12 more laser strikes reported near Sea-Tac Airport, per FAA

SEA-TAC AIRPORT -- 12 more laser strikes have been reported near Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA), and investigators are trying to figure out who was responsible.

The laser strikes pose a serious threat to safety, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime.

Flight instructor Carl Sanman has had a laser pointed directly at his plane on a couple of occasions as he sat behind the controls, he said. He start flying more than five years ago.

"I was flying at about 5,000 or 6,000 feet, and somebody who was on the ground pointed a laser pointer at the airplane," said Sanman, a flight instructor for Galvin Flying. "I caught it before it hit the window, so I brought my eyes back inside so that I wouldn’t get struck directly in the eye by it, which is the real risk here."

Thankfully, he made it back to Seattle safely during that most recent encounter.

But he can’t help but think about the “What-if” as the number of laser strikes near SEA continue to climb.

"If I was flying the airplane, I’d have to hand it off," Sanman told KOMO News. "Because if you can’t see very well, you can’t see your instruments, you can’t see outside very well, in that moment – until your eyesight recovers – you can’t fly the airplane."

12 laser strikes were reported over a period of more than two hours Tuesday night. One plane was flying at an altitude of 15,500 feet, the FAA reported.

Preliminary data shows there have been 40 laser strikes reports in Seattle since the start of February, the FAA reported. That number has already surpassed the total from January.

FAA Administrator Scott Dickson says laser strikes have reached dangerously high levels with nearly 10,000 reported to the agency last year. That's the highest number ever, the FAA reported.

"As a pilot myself, I know that this danger is real," Dickson said. "And that’s why the FAA takes this threat very seriously."

The King County Sheriff’s Office is working with several agencies to figure out who’s responsible for the recent laser strikes in Seattle. A spokesman for the Seattle office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says agents are aware of the recent reports, but he couldn't confirm if the agency is involved in the investigation.

"The person who’s doing this – they may think they’re getting away with it. They may chalk it up as just a harmless prank. It’s far from that. We are putting the safety of those in the sky in jeopardy. And we’re just not going to stand for that," said Sgt. Tim Meyer, King County Sheriff's Office.

"We’re gonna find this person, as we always do. We’ll track them down. And I think we’ll learn – is it one? Are there others? Are there copycats? A group working together? I don’t want to speculate on that. But I know – again, we’re going to follow the leads and we’re going to let evidence tell that story," Meyer added.

If you’re caught shining a laser at a plane or a helicopter on purpose, it can be costly. Fines can top $11,000 for the first violation and up to nearly $31,000 for several violations.