Fifteen aircraft, ranging from planes to helicopters, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst have been struck by lasers from the ground since Dec. 7, said Rochelle Naus, a spokesperson for the facility. (Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst)
(Tribune News Service) — Pilots at one of New Jersey’s largest military bases have fielded over a dozen reports in less than a month of lasers interfering with their flights, including one incident that caused an injury, officials said Monday.
Several pilots flying over New Jersey reported their planes were hit by lasers in recent days, leading aviation officials to warn residents about the dangers of pointing lasers at aircraft.
Fifteen aircraft, ranging from planes to helicopters, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst have been struck by lasers from the ground since Dec. 7, said Rochelle Naus, a spokesperson for the facility.
In one incident, a pilot was injured, officials said. The injured pilot was given medical care after landing. Naus didn’t elaborate further about the injury but said the pilot was in “good condition.”
Military officials on Monday encouraged the instances to be reported to federal regulators, warning that pointing lasers at airplanes can be dangerous to pilots navigating critical in-flight procedures.
“We want to emphasize that pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense and a direct threat to public safety,” Naus said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “JB MDL is working closely with local law enforcement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other agencies to investigate these incidents.”
The laser points come amid an FBI investigation of more than 3,000 reports of alleged unexplained drone sightings. It remains unclear if the lasers and the drone sightings are related.
The FAA received “multiple laser reports from pilots” in airspace spanning New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, FAA spokeswoman Jillian L. Angeline said Sunday. FAA officials are investigating collaboratively to probe the increase in laser interference.
Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard, Angeline said. It is a felony carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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