Pirate station blocks FAA frequency

BOSTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Federal Court documents released this week show a pirate radio station crowded the frequency used by air traffic control and pilots in Boston.

Pilots would turn to the station only to hear "foreign language music" and unfamiliar broadcasts that had nothing to do with their landing patterns, the Boston Globe reported Friday.

The unlicensed station was tracked to a home in Brockton that was deserted when investigators arrived. They found the radio setup in the basement and shut it off.

The radio interference "created a serious safety issue" by preventing air traffic controllers from communicating with private aircraft, the court papers said.

"There is always a risk that the change would not be communicated to pilots, creating a dangerous situation," wrote Edward Kelly, a Federal Communications Commission agent.

Kelly left a note on his business card warning the operator not to turn it back on because it was interfering with an Federal Aviation Administration frequency and was operating illegally when he first went to the house.

Two days later the station began broadcasting again, and the FCC got permission to seize all of the equipment from the home, the papers said.