Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 19, 1995 / Notices 19621

Flight Data Recorder Systems

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public

comment.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of and request comments on

a proposed Technical Standard Order

pertaining to flight data recorder

systems. The proposed TSO prescribed

the minimum performance standards

that flight data recorder systems must

meet to be identified with the marking

‘‘TSO–C124a.’’

DATES: Comments must identify the

TSO file number and be received on or

before July 21, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments on the

proposed technical standard order to:

Technical Programs and Continued

Airworthiness Branch, AIR–120,

Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft

Certification Service-File No. TSO–

C124a, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.

Or deliver comments to: Federal

Aviation Administration, Room 804,

800 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Bobbie J. Smith, Technical Programs

and Continued Airworthiness Branch,

AIR–120, Aircraft Engineering Division,

Aircraft Certification Service, Federal

Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, Telephone (202)

267–9546.

Comments Invited

Interested persons are invited to

comment on the proposed TSO listed in

this notice by submitting such written

data, views, or arguments as they desire

to the above specified address.

Comments received on the proposed

technical standard order may be

examined, before and after the comment

closing date, in Room 804, FAA

Headquarters Building (FOB–10A), 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, weekdays

except Federal holidays, between 8:30

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All communications

received on or before the closing date

for comments specified above will be

considered by the Director of the

Aircraft Certification Service before

issuing the final TSO.

Background

The National Transportation Safety

Board (NTSB) issued four safety

recommendations to the FAA

concerning the fire protection standards

for cockpit voice records (CVRs) and

flight data recorders (FDRs). The

recommendations were prompted by the

loss of vital information from several

CVRs and FDRs as a result of thermal

destruction of the recording medium in

posit impact fires. The

recommendations request, among other

requests, to conduct a study to

determine the actual thermal profile of

post impact fires and to revise the

certification test protocol; to revise

TSO’s C123 and C124 to reflect the

results of the study.

The tests were conducted at the FAA

Technical Center and final report was

issued October 1994, titled

‘‘Investigation of Flight Data Recorder

Fire Test Requirements.’’ The revised

fire test protocol from this report is

included in this revised TSO and is

essentially the fire test in the reference

European Organisation of Civil Aviation

Equipment document ‘‘Minimum

Operational Performance Specification

for Cockpit Voice Recorder System’’

ED–56A published December 1993

except for the high temperature fire test

has been extended to 60 minutes from

30 minutes.

How to Obtain Copies

A copy of the proposed TSO–C124a

may be obtained by contacting ‘‘For

Further Information Contact.’’ TSO–

C124a references EUROCAE Document

No, ED–55, dated May 1990, for the

minimum operational performance

specification, ED–14C, dated December

1989, and RTCA/DO–160C, dated

December 1989, for environment

standards, and RTCA/DO–178B, dated

December 1992, for the computer

software requirements. EUROCAE

Documents No. ED–55 and ED–14C may

be purchased from the European

Organisation for Civil Aviation

Electronics, 11 rue Hamelin, 75783 Paris

Cedex 16, France. RTCA/DO–160C and

DO–178B may be purchased from

RTCA, Inc., 1140 Connecticut Avenue,

NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC

20036–4001.

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 13,

1995.

John K. McGrath,

Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division,

Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 95–9645 Filed 4–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

Cockpit Voice Recorder Systems

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public

comment.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of and request comments on

a proposed Technical Standard Order

pertaining to cockpit voice recorder

systems. The proposed TSO prescribes

the minimum performance standards

that cockpit voice recorder systems

must meet to be identified with the

marking ‘‘TSO–C123a.’’

DATES: Comments must identify the

TSO file number and be received on or

before July 21, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments on the

proposed technical standard order to:

Technical Programs and Continued

Airworthiness Branch, AIR–120,

Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft

Certification Service—File No. TSO–

C123a, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.

Or deliver comments to: Federal

Aviation Administration, Room 804,

800 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Bobbie J. Smith, Technical

Programs and Continued Airworthiness

Branch, AIR–120, Aircraft Engineering

Division, Aircraft Certification Service,

Federal Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, Telephone (202)

267–9546.

Comments Invited

Interested persons are invited to

comment on the proposed TSO listed in

this notice by submitting such written

data, views, or arguments as they desire

to the above specified address.

Comments received on the proposed

technical standard order may be

examined, before and after the comment

closing date, in Room 804, FAA

Headquarters Building (FOB–10A), 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, weekdays

except Federal holidays, between 8:30

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All communications

received on or before the closing date

for comments specified above will be

considered by the Director of the

Aircraft Certification Service before

issuing the final TSO.

Background

The National Transportation Safety

Board (NTSB) issued four safety

recommendations to the FAA

concerning the fire protection standards

for cockpit Voice recorders (CVRs) and

flight data recorders (FDRs). The

recommendations were prompted by the

loss of vital information from several

CVRs and FDRs as a result of thermal

destruction of the recording medium in

posit impact fires. The