More Lasers Being Aimed At Aircraft In Pittsburgh

Officials in western Pennsylvania said the number of cases of people pointing lasers into aircraft cockpits has risen sharply this year, possibly because of greater access to the devices -- and those responsible may not be aware of the danger they pose.

The Federal Aviation Administration received 17 reports of such incidents in the Pittsburgh in the first eight months of the year -- as many as in all of the last five years. Green lasers were flashed into the cockpits of two Pittsburgh-area medical helicopters last weekend.

Federal authorities think the sharp increase could be due to drop in price of hand-held lasers, and the ease of ordering them or learning how to build one online.

Shining a laser into a cockpit is a federal crime, and officials said people could also be prosecuted under the Patriot Act.