49 U.S.C. § 46308
Section 46308 · Interference with air navigation
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 5 court decisions — leading case United States v. McEnry (2011)
Most recently applied in United States v. Gardenhire (April 2015)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
A person shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both, if the person—
(1) with intent to interfere with air navigation in the United States, exhibits in the United States a light or signal at a place or in a way likely to be mistaken for a true light or signal established under this part or for a true light or signal used at an air navigation facility;
(2) after a warning from the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, continues to maintain a misleading light or signal; or
(3) knowingly interferes with the operation of a true light or signal.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
In this section, before clause (1), the words “fined under title 18” are substituted for “a fine of not exceeding $5,000” for consistency with title 18. The words “such fine and imprisonment” are omitted as surplus. In clause (1), the words “used at” are substituted for “in connection with” for clarity. The words “airport or other” are omitted as being included in the definition of “air navigation facility” in section 40102(a) of the revised title. In clause (2), the word “due” is omitted as surplus. The word “Administrator” in section 902(c) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (Public Law 85–726, 72 Stat. 784) is retained on authority of 49:106(g). In clause (3), the words “removes, extinguishes, or” are omitted as surplus.