Teen could face FEDERAL charges for misuse of laser pointer

[Dana]

FALMOUTH, Maine — A 19-year-old Falmouth man has been charged after police say he directed a laser pointer into the cockpit of a commercial airline at the Portland International Jetport on Friday evening.


John Bagonzi was charged with criminal use of a laser pointer as a result of the investigation, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration is involved in the investigation, which could lead to federal charges, according to Sgt. Frank Soule.


Soule said the Jetport contacted police shortly before 8:30 p.m. after a pilot reported that a laser was pointed into the cockpit. The pilot said the incident occurred approximately seven miles north/northeast of the jetport.


Although officers checked the area, Soule said they were not able to locate the source of the laser without more specific information.

However, 45 minutes later, Soule said police received a second complaint, this time from a launch operator at the Portland Yacht Club who said someone with a green laser was shining it at his his vessel, making it hard for him to see. The launch operator told police he believed the light was coming from the area of the Falmouth Town Landing.


Soule said officers went to the landing and found several people getting ready to leave the pier parking lot. Officers stopped the group and after investigating charged Bagonzi with criminal use of a laser pointer.


A spokesman for the FAA could not be reached for comment Saturday morning on the airline involved or whether the incident interfered with the operation of the aircraft.

Read more: http://www.wmtw.com/news/maine/port...6265326/-/10h5fl2z/-/index.html#ixzz24aK9bxrM
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Criminal use of a laser pointer? You're joking right? Let's waste more of our money on charging this teen when Falmouth could be doing something much more productive with their police department. If it were that many miles away; I fail to see his actions as intentional. Unless he has superhuman vision. Our government at it's best. Waste of fucking money and man hours.

 

[Kakapo Dundee]

Criminal use of a laser pointer? You're joking right? .

Nope. What he did was monumentally stupid. He created a hazard for a commercial flight during a critical operation phase and should be accountable for his stupidity.

 

[Francis]

This is a very serious offence Dana.. Look at the statistics in this link.. Many offenders have received 2 1/2 to 3 years jail time..

You are basically putting the lives of all the passengers at risk.. Something that is not taken lightly in today's high security travel industry.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blog...een-laser-124347171--abc-news-topstories.html

 

[The Man]

little fucker was trying to impress his buddies ....so why cry when getting caught?
perhaps when he gets out of the joint he can impress them with the size of his anus

 

[Dana]

This is a very serious offence Dana.. Look at the statistics in this link.. Many offenders have received 2 1/2 to 3 years jail time..

You are basically putting the lives of all the passengers at risk.. Something that is not taken lightly in today's high security travel industry.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blog...een-laser-124347171--abc-news-topstories.html

I guess I misread the story. I thought that the plane was still on the ground.

 

[pinkporridge]

yea i agree with the others.. Bringing a plane down aint too smart.

 

[Francis]

I guess I misread the story. I thought that the plane was still on the ground.

It would not matter if the plane was on the ground..

Shinning lasers is now a criminal offence in many places. Whether it be at cars, boats, trains, planes, buildings and just at people in general.

Would you want permanent eye damage ?

 

[The Man]

Not to mention the disruption it causes{besides the visual}...disruption as in chaos at an airport...those people have enough to worry about already without some overgrown brat causing disturbances which may lead to delayed takeoff or landings....just what we need a bunch of aircraft circling an airport...with more coming in.

Lasers are often associated with weapons....therefore even if you thought it was on the ground...that would mean that take off and landings should be halted....read above again.

IMO the guy should be doing a big stint of time the punishment will be to light IMO.

 

[Kakapo Dundee]

Most commercial airliners pretty much land themselves now, but the weapons aspect is not one that I would have considered.

 

[The Man]

Most commercial airliners pretty much land themselves now, but the weapons aspect is not one that I would have considered.

Start circling the airport and see how that works out...landing equals calculated descending per your distance out....you just cant very well "ok..time to go land"
You have to have a certain distance for your altitude ....each plane will have to be put in its own pattern dependent upon the plane...since not all planes are created equal they will be required to fly at different speeds different altitudes so the don't collide.

