Safety

Laser strikes on aircraft: how often, what they do, what to do

October 2, 202612 min readFor pilots and passengers

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In this article

How often it happens
What a laser does to a pilot's eyes
Why the landing is the problem
Helicopters take it at close range
The law and who gets caught
Outside the US: the UK and Europe
Protective eyewear: promising, not standard
What it means for pilots

US pilots reported 10,993 laser strikes to the FAA in 2025, about 30 a day. That is down from the 2023 record, but the FAA still calls the problem a federal crime and a serious safety threat (FAA Laser Incidents). Most strikes happen at night and below 10,000 ft, when the crew is dark-adapted and busy with the arrival or departure. The FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual warns that a laser can impair a pilot's vision miles from its source.

The good news is that lasting eye injury is rare, and the steps that protect a crew are simple. The bad news is that the beam often arrives at the worst moment, on final approach. This article covers the latest numbers, what the light does to vision, the laws on both sides of the Atlantic, the status of protective eyewear, and what FAA guidance tells crews to do. Figures are as of October 2026.

How often it happens

The FAA has tracked laser reports since 2010 and posts yearly totals and the underlying incident spreadsheets (FAA Laser Incidents). Here are the totals since 2016:

Year	Laser reports to FAA
2016	7,398
2017	6,754
2018	5,663
2019	6,136
2020	6,852
2021	9,723
2022	9,457
2023	13,304
2024	12,840
2025	10,993
2026 (Jan–Aug)	5,154

The FAA's February 25, 2026 release called 2025 the second annual drop in a row, down 14%. The release used 10,994 for 2025; the data page shows 10,993. California (1,309), Texas (1,100) and Florida (654) led the states.

The 2026 figure is year to date. The 24% comparison below is our own count from the FAA's spreadsheets, not an FAA figure. The FAA's 2026 incident spreadsheet runs from January 1 through August 31. By our count, the same eight months of the 2025 spreadsheet held 6,754 reports, so 2026 is running about 24% lower. The 2025 data also show strikes peak in the fall: October alone had 1,233 reports.

A few other patterns from the 2026 data, by our count:

Green lasers made up about 74% of reports and blue about 14%.
Of reports that listed an altitude, about 72% were at or below 10,000 ft. Some came at cruise altitudes; several were logged at 39,000 ft.
Four of 5,154 reports were flagged as involving an injury.

Pilots have reported 337 injuries since the FAA began tracking in 2010, per the February 2026 release. That is a small share of the roughly 89,000 reports filed from 2016 through 2025 alone. These are pilot-reported injuries, not confirmed diagnoses.

What a laser does to a pilot's eyes

The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) brochure Laser Hazards in Navigable Airspace describes three main visual effects:

Glare. A bright source near the line of sight hides what you are trying to see, like oncoming high beams.
Flash blindness. Vision stays impaired after the light is gone, like the spot after a camera flash.
Afterimage. A reverse-contrast shadow sits in the visual field. It can last several minutes.

A brief exposure can also cause startle, distraction or disorientation. The brochure adds that pilots have reported light sensitivity, headaches, eye pain, irritation and trouble focusing afterward. These usually clear within minutes to a few hours and, in rare cases, last several days.

Why green is worse: most handheld lasers aimed at aircraft are green, near 532 nm, close to the eye's peak sensitivity. The brochure says green light can look as much as 30 times brighter than red light of the same irradiance. The eye's focusing can raise a beam's energy density up to 100,000 times.

Why permanent damage is unlikely: exposures are usually brief, the blink reflex cuts them short, and distance and the atmosphere spread the beam. The CAMI brochure calls permanent eye damage unlikely. The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, 7-6-13, still warns that laser operations can cause permanent eye damage. AC 70-2B lists the full range, from distraction and glare up to persistent or permanent impairment "in extreme circumstances." The EASA guidance page also tells crews the risk of permanent damage is extremely low.

The problem is when the effects hit. The FAA notes that recovery can take from a few seconds to several minutes. It also notes the effects are worst when your eyes are adapted to a dark cockpit at night.

