Accident investigators push the FAA for better cockpit voice recorders on all planes
Federal accident investigators are pushing for better cockpit voice recorders
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal accident investigators are pushing to retrofit current aircraft with better cockpit voice recorders, citing the loss of evidence during last month's blowout of a door panel on a jetliner flying over Oregon.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration should require many current planes to have recorders that can capture 25 hours of audio, up from the current standard of two hours.
The FAA announced late last year a proposal to require the 25-hour standard but only on new planes. Airlines typically keep planes for many years, so much of the existing fleet would not be covered.
Cockpit voice recorders, or CVRs, are designed to capture conversations between pilots and any other noises that might help investigators understand the circumstances of an accident. In the case of the blowout on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 on Jan. 5, however, the data was overwritten after two hours.
