FAA Sees 14 Percent Drop in Laser Pointer Strikes on Aircraft in 2025

California leads the nation with more than 1,300 reported incidents, according to the agency’s study.

An image by the Federal Aviation Administration shows what happens when a laser pointer is aimed at a cockpit. Pointing a laser at an aircraft poses a serious safety risk and is against the law. Courtesy of FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) saw a significant drop in laser pointer strikes in 2025, which it attributes to pilots actively reporting incidents.

“Laser strikes are decreasing, thanks to a strong pilot reporting culture that is providing the data we need for community engagement and work with local law enforcement,” Ben Supko, FAA associate administrator of security and intelligence organization, said in a statement.

“But even one laser strike is too many when pilots have hundreds of lives in their hands.”

In 2025, pilots reported 10,994 laser strikes to the FAA. This was 14 percent fewer than in 2024, but the agency said the number is still too high.

The FAA stated that pointing a laser at a plane is very dangerous and illegal. Lasers can temporarily blind pilots or divert their attention, and many pilots are flying planes carrying hundreds of people.

Pilots have reported 337 laser-related injuries to the FAA since the agency began tracking laser strike reports in 2010.

Throughout 2025, the FAA worked with police and other law enforcement agencies to provide information and training in areas where laser strikes occurred most frequently.

California had the most reported laser strikes in 2025, with 1,309 cases. Texas followed with 1,100, then Florida with 654, Illinois with 620, and Arizona with 574.

Other states with high numbers of incidents were Washington (484), Tennessee (431), Indiana (370), New York (369), and Virginia (353).

A spokesman for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport said that ensuring the safety of customers and employees is the airport’s primary goal.

He said the FAA oversees air traffic and airspace regulations, while airlines are responsible for operating their aircraft. The spokesman referred further questions to the FAA.

Anyone caught pointing a laser at an airplane can be fined up to $11,000 by the FAA for each offense.

The offender could also face federal charges, which may result in up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with other state and local penalties.

Arrests Made

In 2012, Congress included the first federal law about lasers in the FAA’s reauthorization. This law makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly point a laser beam at any aircraft, whether it is a private or commercial aircraft.

The FAA stated that it often catches people who point lasers at aircraft by working with federal and local law enforcement.

On Sept. 30, 2025, federal and local authorities in Portland, Oregon, announced the arrest of four illegal immigrants accused of a laser strike from a residence on a Customs and Border Protection helicopter.

“This was incredibly dangerous for the aircraft personnel and for the public’s safety,” a Department of Homeland Security statement reads.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “These four illegal aliens endangered the lives of our [Customs and Border Protection] personnel, the safety of every other aircraft in flight during the time, and put everyone on the ground in immediate danger.”

In February, 41-year-old Branden Jay Lounsbury from Toledo, Ohio, was charged with aiming a laser pointer at a law enforcement aircraft.

According to a recently unsealed indictment, Lounsbury allegedly aimed a laser pointer at an Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter on June 2, 2025.

“Pointing a laser at an aircraft while in flight can create a risk of permanent injury to the pilot’s eyesight and can cause the aircraft to crash,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.

If found guilty, Lounsbury could face up to five years in federal prison.