One Delta flight on final approach.
One blast from a green laser.
One person issued an 18-month federal prison sentence.
A U.S. judge has sentenced Joseph L. Crapsi, 31, of Cheektowaga, New York, to 18 months in federal prison for aiming a green laser at a Delta Air Lines flight approaching Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF/KBUF).
According to federal prosecutors, the incident happened on the 2nd of March 2024, while the aircraft was on its final approach. Crapsi lived directly beneath the airport's flight path, and investigators say he deliberately pointed the laser at the cockpit because he had had enough of the aircraft noise.
Laser strikes are far more dangerous than many people realize. A beam can temporarily blind or distract pilots during takeoff or landing—two of the most critical phases of any flight—and put everyone on board at risk.
The FBI, local police, and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police investigated the case, which ended with a federal conviction and prison sentence. The FAA continues to receive thousands of reports of lasers being aimed at aircraft every year, and officials have repeatedly warned that what some see as a prank can quickly become a serious federal crime.
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