Laser pointed at Coast Guard helicopter landing at Massachusetts General Hospital
BOSTON - The FAA is investigating after someone shined a green laser at a helicopter landing at Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday night.
The crew of a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk reported the laser strike during a training flight at about 8 p.m. No one in the helicopter was hit with the laser.
On Thursday morning, the crews of two JetBlue flights reported being struck by a green laser. Those incidents were reported at about 5:40 a.m. The FAA is trying to find out who was responsible for both incidents.
In 2022, pilots reported 9,500 laser strikes to the FAA.
"Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and on the ground below at risk," the FAA said in a statement. "It is also a violation of federal law."
Anyone caught shining a laser at an aircraft faces fines up to $11,000 for each violation and up to $30,800 for multiple incidents. The FAA said it issued $120,000 in fines for laser strikes in 2021.