§ 3.8 p.m.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy 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 secondary radar interrogation equipment is available to the Air Traffic Control Centre at Barcelona.]
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, the provision of ground facilities to serve Spanish airspace is the responsibility of the Spanish Government. By their Notice to Airmen No. 251/71 dated August 10, 1971, the Spanish Air Ministry advised that, with effect from August 16, 1971, a secondary radar system would be brought into service by Barcelona Area Control Centre. The Notice to Airmen stated the range of the radar service as 210 nautical miles, the antenna being located at Mallorca Island.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy Lords, I am greatly obliged to the noble Earl for that reply. Can he say whether, had this equipment been provided earlier, it would have affected the accident to the Danair Comet a year ago?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, that particular aircraft was equipped for the use of secondary radar; and had secondary radar equipment been available on the ground and in use it seems unlikely that the errors of the pilot and controller which combined to cause the accident would have gone undetected.