Posted on 03/23/2005 7:06:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A man accused of pointing a green laser beam at a small passenger jet, temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot, was indicted Wednesday under the federal anti-terror Patriot Act.
David W. Banach, who claimed he was looking at stars with his daughter, also was accused of lying to the FBI about the Dec. 29 incident in which the jet's windshield and cabin were hit three times with a beam as the plane approached Teterboro Airport.
The charges in the federal indictment were similar to those filed against Banach in an FBI complaint in January; the indictment replaces the complaint.
Attorney Gina Mendola-Longarzo said Banach was using the laser for stargazing when the plane was hit by the beam.
"I think it's an absolute abuse of prosecutorial discretion to charge my client under the Patriot Act for non-purposeful conduct," she said.
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said in a statement officials took the actions "very seriously, and we will not condone lying to federal agents."
Banach, 38, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of interference with pilots of an aircraft "with reckless disregard for the safety of human life," a provision of the USA Patriot Act passed following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
He also was charged with two counts of making false statements to law officers, each of which carries up to five years.
We've got a good history. I'd never suggest someone target your plane :)
N.J. man charged with shining laser at airplane
"..NEWARK - The pictures on the Web site for the company selling the Jasper laser pointer show a bright green beam of light ascending into the night sky. Use the cigar-shaped gizmo to point out stars, the Web site says.
A Parsippany man who bought the pointer and, according to authorities, shone it into the sky above his house is facing 25 years in federal prison for temporarily blinding two pilots during their approach to Teterboro Airport last Wednesday.
David W. Banach, 38, appeared before a federal magistrate Tuesday on charges that he violated a portion of the Patriot Act when the laser he was using in his back yard struck a chartered Cessna Citation owned by Atlantic Aviation Flight Services of Teterboro...."
That's OK, I haven't flown in years anyway,,
I take the Mole People Express these days,, It's much more safe and always on time. ;-)
Since when do pilots look at the ground when flying? How can they be blinded when they cannot even see over the nose of the plane until they are nearly touching down? The angles seem to be all wrong for a laser on the ground to affect anyone on an airplance, except in the most narrow of circumstances.
A friend of mine developed a pulse laser in 1968 at the University of Denver that could punch a hole through a razor blade a 250 yards.
Connect the technology dots.
This incident occurred on one of the approaches to Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey.
The green ones are different. The primary market is to astronomers. They actually let you point at the stars. That is you see a slim green light going up far enough that to the eye it looks like you are pointing at the star. There is no green dot at the end like the red dot, instead you see the shaft of light.
Of course you can also point it at other things.
19 months, 5 years probation.
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