FAA reports record number of laser strikes in 2021 — how many occurred in Bellingham?
Two flights in the area of Bellingham International Airport were targeted by lasers in 2021, according to data released Friday, Feb. 4, by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Though we’ve been fortunate here at Bellingham with one or two reported incidents being reported each year, even one is too many as it can result in a tragic accident, as a laser strike does not pass through the aircraft’s window as a point of light, it intensifies into a burst of fractured light causing complete loss of night vision and can cause temporary or prolonged damage to vision,” Port of Bellingham Director of Aviation Sunil Harman told The Bellingham Herald in an email. “During critical phases of flight during night or low-visibility operations it can quickly turn tragic.
“The Port works closely with federal agencies including the DHS (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) and will pursue anyone engaging in such activity with all legal means at its disposal.”
The two flights hit by a laser in Bellingham this year were a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Blackhawk helicopter that was targeted March 25 and an Allegiant Airlines Airbus A319 that was targeted Dec. 17, according to the FAA’s Laser Incidents report.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Ronald Gregory Boettcher, 34, into Whatcom County Jail in connection with the March laser incident involving the CBP helicopter. Whatcom County Superior Court records show he is scheduled to stand trial April 11 on charges of first-degree unlawful discharge of a laser.
The two laser incidents in the area of Bellingham International Airport was an increase from one reported in 2020, and the area has seen 21 reports since 2010, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of previous FAA reports showed. It had a high of seven reported in 2016 and four more in 2017, the data showed.
Nationwide, pilots reported a record 9,723 incidents of lasers aimed at their aircraft last year, a 41% jump over the year before.
Washington state saw a more than 100% increase, The Herald found, as reported incidents increased from 196 in 2020 to last year’s total of 397.
The news came just a week after four airline flights were hit by a laser near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. All four planes landed safely.
“Reports of the increase nationwide of lasers being pointed at aircraft is a very dangerous trend and must be interdicted with Federal felony charges and severe penalties,” Harman told The Herald.
The FAA said it handed out $120,000 in fines for laser strikes in 2021. Fines can range up to $11,000 for one incident and up to $30,800 for multiple violations, and violators can face federal criminal charges.
Lasers aimed at planes and helicopters have been a safety concern for more than a decade despite jail sentences for people who get caught. Authorities have tried rewards for turning in perpetrators and legislation making it easier to prosecute them.
The FAA said pilots have reported 244 injuries from laser strikes since the agency began keeping figures in 2010. None of those injuries were reported in the Bellingham area, The Herald found.
The number of laser incidents topped 1,000 in 2009 and has been rising most years ever since. Authorities say the problem is made worse by the availability of cheap laser pointers and devices getting more powerful.
“The FAA continues to educate the public about the hazards of laser strikes because they pose such a serious threat to the safety of the pilot, the passengers and everyone in the vicinity of the aircraft,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in Friday’s news release.
—The Associated Press contributed to this story.
