FAA warns area residents about Christmas lasers

After two aircraft passing over Ozark County reported possible laser incidents to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Kansas City Air Traffic Control Center, area residents are cautioned to make sure Christmas lights that use laswers are not pointed skyward.

This week’s Ozark County Sheriff’s Report (see page 8) shows that the office received a call at 11:24 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, from the Kansas City ATC office relaying the aircraft pilots’ reports of laser encounters. The call log shows the dispatcher noted “Hwy 95” on the call.

FAA public affairs representative Elizabeth Cory told the Times in an email that “lasers pose risks to pilots, and Christmas lasers – the kind that are aimed at houses –  can travel quite a distance into the sky if they are pointed upward. Lasers can temporarily blind pilots, and the FAA urges residents, if they use these lights, to make sure they are not pointed skyward.”
Pilots will report sightings, including GPS coordinates, to the FAA, and the FAA will relay that information to law enforcement for follow-up, Cory said.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423