A 22-year-old pilot has revealed why you should never point a laser at an aircraft – claiming that the FBI will track you down ‘immediately.’
Sabrina Johnson is an airline and helicopter pilot who has been flying since she was 14, and has previously made headlines for revealing her struggles in the male- dominated field.
The pilot, who doesn’t reveal the name of the airline she flies for, frequently shares her travels with her followers on both Instagram and TikTok, where she boasts more than 71,000 followers.
Now, she has detailed the dangers and consequences of pointing a laser at an aircraft – including the number of years you could spend in jail for the felony.
Sabrina Johnson is a 22-year-old pilot has revealed why you should never point a laser at an aircraft – claiming that the FBI will track you down ‘immediately’
Sabrina is an airline and helicopter pilot who has been flying since she was 14, and has previously made headlines for revealing her struggles in the male dominated field
Now, she has detailed the dangers and consequences of pointing a laser at an aircraft- including the amount of years you could spend in jail for the felony
In a viral clip, which has amassed over 1.1 million views so far, Sabrina lifted the lid on what could happen if you play with a laser.
‘If you think it’s funny to shoot a laser at an airplane, it’s not.
‘Let’s talk about why you can go to jail for trying to shoot a laser at an airplane,’ she said at the beginning of her video.
Then, the 22-year-old gave a few of her own examples of being lasered while flying.
She revealed that she had been lasered ‘maybe two or three times,’ and that the FBI had even called her to let her know they had tracked them down immediately each time.
‘When I was flying as a flight instructor, I was flying through New York City, doing some sightseeing, and I was getting lasered.
‘So, it’s basically like a green laser that flashes, they try to blind pilots,’ she explained.
She added that people often think it’s ‘funny,’ however, it can have some serious consequences.
She revealed that she had been lasered ‘maybe two or three times,’ and that the FBI had even called her to let her know they had tracked them down immediately each time
She explained that if you attempt to ‘take down an aircraft,’ you will go to ‘jail’, get fined or imprisoned for up to ‘five years’
Sabrina then revealed how she got herself out of danger.
‘So, I just put my head down with my passenger, and I just flew by the instruments, and then I let LaGuardia Tower know.
‘And then they, just vectored us back home. The FBI called me, and they narrowed it down to a .3-mile radius of the top of the building that someone was shooting the laser at me.
‘They will find you, they take this so seriously,’ she added.
She explained that if you attempt to ‘take down an aircraft,’ you will go to ‘jail’, get fined or imprisoned for up to ‘five years.’
Sabrina said another time she was lasered, police sent officers to the spot ‘immediately.’
‘If you think that you won’t get caught, you will be, because if you actually blind a pilot with a laser, and you are the reason end up hurt because of that, you’re probably going to jail a lot longer than just the stupid fine for lasering someone or pointing a laser at an aircraft,’ she explained.
Many other pilots flocked the comments to emphasize Sabrina’s message
Many other pilots flocked the comments to emphasize Sabrina’s message.
One person wrote: ‘Been lasered 3 times. I reported the position each time and the cops followed up flawlessly. Those guys must be really bored. IIRC it’s a felony.’
‘It is a federal crime – it can blind pilots – don’t do this!’ commented another user.
Someone else wrote: ‘People don’t realize especially when your flying at night the laser reflects off of the windshield and is extremely bright.’
Pointing a laser at an aircraft is illegal because the laser has the potential to blind pilots and potentially cause a airplane to crash.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, laser strikes on an aircraft are a serious threat to pilots.
Shining a laser at a pilot can result in a up to $11,000 fine, notes the FAA.
In 2022 alone, there were nearly 9,500 laser incidents.
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