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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Salt Lake City International Airport ranked 14th and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas ranked fifth in a national report of incidents involving lasers pointed at aircraft.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday in Washington that the number of incidents nationwide in 2010 topped 2,800.
That compares with about 1,500 reports in 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration says Los Angeles International Airport recorded the highest number of incidents, with 102.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was next, with 98, followed by Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and San Jose, Calif., both with 80.
McCarran in Las Vegas had 72 laser pointer reports.
The airport in Salt Lake City was tied for 14th with 36.
LaHood calls lasers a serious safety issue because they can distract and harm pilots.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
