Every year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) receives thousands of reports of laser incidents with aircraft. When aimed skyward, lasers can pose serious risks to aircraft crews and their passengers. And unfortunately, laser strikes on aircraft are becoming more common.
This animated map visualizes laser incidents reported to the FAA and includes incidents from January 1, 2016, through August 31, 2023. As the map plays, glowing beacons of light shoot skyward from the location of reported incidents. The colors in the map match the colors of lasers reported to the FAA. Over time, a few patterns emerge.
As you would expect, most incidents occur near airports. While laser strikes do occur at cruising altitudes, most reported incidents are at lower altitudes. Densely populated areas with lots of airports, such as California, Florida, and the mid-Atlantic, create a light show on the map.
In contrast, wide swaths of the central and western US, such as Idaho, Utah, Montana, and the Dakotas, stay relatively dark. Even remote places like Alaska show some activity, and most of the Hawaiian Islands also show up as locations for reported strikes.
Green lasers are by far the most common culprit with 51,974 reported incidents. This may be due to the shorter wavelength of green light being more prone to atmospheric scattering, making it more visible in a cloudy nighttime sky and more likely to be reported. The next most common laser color reported is blue at 4,606 incidents. Since red has a longer wavelength, it is likely to penetrate mist and cloud with less scattering and therefore be less visible to pilots or crew. Even though red is one of the most common laser pointer colors, it accounts for the fewest reports—which instead seem to follow a trend of decreasing wavelength.
A graphic at the end summarizes the more than 55,000 laser strikes represented in the map. Saturday is the most common day for laser strikes (10,754 incidents), and 94% of all incidents occur in the a.m. hours.
From 2016 to 2023, the number of laser incidents rose by 80%. It’s important to remember that laser strikes are not just a prank to pilots and their crews. Two hundred forty-one of the incidents in this map resulted in injury.
More to Explore
- Learn more about the dangers of laser strikes on aircraft.
- Report a laser incident to the FAA.
