NTSB Calls For Cockpit Voice Recorder Upgrades Written 29 October 2018
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Aerospace America reported that the NTSB “has asked the FAA to require cockpit voice recorders to be able to carry 25 hours of audio” in order to aid investigators of airline accidents. The relative rarity of fatal airline accidents means that “investigators now have more time to investigate close calls.” According to NTSB Director of Aviation Safety John DeLisi, “It’s fascinating to have the luxury of doing a full, deep-dive investigation into something in which there was no damage and there was no injury.” DeLisi explained that cockpit voice recorders with expanded capacity “will allow more time for folks to recognize what happened” before the audio is overwritten. He added that recorders would require “just a different memory chip” to store the additional audio. The FAA’s safety board “recommended to the FAA that the cockpit voice recorders on newly manufactured aircraft should include these memory chips, and that hundreds of aircraft already flying should be retrofitted with these chips by 2024.” However, Delisi said “the jury is still out” as to whether the FAA will require companies to follow the recommendations.
More Info (Aerospace America)
More Info (Aerospace America)