Sonar Breakthrough: EdgeTech Technology Aids in Discovery of Missing Aircraft

A side scan sonar technology from EdgeTech has helped locate a missing aircraft that crashed in 1971, highlighting the importance of advanced sonar imaging systems in search and recovery operations.

EdgeTech Sonar Technology Aids in Discovery of Missing Aircraft

A side scan sonar technology from EdgeTech, a developer of high-resolution sonar imaging systems and underwater technology, has proved instrumental in helping to locate an aircraft that has been missing for over fifty years.

Credit: EdgeTech

In 1971, a plane departed from Burlington International Airport bound for Providence, RI, but crashed en route, presumably in Lake Champlain. Searches were carried out at the time of the crash, but weather made the operations difficult. In subsequent years, many other searches were completed to no avail.

“The Rockwell Jet Commander was successfully located and imaged with almost photographic resolution.” - EdgeTech

In May 2024, utilizing pieces of information from prior surveys, Garry Kozak, along with Hans Hug, Tim McDonald, and Bruce Stebbins, did a search for the missing Rockwell Jet Commander employing a high-resolution EdgeTech 4125i Side Scan Sonar.

The EdgeTech 4125i Side Scan Sonar System was designed with both the Search & Recovery (SAR) and shallow water survey communities in mind. The 4125i utilizes EdgeTech’s Full Spectrum CHIRP technology, which provides two dual simultaneous frequency sets ideal for maximizing range and resolution during searches.

![EdgeTech 4125i Side Scan Sonar System](_search_image sonar technology) A high-resolution sonar imaging system

A more detailed narrative surrounding the events of this fateful 1971 plane crash and the ensuing years of search will be printed in the coming months, the company said.