FAA: Virgin America flight hit by laser on approach to Kennedy Airport

The crew of a Virgin America flight reported being illuminated by a green laser 4 miles northwest of Kennedy Airport on Friday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

An FAA spokesman said the Airbus A320, which took off from San Francisco International Airport earlier in the evening, landed safely at Kennedy and no injuries were reported. The plane was at an altitude of 6,000 feet when the crew reported the laser strike at about 9:45 p.m., the spokesman said.

The FAA said it has notified the NYPD and will investigate the incident.

Pointing a laser at a plane is a federal crime punishable by as much as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the FAA, reported incidents of lasers aimed at aircraft nationwide have steadily increased in the past decade, from 384 in 2006 to 3,894 in 2014. The reports have skyrocketed this year: As of Oct. 16, the total number of laser strikes around the country was 5,352, the FAA said earlier this month.

The FAA says lasers can distract pilots and lead to temporary blindness during critical phases of flight, such as takeoff and landing. Pilots have also previously reported eye injuries that required medical attention, the FAA said.

On Nov. 12, the FAA reported that more than 20 aircraft had been struck by lasers from the ground the previous night while flying over U.S. cities. Three of those incidents occurred in the airspace surrounding the New York metropolitan area.

Police said Ossieo Silva, 20, of Brooklyn was arrested and charged with two counts of reckless endangerment relating to two of the laser strikes, which targeted television news helicopters.