Dennis R' Grossi

1
Aviation Recordings

• Dennis R. Grossi
• National Transportation Safety Board
• Mike Poole
• Transportation Safety Board Canada

International Symposium on Transportation
Recorders
2
Presentation Overview

• Mandatory Recorders
• Flight Data Recorders (FDR)
• Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR)
• Air Traffic Control Ground Recordings
• Communications and Radar
• Non-Volatile Memory Devices
• ACARS and Satellite Communication
• Role of Recorded Information in TSB Canadas
  Investigation of Swissair Flt. 111

3
First Generation FDRs
4
First Generation FDRs

• First Regulation calling for FDR, 1940
• Rescinded in 1944 due to lack of suitable
  recorder
• Reissued in 1947, and rescinded due to lack of
  suitable recorder
• First Commercially Available FDR 1953
• FDR Regulation reissued by CAA in 1957, with a
  July 1, 1958 compliance date.

5
Recorder Parameters
6
Cockpit Voice Recorder Rule

• FAA conducted CVR feasibility study in 1960
• CVR rule required all air carrier turbine-powered
  air transports to have a CVR by July 1, 1966, and
  pressurized aircraft with 4-reciprocating engines
  by Jan. 1, 1967

7
CVR Capabilities

• Record all radio messages transmitted and
  received from each crew position, and
  inter-cockpit conversations and sounds on
  separate audio channels. (Normally requires
  4-audio channels)
• Retain last 30 minutes of crew conversation.
• Contain provisions for stopping recorder
  following crash.
• Record should withstand the crash conditions of
  TSO C51.
• Record should be intelligible over cockpit
  ambient noise.
• Recorder should be able to record crew voices
  without the use of lip or throat microphones.
• Recorder should contain indicator showing proper
  operation.

8
Crash Survivability Requirements
9
Introduction of Digital Recorders

• December 10, 1972, FDR Rule Change
• Transports that received type certification after
  September 30, 1969, must use a digital means of
  recording 17 flight/operational parameters.
• Required wide-body transports, B747, L1011, and
  DC-10, to have digital flight data recorder
  (DFDR).
• B707, B727, B737, DC-8, DC-9, and other
  transports not required.

10
1987 and 1988 Flight Recorder Rule Changes

• Replace original FDRs with digital-May 26, 1989.
• Increase fight parameter to 11 for airplanes type
  certificated before Sept. 30, 1969 - May 26,
  1995.
• Transports (20 or more pax) manufactured after
  Oct. 11, 1991, required to record 28 parameters.
• Multi-engine turbine aircraft (10-19 pax)
  manufactured after Oct. 11, 1991, -17 parameters.
• CVR required on multi-engine turbine aircraft
  with 6 or more pax with two crew.
• CVR hot microphones below 18,000 feet.

11
Recorder Technology Milestones

• Digital FDR introduced in early 1970s expanded
  quality and quantity of data.
• Aircraft digital data bus technology introduced
  in early 1980s improved the quantity and
  availability of data.
• Solid-state recorders introduced in late 1980s,
  increased capacity, and reliability, and improved
  crash/fire survivability.

12
TSOs C123a CVR and C124a FDR
13
1997 Flight Recorder Rule Changes

• Transports with 11-parameter FDR - retrofit to
  record 18 to 22-parameters, by Aug. 18, 2001.
• Transports manufactured after Oct. 11, 1991 -
  retrofit to record 34-parameters, by Aug. 18,
  2001.
• Transport manufactured after Aug. 18, 2000 - must
  record 57-parameters.
• Transport manufactured after Aug. 18, 2002 - must
  record 88-parameters.

14
Mar. 9/99 NTSB/TSB Recommendations

• By Jan. 1, 2005, retrofit 2-hour Solid-state CVR
  and 10-min auxiliary power supply.
• By Jan. 1 2003, new airplanes requiring a CVR and
  FDR be fitted with two combined voice and data
  recorder, one near the cockpit the other as far
  aft as practicable.
• Also referenced -- elimination of obsolete tape
  flight recorders, and video recorders.

15
Other Recorded Information

• Quick Access Recorders
• Air Traffic Control Radar Data
• Air Traffic Control Communications
• Non Volatile Memory
• ACARS and SATCOM