Boston, MA — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching an investigation after an incident in which an individual directed a green laser at a helicopter during its landing at Massachusetts General Hospital on Thursday night.
The crew on board a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk reported the laser strike while conducting a training flight around 8 p.m. Fortunately, no one in the helicopter was directly targeted by the laser.
Earlier on Thursday morning, two JetBlue flight crews reported similar encounters with green lasers. These incidents occurred at approximately 5:40 a.m. The FAA is actively working to determine the responsible party in both cases.
In 2022, pilots reported a staggering 9,500 laser strikes to the FAA. The FAA underscored the severity of such actions, stating, "Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and on the ground below at risk. It is also a violation of federal law."
Individuals caught directing lasers at aircraft face fines of up to $11,000 for each violation, with higher penalties of up to $30,800 for multiple incidents. In 2021, the FAA imposed fines totaling $120,000 in response to laser strikes, underlining its commitment to deterring such dangerous actions.