A plane being forced to circle is no joy....not to mention planes dont carry an over abundance of fuel...getting stuck in the air starts making pilots a little anxious.
I say give the guy 10 years and take his diploma :tooth as he could have created alot of havoc

 

[Alien Allen]

Some lasers have a lot of power. I remember years ago up at a friends cottage on a lake we shined a laser across the lake. Hard to guess the distance but I would put it at 1/3 - 1//2 a mile. This was in a remote area so it was very dark. You could distinctly see the laser on the other side of the lake by the naked eye. This was a decent quality laser but nothing overly powerful. It gave perspective that appreciated the power of a laser and I can understand the reasons why this is taken seriously. I might be wrong but I don't think light affects a laser. It is just as powerful no mater if it is in the city, or in daylight. it is what it is.

 

[Kakapo Dundee]

Start circling the airport and see how that works out...

Irrelevant. Plane would have been on final approach, using instrument assisted landing.


Instrument-aided landings are defined in categories by the International Civil Aviation Organization. These are dependent upon the required visibility level and the degree to which the landing can be conducted automatically without input by the pilot.
CAT I - This category permits pilots to land with a decision height of 200 ft (61 m) and a forward visibility or Runway Visual Range (RVR) of 550 m. Simplex autopilots are sufficient.
CAT II - This category permits pilots to land with a decision height between 200 ft and 100 ft (≈ 30 m) and a RVR of 300 m. Autopilots have a fail passive requirement.
CAT IIIa -This category permits pilots to land with a decision height as low as 50 ft (15 m) and a RVR of 200 m. It needs a fail-passive autopilot. There must be only a 10[SUP]−6[/SUP] probability of landing outside the prescribed area.
CAT IIIb - As IIIa but with the addition of automatic roll out after touchdown incorporated with the pilot taking control some distance along the runway. This category permits pilots to land with a decision height less than 50 feet or no decision height and a forward visibility of 250 ft (76 m, compare this to aircraft size, some of which are now over 70 m long) or 300 ft (91 m) in the United States. For a landing-without-decision aid, a fail-operational autopilot is needed. For this category some form of runway guidance system is needed: at least fail-passive but it needs to be fail-operational for landing without decision height or for RVR below 100 m.
CAT IIIc - As IIIb but without decision height or visibility minimums, also known as "zero-zero".
Fail-passive autopilot: in case of failure, the aircraft stays in a controllable position and the pilot can take control of it to go around or finish landing. It is usually a dual-channel system.
Fail-operational autopilot: in case of a failure below alert height, the approach, flare and landing can still be completed automatically. It is usually a triple-channel system or dual-dual system.

 

[The Man]

Irrelevant. Plane would have been on final approach, using instrument assisted landing..................................................
................................................................
.............................................................

Start circling the airport and see how that works out....

You are not on final approach if you are circling the airport

 

[Kakapo Dundee]

By all means show me where it says that this plane was circling.

 

[The Man]

By all means show me where it says that this plane was circling.

I didnt say it was circling ...I was expressing what could happen when chaos begins at an airport{after your mention of weapons}

 

[Francis]

Not to mention the disruption it causes{besides the visual}...disruption as in chaos at an airport...those people have enough to worry about already without some overgrown brat causing disturbances which may lead to delayed takeoff or landings....just what we need a bunch of aircraft circling an airport...with more coming in.

Lasers are often associated with weapons....therefore even if you thought it was on the ground...that would mean that take off and landings should be halted....read above again.

IMO the guy should be doing a big stint of time the punishment will be to light IMO.

I didnt say it was circling ...I was expressing what could happen when chaos begins at an airport{after your mention of weapons}

Now these are your words..

Are you not the first person to mention both these words in the thread IJS ? :24:

 

[The Man]

Now these are your words..

Are you not the first person to mention both these words in the thread IJS ? :24:

Doesnt matter who mentioned weapons first...I was responding to a post with mention to weapons

 

[Jackass master]

Prison for 2 years minimum. He should have payed attention in school. Now he can learn to read the warnings on the packages.

 

[Rusty]

Simply put, the kid is a dumbass. Obviously his parents didn't beat him enough when he was young.

 

[Jackass master]

Simply put, the kid is a dumbass. Obviously his parents didn't beat him enough when he was young.

Your folks did?? Not according to your other half!:tooth