Posted on 02/17/2006 5:35:17 PM PST by Sarvana
A man who pleaded guilty to shining a laser pointer at a landing airplane, temporarily hampering the pilots' vision, was sentenced Friday to two years of probation.
The plane had six passengers and was about 3,000 feet above the ground when the laser beam hit the cockpit window on Dec. 29, 2004. The flight crew said a green beam struck the window three times, causing both pilots to briefly lose night vision. The plane, flying from Boca Raton, Fla., to New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, landed safely.
David W. Banach, 39, of Parsippany pleaded guilty in November to violating a section of the Patriot Act involving interfering with pilots of a passenger aircraft.
"At no time did we believe that Mr. Banach was involved in terrorism or that he should face a maximum penalty of 20 years in a federal prison," said U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. "Nonetheless, his conduct posed an immediate threat to innocent lives."
"Anyone considering such purposeful conduct can anticipate the full weight of federal prosecution and a potentially lengthy prison sentence," he said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, more than 300 similar incidents have been reported since 2004. On Monday evening, 16 incidents were reported by pilots landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
"Anyone considering such purposeful conduct can anticipate the full weight of federal prosecution and a potentially lengthy prison sentence," he said.
However......
Wasn't this the guy who initially blamed it on his daughter?
So he can go back tonight and do the same thing. Ouch..that punishment hurts.
He should have gotten SOME sentencing!! 39 years old and still an idiot or trouble maker.
Pilots flying into Detroit Metro are encountering numerous laser lights flashing in their cockpits.
Laser pointers are dangerous when shined in someone's eyes. This is common sense.
Shining a laser pointer at an aircraft in flight is beyong stupidity. It is no different than taking shots at an aircraft with a rifle.
This idiot should have been charged with attempted murder and put in the slam for at least 10 years.
I would suggest going over to the candle power forums laser
section and studying up a bit on lasers ..what they can do and what they cannot do before buying into the MSM sensationalism.
They are hardly the same as firing a rifle into a cockpit..
Especially on a foggy night...
Vast difference between 5mw green laser pointer and 300+mw
And if, by some freak of nature, the laser light had caused, or assisted in causing the aircraft to hamburger in, I am sure this guy would feel absolutely awful about it.
You can say that because it was a low-powered laser and the result was only a temporary loss of night vision by the pilots and besides that, the airplane didn't crash, so, what the hey -- no blood, no foul, right?
Sorry, I don't buy it. What he did was beyond stupid.
Two years probabtion is a joke when you consider what might have been the result.
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