JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — The crews of two separate airplanes reported seeing a laser and a drone in the skies above Jackson County on the same night-- potential hazards to the flights, passengers and crews– prompting a police investigation.
The crew of PSA Airlines 5490 reported seeing a red drone at an altitude of 20,000 feet, according to the FAA. The CRJ700 aircraft departed from Charlotte and was headed to Little Rock, Arkansas on Jan. 27. The flight crew reported the drone sighting around 5 p.m. when the plane was about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta, the FAA stated.
At about 8:30 p.m. that night, the crew of Delta Airlines 2004 reported that a green laser entered the left side of the aircraft as it was flying over Athens and then Jackson County. The MD-88 airplane can accommodate 149 passengers, according to Delta.
The FAA reported both sightings to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating. According to the department’s field case report, an officer was dispatched to investigate, and saw a drone flying in the area of Howington Road and Jefferson River Road, near Jefferson, and also in the area of Cabin Creek Road and Water Works Road near Nicholson. The officer reported that he also saw a green laser in the sky but couldn’t tell what general direction it was coming from, according to the report. FAA officials told the officer no people on board the planes were harmed and no damage was done. The officer stayed at the scene to attempt to locate the drone when it landed, but the owner was not contacted and no arrests were made.
“We don’t track criminal investigations or prosecutions, but the FAA enforces civil regulations related to laser strikes and improper drone operations,” said FAA spokesperson Kathleen Berger.
To date, the FAA has processed 88 civil enforcement actions involving drones. There has been a large uptick in enforcement in recent years – 85 of those actions have been taken since 2014, Berger said.
The FAA receives more than 100 reports of unmanned aircraft sightings in restricted air space every month from pilots, citizens and law enforcement. A drone strike can cause catastrophic damage to a plane.
Recently, the FBI became frustrated about the number of drones in Atlanta that were spotted flying above Mercedes-Benz Stadium ahead of Super Bowl LIII.
In 2017, there were 6,754 laser strikes on aircraft, a 250 percent increase since 2010, according to the FAA. A laser can instantly harm a pilot's eyesight.
“Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a violation of federal law,” said FBI Atlanta spokesperson Kevin Rowson. “Whether it’s a drone or a laser, if it’s deemed a threat to an aircraft, we would investigate.”
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