illuminations, it is difficult to keep a hand-held laser focused on a moving target, so there will be a series of longer flashes.

With a plane traveling hundreds of miles per hour and a laser beam size of only a meter or so, flash durations would be measured in thousandths of a second.

The main concerns of safety experts are focused on laser and bright light effects on pilots, especially when they are in a critical phase of flight: takeoff, approach, landing, and emergency maneuvers.

These measures include: Police have begun using helicopters to patrol and seek out people using lasers to disrupt aviation.

In the UK, restrictions are in place in a zone that includes a circle 3 nmi (5.6 km) in radius around an airport, plus extensions from each end of each runway.

[citation needed] If the laser use is for a show or display, approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health is required.

Although the displays had been approved by the FDA as eye-safe for their airport proximity, no one had realized that the glare and distraction hazard would adversely affect pilots.

In one case, David Banach of New Jersey was charged under federal Patriot Act anti-terrorism laws, after he allegedly shone a laser pointer at aircraft.

[33] Responding to the incidents, the Congressional Research Service issued a study on the laser "threat to aviation safety and security.

"[19] Because there was no federal law specifically banning deliberate laser illumination of aircraft, Congressman Ric Keller introduced H.R.

[36] On March 28, 2008, a coordinated attack took place using four green laser pointers aimed at six aircraft landing at Sydney airport in New South Wales, Australia.

[37][38] As a result of this attack plus others, a law was proposed in mid-April 2008 in New South Wales to ban possession of handheld lasers, including low-power classroom pointers.

[44][45] In February 2016 a Virgin Atlantic flight from Heathrow to New York JFK Airport was forced to turn back when a laser beam was shone into the cockpit.

[46] The incident led the British Airline Pilots' Association to call for lasers to be classified as offensive weapons.

[47] In the first seven months of 2018, United States Armed Forces pilots were targeted with laser points in multiple regions, but particularly in the Middle East.

[48] In December 2021 a Mississippi man is facing federal charges including 5 years in prison and $25,000 in fines for months of targeting aircraft flying into Memphis International Airport.

Lasers are one of the main threats of aviation safety
FAA flight simulator showing distraction where the light does not obscure vision but can distract the pilot. Light intensity 0.5 μW/cm 2 ; for example, a legal 5 mW laser pointer at 3,700 feet (1,100 m).
FAA flight simulator showing veiling glare where it is hard to see through the light to the background scene. Light level 5.0 μW/cm 2 ; for example, a legal 5 mW laser pointer at 1,200 feet (370 m).
Simulation of temporary flash blindness where the image takes from a few seconds to a few minutes to fade away, depending on how much light entered the eye. Light level 50 μW/cm 2 ; for example, a legal 5 mW laser pointer at 350 feet (110 m).
Graphic illustrating how laser pointer hazards are most serious when the laser is close to the aircraft
The U.S. FAA Laser Free Zone extends horizontally 2 NM (3,700 m) from the centerline of all runways (two dark lines in this diagram) with additional 3 NM (5,560 m) extensions at each end of a runway. Vertically, the LFZ extends to 2,000 feet (610 m) above ground level.
The U.S. FAA Critical Flight Zone extends horizontally 10 nmi (19 km) around the airport, and extends vertically to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above ground level. The optional Sensitive Flight Zone is designated around special airspace needing bright-light protection.