It may sound like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, but people continue to point lasers at planes trying to land.
What many see as a prank — the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 12,840 such incidents in 2024 — is a federal crime that distracts pilots trying to land and can in some cases even cause them injury. Since 2010, the FAA also recorded 328 incidents of pilots who suffered eye damage due to laser strikes.
These instances are enough of a problem that, in February 2023, then-Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen called upon laser manufacturers to include a warning label on the product’s packaging.
Civil fines for pointing a laser at a plane can reach as much as $30,800 for multiple offenses, while a criminal conviction can result in up to five years of jail time.
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‘A dramatic increase of laser incidents’: FBI
Since March 2025, the FBI has been alerted to what the agency classifies as a “dramatic increase” in laser incidents in the areas around Seattle and Spokane in Washington state.
“Aircraft in the surrounding areas of Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane International Airports in Washington State have experienced a dramatic increase of laser incidents,” the government agency said in a press release. “Pilots landing at the airports have experienced a laser illuminating and tracking the cockpit of their aircraft, especially while on approach to land at SEA and GEG.”
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A week before the alert was issued on April 24, a 45-year-old man was arrested after pointing a green laser at planes on three separate occasions.
He was located after accidentally pointing a laser at a Spokane Regional Air Support helicopter that had been dispatched to patrol the area around GEG airport.
“Using previously reported laser strike information, the Air 1 Crew compared the earlier information to generate a possible location of the suspect involved in the incidents prior to the evening of [his] arrest,” Spokane County’s Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the incident.
SeaTac Airport is the hub for carriers like Alaska Airlines.
Image source: Shutterstock
Seen an incident? The FBI is asking you to report it
After recording 43 laser incidents in March alone in Washington, the FAA reported the matter to the FBI, which is now asking for the public’s help in identifying the people involved. In all of 2024, there were 383 incidents in Washington, while so far in 2025, there have already been 106.
Specific Washington areas seeing an increase in incidents include Vashon, White Center, Burien, West Kent, and Lake Meridian Park.
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The FBI also said that it has “worked with multiple local and federal agencies in an attempt to identify and locate the individual(s) responsible for these laser strikes and is seeking information from the public regarding these incidents.”
Anyone with information can report it on the agency’s website or call into a tip line at 1-800-225-5324.
“The effect of a laser strike can cause temporary or permanent blindness in pilots, interrupting our ability to safely operate the aircraft, putting our passengers at risk, and possibly ending our careers,” Capt. Jason Ambrosi, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association, told USA Today in December 2024.
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