At the present time if an aircraft has a marine accident resulting in it being submerged then the accident data recorders go down with the aircraft; the only real chance of finding the recorders is to locate them by listening to their beacons which only lasts for thirty days. Clearly when such accidents occur it would accelerate matters enormously if aircraft had locator beacons which were released when the aircraft hits the water. There can be  little doubt that such a beacon could be designed, despite possible protestations by the industry, but it would be expensive and safety costs money.

The aerospace industry is reluctant to change the exisiting safety provisions justifying its position on the grounds of statistics; marine accidents are very rare indeed and it would be argued that the low frequency of such occurrences does not warrant the provision of location beacons. Furthermore it would be pointed out that it would be impossible to retrofit  older and small aircraft with such beacons.

It is my  view that on new aircraft after a certain date, say four years time, a location beacon must be fitted which would float in the event of an aircraft sinking under water. The requirement would not apply to aircraft that are already certificated but it is needed because the number of aircraft are increasing all the time and though the frequency of marine accidents may not increase, the actual numbers of such accidents will.

Certainly my story The Final Flight could not have occurred if my aircraft had had to carry a location beacon!