Distress beacon activated on empty plane at Springbank airport ‘could have endangered lives’: RCMP
Alberta RCMP are investigating after someone got aboard an aircraft parked at the Springbank airport this summer and activated the emergency signal.
The incident happened at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25.
Mounties said the aircraft was unoccupied at the time.
"When an emergency signal is activated, a distress tone can be heard by all aircraft in the area," Cochrane RCMP said in a Tuesday news release.
"Pilots of all aircraft entering and leaving the Calgary area heard the distress tone and were required to immediately report it in order to pinpoint the location and source of the emergency signal."
Cochrane RCMP, Rockyview Fire Services and airport staff had to force entry into various hangars until they were able to determine where the signal was coming from then deactivate it.
"During this time, search and rescue response across the country could have been impeded," RCMP said. "If any other aircraft had a legitimate emergency, their emergency signal could have been masked by this active signal."
RCMP said they're in the process of interviewing witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage to determine who was responsible.
It is an indictable offence to endanger the safety of an aircraft in flight by communicating false information.
"This was not a minor act of vandalism or mischief," RCMP Insp. Dave Brunner said.
"We are investigating this as a deliberate act that could have endangered lives and caused significant harm.
"We are taking this matter very seriously and continuing with this investigation as a high priority."
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.