§ 3.9 p.m.
§ LORD RATHCAVANMy 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 the B.O.A.C. Boeing 707 Jet Aircraft, which crashed recently at Tokyo, was equipped with the apparatus known as a "Black Box" designed to enable records of a flight to be available in the event of an accident; and if so, whether this apparatus was of the most modern fire-resistant type; and to what extent British aircraft are now equipped with the latest model of the "Black Box".]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS AND FOR THE COLONIES (LORD BESWICK)My Lords, the requirement to carry flight data recorders became mandatory on July 1, 1965, in the case of turbine-engined aircraft over 12,500 lb. and of piston-engined aircraft over 60,000 lb. used for public transport, but only for aircraft that first flew after that date. For aircraft in these categories already flying at that date the requirement will become mandatory on July 1, 1966. The B.O.A.C. Boeing in question obtained a U.K. Certificate of Airworthiness in 1960 and was carrying a data recorder of a different kind as part of a programme for collecting data for airworthiness pur- 444 poses. This type of recorder is not intended for accident investigation purposes, nor is it practicable to make it crash-resistant.
§ LORD RATHCAVANMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask this supplementary question? Is it not of the greatest importance that this device should be made available to all aircraft at the earliest possible moment?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, that is the purpose of the regulation in the first place.