Minister Garneau Considers Making ‘Black Boxes’ Mandatory for Small Planes

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…Transport Minister Marc Garneau has mentioned that since the costs of fitting small planes with cockpit voice and data recorders, better known as black boxes, which can survive a crash like the one that killed former Alberta premier Jim Prentice is no longer prohibitive, his office is now considering to make them mandatory.

According to The Transportation Safety Board, absence of the device on the Cessna Citation jet carrying Mr. Prentice and three other people when it crashed near Kelowna, B.C., last Thursday will make the cause difficult or even in possible to locate. The board has once again urged the federal government to require voice and data recorders on small aircraft. In response to the request, Transport Minister Marc Garneau has instructed his staff to look into the potential changes to aircraft regulations.

Addressing reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday, Mr. Garneau stated that “when they first made the suggestion or the recommendation, these were extremely expensive devices … in some cases, potentially quite a bit more expensive than the airplane itself.” He explained that “now the situation with technology has changed. We will look at what’s available on the market, whether it’s sturdy enough to withstand a possible impact and we’ll reconsider the whole issue.” As of now, the medium and large commercial planes are required by law to contain the recorders but not the small plans. Although Mr. Garneau refrained from giving a timeline for when his government may change the regulations, he said his staff will be looking at the issue “over the next few months.”