Why the landing is the problem

CAMI measured this in a simulator. In a 2004 study (DOT/FAA/AM-04/9), 34 pilots flew a Boeing 727-200 simulator. They were lased on final approach at four intensity levels. About three-quarters of responses showed some visual effect, mainly glare and flash blindness. At 5 µW/cm², four pilots went around and seven landings were aborted or nearly aborted (21%). At 50 µW/cm², the figure was nine (26%). Even at the weakest level, 0.5 µW/cm², two-thirds of responses showed some visual effect. The FAA's Safety Briefing article on this research mentions lost sight of the runway and early flares.

The study's authors concluded that the FAA's 50 nW/cm² limit for the airspace closest to runways leaves an adequate safety margin. AC 70-1B, Outdoor Laser Operations sets out the zones:

Laser-Free Zone, 50 nW/cm². At this level there should be no visual distraction.
Critical Flight Zone, 5 µW/cm². This level should not cause veiling glare.
Sensitive Flight Zone, 100 µW/cm². This level should not cause flash blindness or afterimage.

The FAA uses these limits when it reviews outdoor laser shows. Someone aiming a handheld laser at a cockpit is not bound by any of them.

European data point the same way. EUROCONTROL's EVAIR Bulletin No. 25 covers 2018–2022. In 2022, 45% of reported laser events happened on final approach, 23% on initial approach and 15% on initial climb. Only 10% happened en route.

Helicopters take it at close range

GAO's 2022 report notes that police, air ambulance, military and news helicopters routinely fly at low altitudes, which raises their exposure. CAMI's 2013 study (DOT/FAA/AM-13/8) compared helicopters with fixed-wing aircraft over 1980–2011. It found that 70% of helicopter laser exposures happened within 2,000 ft of altitude. For fixed-wing aircraft, the figure was 18%. More than 86% of the adverse effects helicopter pilots reported happened in that low band. The authors concluded that special protection may be needed for helicopters and other low-flying aircraft.

Recent federal cases show what this looks like. In October 2025, a Bernalillo County Sheriff's helicopter crew in New Mexico was struck more than a dozen times. The pilot had flash blindness and blind spots for 10–15 minutes and migraines for 30–36 hours, per the US Attorney's Office. In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority said in September 2026 that emergency helicopters were targeted 94 times in 2025 and 35 times in the first half of 2026. Many UK air ambulances fly with a single pilot.

The law and who gets caught

In the US, aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft or its flight path is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 39A. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 added it. The penalty is a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. There are narrow exceptions, such as authorized testing and emergency distress signaling. The FAA's 2025 release put the criminal fine at up to $250,000.

The FAA can also pursue civil penalties. Its own pages show different numbers. The laser incidents page still says up to $11,000 per violation and $30,800 for multiple incidents. The FAA's main laser page says up to $32,646 per violation. The inflation-adjusted table in 14 CFR 13.301 supports the higher figure. It sets $32,646 as the maximum for an individual who aims a laser at an aircraft, for violations on or after December 30, 2024. That is the current maximum as of October 2026. It may rise with the next inflation adjustment.

How often do cases succeed? The best audit is the GAO's August 2022 report. From July 2016 through September 2020:

Of 232 identified subjects, the FAA assessed civil penalties on 70, between $50 and $27,338 (GAO-22-104664).
US Attorneys prosecuted 44 people, with 40 convictions. Sentences ran up to 51 months. The FAA's reports to Congress had listed only four prosecutions.
Only about 12% of pilots returned the FAA's laser questionnaire.

GAO recommended better data sharing and a new interagency working group. FAA agreed, and GAO says a new group formed in August 2023. Prosecutions continue. In July 2026, a Las Vegas man got nine months in prison for lasing a police helicopter in January 2025 (US Attorney, District of Nevada). In August 2026, the New Mexico defendant got four months (US Attorney, District of New Mexico).

How the public can report. The FAA asks the public to report laser strikes to both local law enforcement and the FAA (FAA Laser Safety). If you see someone aiming a laser at an aircraft, contact local police. Then email the FAA at laserreports@faa.gov with your name and contact details, the date and time, and the location and a description of what you saw (FAA laser reporting page). FAA staff or police may contact you for more detail. In the UK, the CAA's September 2026 release notes that helicopter cameras can often trace the source and alert police.

Outside the US: the UK and Europe

The UK passed the Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Act 2018. It makes it an offense to shine a laser at a moving vehicle, including an aircraft, when the beam dazzles or distracts the person in control or is likely to. A separate offense covers air traffic facilities and controllers. The maximum on indictment is five years in prison, a fine, or both. The main offense took effect in England, Wales and Scotland on July 10, 2018.

