united-states aviation
Is it legal to shine a non-laser light source at an aircraft?
<p>After all the media coverage about people pointing lasers at commercial aircraft, I started to wonder what was so special about lasers.</p>

<p>It seems to me that the amount of distraction that could be done with a 5mW laser is significantly less than what could be done with something else.</p>

<p>For example, if I bought/borrowed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Las_Vegas#Luxor_Sky_Beam" rel="nofollow">the light beam from the Luxor hotel</a>, put it in my backyard, turned it on, and pointed it at the planes flying out of a major airport, I would expect that pilots might have some more issues with a 4.3 Billion candela beam than with a 5mW laser (right?)</p>

<p>However, I can't find any laws against it, so would this be legal?</p>

<p>Alternatively, what if I just wanted to swing that beam around in the sky, and it accidentally crossed the path of a plane?  Are there different laws regarding unintentionally hitting a plane with something like this?</p>

<p>If I were a federal prosecutor (which I'm emphatically not), I might try to charge you under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32" rel="nofollow">18 USC § 32</a> (a) (5):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>a) Whoever willfully— [...] (5) interferes with or disables, with intent to endanger the safety of any person or with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life, anyone engaged in the authorized operation of such aircraft or any air navigation facility aiding in the navigation of any such aircraft;
  [...] shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years or both.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Since you clearly know, or believe, that this has the potential to interfere with piloting, which would obviously be a serious danger to people on board the aircraft, I'd argue you would be acting with "reckless disregard for the safety of human life."</p>

<p>If your conduct results in anybody's death, then life imprisonment and/or the death penalty are also on the table, under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/34" rel="nofollow">18 USC § 34</a>.</p>
