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New numbers put Georgia on a dangerous flight list.
The Federal Aviation Administration ranks Georgia 10th in the U.S. for the highest number of laser strikes against pilots.
Pilots in metro Atlanta said the crime happens here way too often. Avery Shuhar is a flight instructor at DeKalb Peachtree Airport.
She told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco that even if you’re just playing around with a laser and do not think a plane is above you, they’re up there.
“Especially in Atlanta. We’re the busiest airport in the world,” Shuhar said.
She said a laser light can prevent pilots from seeing instruments inside the cockpit, and it could prevent them from seeing other traffic in the sky, causing a mid-air collision.
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“Imagine, you know, when your phone catches sunlight, and it hits your eyes or hits a screen, and you can’t see it anymore. It’s kind of like the same thing,” Shuhar said.
“It has happened to me once,” pilot Chirag Rao said.
Rao pointed out the number of passengers at risk on some flights.
“It can be a federal crime,” Rao said.
The FAA released the new data on Thursday.
Numbers show pilots reported the crime 166 times so far this year. In 2024, they reported it happening more than 400 times.
When it does happen, Shuhar said pilots are instructed to tell air traffic controllers, who immediately call local police.
Those officers start searching for suspects. When they find them, the FAA said the reasons the suspects did it varied from intentional to uneducated accidents.
“If you’re going to shoot it, just make sure it’s down at the ground, not up in the sky, and don’t shoot it in anyone’s eyes,” Shuhar said.,
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