<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1AVOwb_1FU1qG8n00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1AVOwb_1FU1qG8n00" width="1920" height="1080" ></figure>BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) — Numbers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show there have been over 5,000 reports of lasers hitting planes in 2026. At the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, there have been eleven reports so far this year."Elmira still being a small airport, having eleven laser strikes so far is pretty significant, I would say,” Andy Diffenderfer, a local pilot and member of the EAA-533.Diffenderfer is a local pilot, engineer, and college professor who has been flying in the Elmira area for around the past decade. He’s no stranger to being lasered, as it’s happened to him three times throughout the region. He says it was close to the Ithaca, Syracuse, and Binghamton airports.In 2025, there were only seven reported cases of laser incidents at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, meaning this year’s report number has already surpassed last year. Compared to larger airports like Buffalo, with 22 reported in 2026, and Syracuse, with seven reported. Pilots say even one laser report is too many.Diffenderfer said that from the ground, the beam may not seem like a big deal. But once it gets projected up in the air, that’s a different story."If you look at just a regular laser beam. Just a laser pointer and you shine it at the wall, it just looks like a tiny dot,” Diffenderfer explained. “But once that laser beam travels miles through the air and reaches an aircraft, that beam is several feet in diameter. Once that goes through our windows, reflects off our wings, it scatters all around the cockpit."WENY News tested what it would look like inside the cockpit when a laser is pointed at an aircraft. In a controlled environment on the ground, we had someone shine a green laser at the plane from around 150 feet away. Below are pictures out the front windshield, both with the laser and without.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4g6fIk_1FU1qG8n00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4g6fIk_1FU1qG8n00" width="1920" height="1080" ></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2H6MjK_1FU1qG8n00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2H6MjK_1FU1qG8n00" width="1920" height="1080" ></figure>"Imagine like driving down the highway at night in your car. And someone just has a spotlight inside your car. It's reflecting off the window, reflecting off your instrument panel and all that, and you can't really see anything outside."Being lasered while in the sky can lead to temporary blindness, cause more permanent eye injuries, or even incapacitate a pilot. The FAA said 337 pilots have reported injuries since the agency began tracking reports in 2010."It affects the safety of the flight for us in the air, people on the ground underneath us, and any passengers we have on board,” Diffenderfer said.Although laser strikes are up at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport for 2026, nationwide reports went down 14% from 2024 to 2025, according to the FAA. The agency said that’s thanks to more reporting and collaboration with local law enforcement. But they say the numbers are still too high.Pointing a laser at a plane is a federal crime, with fines up to $250,000 and even the possibility of up to five years in prison. That’s on top of any other state and local penalties.Diffenderfer said even if people are unintentionally pointing lasers into the sky, there can still be a risk. He, along with the FAA, is encouraging people to just avoid pointing lasers into the sky in general, and especially when it is dark.</div></body>

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BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) — Numbers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show there have been over 5,000 reports of lasers hitting planes in 2026. At the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, there have been eleven reports so far this year. "Elmira still being a small airport, having eleven laser strikes...

Local pilot explains experiencing lasers while flying, and the risks around them

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BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) — Numbers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show there have been over 5,000 reports of lasers hitting planes in 2026. A

Local pilot explains experiencing lasers while flying, and the risks around them

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