Protecting Aircraft from Lasers: Soundbites for Media

Soundbites for media from FBI and Airline Pilots Association, International officials on the threat posed by lasers to aircraft.

John Kitzinger, Unit Chief, FBI Violent Crimes Unit

If you think this is a prank, I can assure you it is not. This is a felony—a federal crime—for which you can be placed in federal prison for up to five years.
The FBI has airport liaison agents assigned to all of our 56 field offices working with our state, local, and federal partners. They are going to aggressively investigate this type of crime.
Lasing an aircraft is extremely dangerous to the pilot as well as the passengers on board that aircraft and the people on the ground. What if this were your family aboard that aircraft? You would want them to be safe and protected. The FBI is taking this crime very seriously. We don’t want a catastrophe to happen.
We just want the public to be force multipliers for law enforcement, and when they see something suspicious or they hear of someone engaging in this type of conduct, that they report it to law enforcement.

Captain Fred Eissler, ALPA, Aviation Security Chairman

Right now we are in one of the safest periods of aviation history, but the consequences of lasing an aircraft in a critical phase of flight can have dire consequences.

Captain Robert Hamilton, ALPA Security Council Chairman

It is a tremendous distraction within the flight deck. It is a very real safety hazard, and it brings the very real possibility of having an aircraft accident as the result of this action.