Patent ID: 8446294

Claim:
A system for acquiring aircraft landing conditions comprising: an acceleration sensor to provide three dimensional acceleration measurements; a gyroscope selected from the group consisting of an angle sensor and an angular rate sensor to provide three dimensional rotation measurements; means for measuring and storing data from the acceleration sensor and the gyroscope at high data rates coupled to each of the sensors; and means for comparing the stored data from said acceleration sensor and gyroscope with at least one predetermined threshold parameter that when exceeded indicates if a hard landing has taken place, the means for comparing the stored data being adapted to couple to said sensors for receiving data therefrom, the means for comparing includes an active recording mode and a passive monitoring mode, the active recording mode being initiated by a predetermined recording event and comprises the receiving and storing of data from at least one of the acceleration sensor and the gyroscope until a predetermined landing event initiates the passive monitoring mode which comprises the processor performing at least one self check.