UK CAA laser incident data show a long decline from a 2011 peak of 1,912 UK reports:

Year	UK reports	UK operators overseas
2011	1,912	366
2019	890	147
2022	1,059	111
2023	1,248	200
2024	966	160
2025	951	211

London Heathrow had the most UK reports in 2025, with 86.

EASA does not publish a yearly laser count in its Annual Safety Review 2025. The most recent Europe-wide picture comes from EUROCONTROL's voluntary EVAIR reporting system. Lasers made up 4% of EVAIR ATM occurrences in 2018–2022. Reports rose sharply in 2022 as traffic came back, nearly to the 2018 level (EVAIR Bulletin No. 25). Big hubs were hit hardest.

The best-known UK case is Virgin Atlantic flight VS25, Heathrow to New York, on February 14, 2016. As reported by NPR and The Register, a laser struck the cockpit shortly after takeoff west of Heathrow. The first officer reported feeling unwell, and the flight returned to Heathrow. More than 250 people were on board. We found no official investigation report on the event.

Protective eyewear: promising, not standard

Laser eye protection (LEP) uses filters to block the wavelengths of common handheld lasers. The trade-off is color: the filters shift how the cockpit looks.

CAMI tested the Air Force Research Laboratory's CALI-2 glasses in a June 2023 study (DOT/FAA/AM-23/19). Fourteen instrument-rated pilots, mostly general aviation, flew simulated flights wearing them. Flight performance and reading of color-coded displays held up.
Pilots said the glasses made dim controls, paper checklists and terrain at night harder to see. Many said they would put them on only after a strike, which adds workload at a busy moment. The authors called for SOPs and more testing in real aircraft, including with airline pilots.
The FAA's 2023 Safety Briefing article warned that many LEP designs can reduce a pilot's color recognition. GAO's 2022 report cited costs of $200 to $500 a pair.

As of October 2026, we found no FAA rule that requires or approves LEP for civil crews. The EASA guidance page suggests laser glare eyewear for high-risk approaches. If your operator issues LEP, follow its procedures.

What it means for pilots

Before the flight. Check NOTAMs and the ATIS. ATC repeats an "UNAUTHORIZED LASER ILLUMINATION EVENT" caution every 5 minutes for 20 minutes after a report. Terminal facilities keep it on the ATIS for at least an hour (AC 70-2B). If a caution is less than 20 minutes old, avoid the area when practical. On an IFR clearance, get ATC approval before you deviate. The CAMI brochure says the non-flying pilot should be ready to take control in a known laser area. Brief it on night arrivals into known hot spots.

During a strike. The CAMI brochure and the FAA Safety Briefing give this order:

Aviate. Check configuration and consider the autopilot to hold the flight path. EASA's guidance adds the go-around as an option.
Look away and shield. Don't look at the beam. Block it with a hand, visor or clipboard. Don't point it out to the other pilot.
Delegate. If one pilot is unaffected, consider giving them control.
Navigate. Turn or climb so the fuselage blocks the beam.
Turn up the cockpit lights to reduce the effects.
Don't rub your eyes. Rubbing can cause tearing or a corneal abrasion.

Reporting. Tell ATC as soon as you can. Include position (lat/long or fix-radial-distance), altitude, beam color and the direction it came from (AIM 7-6-13). Per AC 70-2B, ATC treats a laser report as an in-flight emergency until you say otherwise. In uncontrolled airspace, broadcast a caution on UNICOM or 121.5. After landing, file the Laser Beam Exposure Questionnaire, either online or by email to laserreports@faa.gov. Only about 12% of pilots did in GAO's review, and AC 70-2B says these reports help police find the source. EASA's guidance also tells crews to complete an occurrence report.

When to get an eye exam. The CAMI brochure says an eye doctor visit may be warranted whenever you have concerns. It strongly recommends one if visual symptoms last more than a few hours. These include blurred vision, afterimages and double vision. Physical symptoms count too: headaches, tearing or light sensitivity. EASA's guidance says the same: see a doctor if eye problems persist. If symptoms continue, remember 14 CFR 61.53. You may not act as a required crewmember while you know or have reason to know of a condition that would keep you from meeting your medical standards. If symptoms are still there, get the exam before you fly again.

Sources

This is general information, not operating guidance. Your company's procedures, your aircraft's manuals and the regulations come first.