Pilot impaired by laser light during LAX approach, FAA says
A US Airways captain reported being visually impaired by a laser light as he prepared to land at LAX this week, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
US Airways flight 674 was approaching LAX via Phoenix just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday when he reported the cockpit was illuminated by a laser light, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The jetliner was at an altitude of about 9,000 feet and east of Santa Monica at the time, Gregor said.
The flight left Phoenix about 11 p.m., records show.
Air traffic controllers notified police but it was not immediately clear if any arrests were made.
Since the FBI and FAA began tracking laser light strikes in 2005, they’ve seen a 1,000% increase in reported incidents, the FBI said in a statement. For two months earlier this year the bureau was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone who has pointed a laser light at an aircraft.
There were 3,960 laser light strikes against aircraft in 2013, or nearly 11 per day, the FBI reported.
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