FAA: Laser Hits Planes Over Taylorsville

Someone was "painting" aircraft Saturday night in Taylorsville, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which notified local authorities.

Last year, federal authorities raised the fines for shining laser beams at commercial aircraft in response to a sharp rise in the number of incidents across the country, USA Today reported.

Lasers are hazardous to aviation mainly because pilots are distracted or temporarily flashblinded by them, according to laserpointersafety.com. Pilots also could suffer eye irritation, tears, a headache or pain, such as the JetBlue flight crew member who suffered a minor eye injury in July when struck by a laser on a flight to New York, according to the LA Times.

In Bartow County near Cartersville, a call from FAA officials about 9:40 p.m. prompted a deputy to search for suspects in the area of Floyd Creek Church Road, according to the Bartow County Sheriff's Office incident report.

Someone, since about 9 p.m., had been hitting planes in the area with a light "several pilots described as a[n] anti-aircraft, weapon-mounted laser," the report said.

Despite checking several roads, authorities were unable to locate a suspect.

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