Pointing Laser At Aircraft Sends Montana Man To Prison

In today's day and age, there are some pretty powerful laser pointers out there.

They're not like the ones we had as kids, which you could barely see from 10 feet away.

You might think that pointing a laser pointer at an airplane is funny, but let me tell you, as a pilot in training, it can cause some serious problems.

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Laser And Aircraft

A Kalispell man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison after he admitted that he pointed a laser pointer at an aircraft.

Nolan Wayne Hamman, 32, pleaded guilty back in October of 2024 to the charges.

His sentencing also included three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Case Details

According to the court documents, the incident that led to Hamman's arrest happened on November 25th, 2023.

A Flight Instructor flying over Kalispell with a student pilot reported seeing a laser pointer aimed at their plane.

Deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff's Office responded to the area and found Hamman in possession of a laser pointer.

Hamman admitted to shining the laser at the aircraft at the time of the report.

He also admitted to authorities that he had done the same to other aircraft in the past.

Hamman claimed the reason that he was targeting planes was because he believed that they were monitoring him.

Investigation and Prosecution

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with an investigation led by multiple agencies, including:

• FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Flathead County Sheriff’s Office
• Kalispell Police Department

Dangers of Laser Strikes on Aircraft

Pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft is not only dangerous. It's also a federal crime.

A laser beam can temporarily blind pilots and disrupts flights, leading to some bad situations.

According to the FAA, laser strikes with planes have increased over the last few years.

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