FAA: Pilots reported more laser strikes in 2020 than in previous year, despite the pandemic

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Pilots, unlike cats, are not amused by shiny laser pointers.

The FAA has unfortunately reported on a significant increase in the number of pilots reporting laser strikes in 2020, even as fewer planes were flying due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, there were a total of 6,852 laser incidents reported to the FAA, according to information posted on the administration's website. This number is up about 12% from 2019, when there 6,136 reported cases. What makes this increase more noteworthy, and also concerning, is that it occurred during a year which saw a 60% decrease in the total number of flights flown, Forbes notes.

In 2020, there were 6,852 laser incidents reported to the FAA. (iStock)

PILOT SHORTAGE PREDICTED FOLLOWING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: STUDY

Incidents involving laser strikes on aircraft usually involve a person on the ground, pointing the laser light at an operating aircraft. While the light may appear small when shined at short distances, it can apparently fill a cockpit, and distract or possibly "incapacitate" a pilot. Intentionally shining a light at an aircraft is also a violation of federal law, the FAA points out.

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Violators can and have faced severe consequences for shining laser pointers at planes. Brian John Loven pleaded guilty to one such incident earlier this year, after being accused of shining a laser at the cockpit of a SkyWest flight as it approached the Great Falls International Airport in Montana in 2020. Joven narrowly escaped jail time, but will instead serve several years of probation.