HOUSTON, Texas – An alarming trend is happening all across the country, which is impacting Houstonians more than ever before.
More and more people are shining lasers at pilots flying flying at several hundred miles per hour over Southeast Texas skies, putting lives in the air and on the ground in danger.
So far this year, according to data from the FAA, 6,957 pilots across the country reported being blinded by a laser, 694 pilots in Texas and 256 pilots in Houston.
In 2023 alone, it happened well over 400 times.
A laser strike is when someone on the ground points a laser at an aircraft. The laser hits the cockpit of the airplane or helicopter, often obstructing the pilot’s vision temporarily. In some serious cases, a laser strike can lead to injury.
In 2023, the Houston area reported 473 laser strikes.
One of those pilots was Lt. Ryan Chapman with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“Your eyes constrict and you can’t see anything,” Chapman said. “Not only is my life at stake, but my partner’s life is too.”
He flies the Texas DPS helicopter around 1,000 feet above the ground, traveling often at speeds topping 150+ miles per hour. Just the slightest of movements on the controls could be the difference between staying airborne or crashing to the ground.
“It’s like jumping on one leg, patting your head and rubbing your belly,” Chapman said. “Because every limb you have is doing something different. There’s a lot going on. And then you add a distraction like a laser you can’t see that’s that’s a big factor.”
Any distraction is bad, but a blinding laser could be catastrophic. When the laser beam enters the cockpit, it often reflects off the glass, expanding and blinding the pilots to the point they can’t see.
To make matters worse, law enforcement, like the Texas Department of Public Safety, uses night vision goggles. This just makes the laser strike that much more powerful.
Gage: “When you think about a laser coming out of a little device just like that, whenever it travels up to the aircraft, is it coming in tiny like that? Or what does it look like?”
Ryan: “No. As the beam travels, it gets wider from the source. It gets wider. And so when it hits, it hits a wider surface area of the actual helicopter or airplane.”
According to Chapman, the tiny little laser that’s smaller than the tip of a pencil grows into a ginormous glow.
Gage: “We’re right over one of Houston’s busiest highways. If something, God forbid, were to happen. I mean this not only for us in the aircraft, but it could be for countless people on the ground.”
Ryan: “That’s correct. Yep. Residential areas. Because most people are at home when they’re doing this, they don’t realize the people that their friends and neighbors they’re putting at risk.”
Chapman is one of the thousands of pilots who have been blinded by lasers. This wasn’t a one-time occurrence for him.
Ryan: “At least 25.”
Gage: ”25 time?”
Ryan: “25 times.”
Gage: “How long you been doing this?”
Ryan: “Two years.”
Gage:“You’ve been hit 25 times in two years?”
Ryan: “Yes, sir.”
His most recent run in with a laser was on Feb. 1, 2024.
Two men are accused of pointing a laser at his law enforcement helicopter in northwest Houston. His tactical officer, or right hand man, used the helicopters state-of-the-art cameras system to hone in the home that the light beam was coming from.
“You can see the beam all the way to the ground. So, if you’re within range of the camera, then we can see you,” Chapman said.
The chopper calling down to Precinct 4 Constable deputies who arrested Artemio Gonzales and Leonel Vasquez.
“If an individual decides to make that unfortunate choice, state wise, it’s a Class A misdemeanor, but federally, it’s a felony charge,” said Sgt. Stephen Woodward of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “And it’s not a matter of if, it’s when you get caught, you could face some serious penalties and fines.”
Across the county, laser strikes are up 40%, according to data from the FAA. A total of 13,304 reports were filed in 2023 alone.
In the Lonestar State, a total of more than 1,400 laser strikes were recorded. Of those, 473 are in the Houston area.
Many of those strikes hitting commercial airline jets, which are carrying hundreds of passengers.
Gage: “What does that tell you?”
Ryan: It tells me they’re not getting caught enough.”
That’s exactly what the FAA is looking to change. The enforcer of the sky is cracking down on anyone who has the not so bright idea to blind a pilot.
“Including fines of up to $11,000 per violation. Bottom line lasers and aircraft don’t mix,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.
Gage: “What would you say to anybody that thinks it’s funny? It’s a joke to just go ahead and shine. A laser up in the sky thinking it’s harmless fun.”
Ryan: “I would tell them to think about their actions before they do that, because it’s not fun and it’s not safe.”
To report a laser incident to the FAA, click here.