LASER STRIKES against US planes on the rise:
"Zap attacks now at 'epidemic' levels"
"So what kind of jerk points a laser at a plane anyway? According to the Feds,
criminals have been known to aim lasers at aircraft intentionally to throw off
airborne surveillance, but those cases are relatively uncommon. Usually, plane-
zappers fit one of two profiles: some are minors with no criminal history, while the
rest are usually older men with "a reckless disregard for the safety of others."
Although there have been no known incidents of an airplane actually crashing due
to a laser strike, the FBI says there have been eye injuries, enough to make the
current "epidemic" of laser attacks a serious threat to aviation security."
See:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10...rike_epidemic/