Lawmakers Say Laser Law May Prevent Asiana Airlines-Like Plane Crashes

Pointing lasers at aircrafts has always been bad form, but soon it will be illegal, under a new state law.

Introduced by Del. Sam Arora (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring and Sen. J. B. Jennings (R-Dist. 7) of Joppa, the new law makes it a misdemeanor to point a laser at any aircraft. It goes into effect Oct. 1.

“Many people don’t realize that even small laser pointers can be powerful enough to blind pilots,” said Arora in a statement.

Reports surfaced this week that a pilot of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 was blinded by a temporary light shortly before the plane crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board told USA Today Thursday that the light may have been the sun reflecting off the San Francisco Bay. The newspaper reported that the pilots had not discussed the light during interviews nor on the recorded cockpit conversation.

The possibility of lasers having tragic consequences for aircraft spurred the Maryland legislation. Sponsors of the legislation cited recent incidents in Maryland in which pilots were temporarily blinded by lasers pointed at their eyes.

In 2011, two Southwest Airlines pilots suffered eye injuries after a green laser was pointed at them while they tried to land at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, CBS News reported. A Maryland State Police helicopter was the target of a laser in a September 2010 incident, The Gazette reported.

Maryland’s law will fine laser offenders up to $2,500 and carry up to three years in prison.