Wed, Jan 05, 2005
Reportedly Admitted Lighting Up Two Aircraft
A New Jersey man has admitted he
flashed a laser on not one, but two aircraft near Teterboro
Airport. Now, David Banach of Parsippany faces charges under the
federal government's Patriot Act.
As ANN reported Monday, at first, detectives say
Banach told them his daughter had shone the green laser on a police
helicopter after he gave her the device as a
present. But later, he admitted to investigators
that he had flashed the laser at a Port Authority Police helicopter
on Friday and at two aircraft landing at Teterboro prior to
that.
Banach was arraigned before a federal magistrate on Tuesday and
freed on $100,000 bond.
"One would think they would want to devote their time and
resources to prosecuting real terrorists, not people like my
client," Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, told the
Associated Press after the court proceeding. She said she was angry
that the government had charged Banach under the Patriot Act --
generally used to prosecute terrorists. Mendola-Longarzo painted
her client as "your average guy, a family man" who was simply
playing around with a handheld pointer.
"He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything
like that," she told the AP.
On the other hand...
Joseph Billy, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau
was quoted as telling the AP, "What was done was foolhardy and
negligent. While this particular incident was not
terrorism-related, the FBI considers this an extremely serious
matter. Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed
in jeopardy by Banach's actions; so were countless innocent
civilians on the ground in this densely populated area."
Federal authorities continue to investigate a rash of similar
incidents nationwide. So far, agents say there doesn't appear to be
a link between the laser illuminations and terrorism -- but they're
still checking.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All