Free Republic

NEWARK, N.J. A Parsippany man pleads innocent to federal charges that he pointed a hand-held laser device at an aircraft and lied to investigators about it. David W. Banach was arraigned yesterday on an indictment handed up March 23rd by a federal grand jury. Banach is accused of pointing a hand-held laser toward a charter aircraft en route to Teterboro Airport on December 29th. The laser beam allegedly lit up the cockpit, causing both pilots a temporary loss of night vision that briefly prevented them from seeing flight instruments and other aircraft in the vicinity. Banach's lawyer said he was...

March 24, 2005 -- A New Jersey man accused of pointing a laser at an airplane, temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot, was indicted yesterday under an anti-terror law. David Banach also was accused of lying to the FBI about the Dec. 29 incident, in which a small passenger jet's windshield and cabin were hit three times by a green laser as the plane readied to land at Teterboro Airport. The charges in the three-count federal indictment were similar to those filed against Banach in a complaint by the FBI in January. The indictment, handed up by a grand jury...

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — A Corvallis luxury bike company has been tied to the recent rash of laser beams pointed at airplanes. The outdoor company Bigha — famous here for it's fully loaded recliner-style bicycles — manufactured the laser allegedly aimed at a helicopter last Friday by Parsippany, N.J. resident David Banach. Banach, who was questioned by the FBI, said he was merely demonstrating the laser to his daughter. Banach was released on $100,000 bail. If convicted, he could get a maximum of 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. The incident was one several nationwide since Christmas. When...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A man charged with temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot of an airplane with a laser beam may have purchased the laser in Oregon. The suspect claims he was simply using the device to look at stars with his 7-year-old daughter. Federal authorities on Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge David Banach, 38, with interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI. He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of lasers being beamed at airplanes

A New Jersey man who pointed a laser beam at an airplane, temporarily blinding the two pilots and endangering the safety of passengers and "countless innocent civilians" on the ground, was slapped with federal charges yesterday. David Banach, 38, of Parsippany, admitted under questioning that he aimed the hand-held laser beam at the jet and later a helicopter, but did not intend to do any harm, authorities said. Banach, who tests fiber-optic cables for a living, was charged in Newark federal court with interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle ? a charge under the Patriot Act that...