HL Deb 09 May 1962 vol 240 cc218-20

2.36 p.m.

LORD CASEY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied that members of aircrews (particularly captains and co-pilots of British international commercial aircraft observe strictly the regulations for the use of safety body harness on take-off and landing.]

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, my right honourable friend the Minister of Aviation has no reason to believe that members of aircrews of public transport aircraft registered in the United Kingdom are not complying with the regulations in this respect.

LORD CASEY

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I be allowed to say that there is at least some doubt in the minds of some individuals with some knowledge of flying as to whether some of the otherwise unexplainable air accidents may not possibly be due to those in charge of commercial aircraft becoming temporarily unconscious through sudden illness at take-off or landing, falling forward across the controls and thereby causing the aircraft to go into a steep dive from which it is impossible to recover in the short time available?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, Her Majesty's Government have not heard this view widely expressed and do not subscribe to it themselves. There is no record of an accident to a United Kingdom aircraft on a commercial flight where the cause was thought to be the sudden illness of a pilot at the controls. Where there is any suspicion that physical incapacity on the part of the pilot or co-pilot may have contributed to the cause of an accident, the pilot is medically examined or a post-mortem examination is made. All professional pilots undergo a strict medical examination twice a year, designed, among other things, to eliminate the risk of any sudden incapacity.

LORD CASEY

My Lords, while again thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I ask whether the noble Lord is aware that in a Parliamentary Paper called Aviation Safety, published only in the last month, there is no reference whatsoever to the subject matter of my original Question. I ask, then, if this may be so by reason of the fact that it is taken as an elementary precaution that is presumably adequately covered in the Flight Manuals and mandatory instructions of the air operating companies; and, again, may it not be one thing to make an instruction mandatory and another thing to ensure that it is strictly and meticulously carried out?

LORD DENHAM

Yes, my Lords. This is one of a number of safety regulations which Government flight inspectors see to; and the flight operations inspectors are referred to at page 15 of that Paper. I would advise the noble Lord that of course this Paper is primarily to inform the public of the precautions taken, and not to instruct the pilots on what precautions should be taken. The pilots are given extremely careful instructions in their training and also in any new precautions that come out while they are actually in operation.

LORD CASEY

I thank the noble Lord.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, is it not desirable that an officer in charge of an aircraft should be strapped to his seat, not only for take-off and landing but also in actual flight? In view of the seriousness of the matter, and the doubt expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Casey, would the Minister undertake again to draw this matter to the attention of the airlines in a safety pamphlet?

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, the regulations are that the pilot and co-pilot should, on landing and take-off, wear full harness, while during the rest of the flight they wear just a safety belt. I will draw the remark of the noble Lord to the notice of my right honourable friend.

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, is the Minister aware that in the case of a person who has a sudden attack of unconsciousness it is extremely unlikely that a post-mortem examination will show any evidence of it.

LORD DENHAM

My Lords, there is always the possibility that the investigations carried out afterwards will show some other reason for the accident.