Collection search - Inventions and suggestions for prevention of accidents or location of lost aircraft

Record information – Brief
1
Inventions and suggestions for prevention of accidents or location of lost aircraft

Hierarchical level:

File

Date:

1963/02/19-1964/08/21

Reference:

RG12-A-1, Volume number: 1811, File number: 5002-3, File part: 4

File no. (creator):

5002-3

Type of material:

Textual material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

1272464

Context of this record:

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Department of Transport fonds

Aircraft Accident Investigation Division

Aircraft accident investigation central registry files

Civil aircraft accident investigation files - 5002 block

Inventions and suggestions for prevention of accidents or location of lost aircraft
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Record information – Details

Date(s):

1963/02/19-1964/08/21

Place of creation:

Canada

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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This file contains correspondence from private citizens sent to the Department of Transport offering suggestions or concern over air safety following the highly publicized story of a Trans-Canada Air Lines North Star plane that went missing in the mountains of British Columbia. It was believed by most correspondents in this file that many aircraft passengers often die of exposure while waiting to be rescued. Suggestions in the file consist mostly of proposed signalling devices to locate lost aircraft but there are also suggestions on how to prevent crashes.

This file also contains correspondence between the Department of Transport, the Department of National Defence and Leigh Instruments Limited regarding the installation of Crash Position Indicators (CPI) on departmental aircraft.

Finding aid no.:

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12-186

Additional information:

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General note:

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The mid-twentieth century saw an increase in commercial flights and with it a growing number of air accidents resulting in passenger fatalities. On December 9, 1956 Trans-Canada Air Lines flight 810 crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack, B.C. While air traffic controllers were immediately aware of the crash, the wreckage site was not located until the following May when it was discovered by a group of hikers. All 62 passengers on board were killed and at the time it was considered to be the worst air disaster in Canadian history. Emergency beacons and location transmitters were not available in civil aircraft at the time and this event marked growing public demand for more efficient Search and Rescue tools and operations.

Crash Position Indicators (CPI) are radio beacons designed to be ejected from an aircraft moments before crashing, ensuring that the beacon would remain undamaged and able to transmit its location to search and rescue crews. This technology was developed by the National Research Council in the 1950s and it eventually become the standard beacon used by Canadian and American aircrafts in the 1970s and 1980s.

Related material:

Researchers should note that there are 5 parts to this file. Parts 1, 2 and 3 can be found in vol. 1810 (MIKAN 1272463); parts 4 and 5 can be found in vol. 1811 (MIKAN 1272464).

Researchers interested in the accident investigation file for Trans-Canada Air Lines flight 810 should consult vol. 1548 and vol. 1550, file no. 5002-515 (MIKAN 12723372 and MIKAN 1272389). For the registration, inspection and operation file for this aircraft consult vol. 3289 file no. 5008-TFD (MIKAN 1221801).

Source:

Government

Former archival reference no.:

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RG12-A-1
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Conditions of access:

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Textual records

[Consultation32 Restricted by law]

Volume [RG12]

[Consultation 32 Restricted by law]

1811 File Part 4

[Consultation 32 Restricted by law]

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