Teenager gets 30 months in prison for shining laser at aircraft

19-year-old Adam Gardenhire has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for aiming a green laser pointer at two aircraft in March 2012.

A teenager will have to spend two and a half years in prison for shining a laser pointer at aircraft. (Image via: blog.laserto.com)

Since being labeled a federal crime in February 2012, only one other person has been arrested for this crime — Glenn Stephen Hansen, who was sentenced to six months in prison in August 2012.

Gardenhire drew a longer sentence because he flashed his laser pointer at not one, but two aircraft. The initial attack was aimed at a business jet. He then aimed the pointer at a Pasadena police helicopter which was sent out to find the source of the laser.

While laser pointers emit a tiny beam at the source, the light’s diameter grows much bigger as the distance increases. Shining it in someone’s eyes can cause temporary blindness and according to the Civil Aviation Authority, the impairment is enough to distract pilots during important phases of flight like take-offs and landings.

According to a statement from the Office of the United States Attorney Central District of California, the pilot of the business jet — who was preparing to land the plane at the time of the attack — suffered “vision impairment that lasted for hours” as a result of Gardenhire’s actions.

The helicopter pilot was wearing protective eye gear and was uninjured.

Story via: bbc.co.uk