# Presentation: 915326

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

*International Symposium on Transportation Recorders*

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

- Aviation Recordings

## 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 Canada’s Investigation of Swissair Flt. 111

## First Generation FDRs

## 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- Rescinded in 1944 due to lack of suitable recorder
- Reissued in 1947, and rescinded due to lack of suitable recorder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.

## Recorder Parameters

## 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

## 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.

## Crash Survivability Requirements

## 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.

## 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.

## Recorder Technology Milestones 

- 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.

## TSOs C123a CVR and C124a FDR

## 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.

## 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.

## Other Recorded Information

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