Trends And Current Problems In Aviation Cockpit Voice...

Problem statement One of the most scrutinized pieces of evidence gathered from an aircraft accident is the collection of information contained in the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder. CVRs and FDRs paint an often haunting, but frequently useful picture of what occurred during the last minutes of an accident flight. This is not to say, however, that the recorders are always conclusive, or even useful. There are a handful of cases where the CVR and FDR tapes have broken, failed to record, stopped recording early, or not captured enough information to be useful to the investigation. Advancements in these devices are not new to the industry; however, the pace is slow to incorporate new technology into current fleets.†¦show more content†¦There is no disputing the fact that black boxes are essential components of civil aircraft today; their job is critical to the investigation of an accident, however, safety experts would argue that the basic capabilities of these devices are no lon ger sufficient. Specifications The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a regulatory body, which sets standards for international aviation. ICAO is broken into 18 annexes, and, comparable to international law, they are the very basic requirements that the organization’s 185 member states must follow. Annex 6 to ICAO deals with the operation of aircraft and states that CVRs should be capable of retaining the information recorded during the last 30 minutes of the device’s operation. In addition, ICAO has recommended that CVRs installed in aircraft over 5,700kg with a certificate of airworthiness issued after January 1, 1990 be capable of retaining information recorded during the previous two hours of operation. ICAO suggests that flight recorders be â€Å"constructed, located and installed so as to provide maximum practical protection for the recording in order that the recording information may be preserved, recovered and transcribed. Flight recorders shall meet the prescribed crashwor thiness and fire protection specifications† (Frostell 20). The FAA has met the recommendations of ICAO and set the following standards for CVRs and FDRs:Show MoreRelatedTrends and Current Problems in Aviation: Cockpit Voice and Flight Dat2885 Words   |  12 PagesProblem statement One of the most scrutinized pieces of evidence gathered from an aircraft accident is the collection of information contained in the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder. CVRs and FDRs paint an often haunting, but frequently useful picture of what occurred during the last minutes of an accident flight. This is not to say, however, that the recorders are always conclusive, or even useful. There are a handful of cases where the CVR and FDR tapes have broken, failed to