Lasers Target Planes Near Sea-Tac, FAA Investigating

SEATTLE — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after receiving reports of nearly two dozen "laser strikes" on planes near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this week.

A laser strike is when someone shines a high-powered laser beam at an aircraft. In a worst-case scenario, a strike could incapacitate a pilot, the FAA said, putting the pilot and potentially hundreds of passengers in danger.

The first strikes began Jan. 28, when four flights were hit by a green laser near Sea-Tac around 6:30 p.m., FOX 13 reported. All four flights were within five miles of the airport. Incidents then died down until this week, when on Monday, 11 different flights reported being targeted by a laser between 8 and 9 p.m. The attacks continued Tuesday, with 11 more flights reporting laser strikes between 8 and 10:30 p.m.

Except for one incident, which took place eight miles northwest of the airport, all the strikes took place within five miles of Sea-Tac, though they ranged from five miles to the southeast and five miles to the northwest. Victim flights included planes flown by Horizon, Delta, Alaska, Southwest, jetBlue and American Airlines.

All 22 flights landed without incident, and no injuries were reported. However, a laser strike is still a serious violation, the FAA warns. People convicted of shining lasers at aircraft can face fines of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 if they were involved in multiple strikes, plus any criminal penalties from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Last year, the FAA issued a total $120,000 in fines for laser strikes.

Laser strikes have been on the rise recently, with the FAA logging a record-high 9,723 laser strike reports in 2021, a 41 percent increase over 2020. Lasers have also been responsible for 244 pilot injuries since the FAA began tracking laser strike statistics in 2010.

>> Learn more about laser strikes from the Federal Avaition Administration.