C. Donald Bateman, an engineer at Honeywell, is credited with developing the first ground proximity warning system (GPWS); in an early test, conducted after the 1971 crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, the device provided sufficient warning for a small plane to avoid the terrain, but not enough for the larger Boeing 727 jetliner involved.
C. Donald Bateman, an engineer at Honeywell, is credited with developing the first ground proximity warning system (GPWS). In a test following the 1971 crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, the device provided sufficient warning for small planes to avoid obstacles but was inadequate for larger aircraft like the Boeing 727.