WASHINGTON -- Last year alone, more than 100 incidents occurred at Los Angeles International Airport in which the safety of planes was put at risk by people pointing at them with lasers, and nearly as many incidents took place at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, federal officials said Wednesday.
Overall, the number of incidents nationally in which people pointed lasers at planes and helicopters nearly doubled last year, from 1,527 incidents in 2009 to 2,836 incidents in 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Many of the incidents involve airliners in the midst of takeoffs or landings, critical phases of flight in which pilots need to be at their most alert. Pointing lasers at cockpits can temporarily blind pilots or even permanently damage their eyesight. In some instances, pilots have had to relinquish control of their aircraft to another pilot.
