NTSB asks to monitor pilots' talk in cockpits

I think in the famous case where a Boeing 727 did some aerobatics at high altitude the guys erased the CVR after landing. The FAA were therefore unable to prove that they had committed any errors which caused the loss of control but nevertheless insisted that they had, according to other evidence. SEE TWA Flight 841 (1979)

The CVR was not damaged; however, 21 .minutes of the 30-minute tape were blank. The remaining 9 minutes of tape were of good fidelity, but they pertained only to flightcrew conversations after the aircraft was on the ground at Detroit. (See appendix D.) Tests of the CVR in the aircraft revealed no discrepancies in the CVR’s electrical and recording systems. The CVR tape can be erased by means of the bulk-erase feature on the CVR control panel located in the cockpit. This feature can be activated only after the aircraft is on the ground with its parking brake engaged. In a deposition taken by the Safety Board, the captain stated that he usually activates the bulk-erase feature on the CVR at the conclusion of each flight to preclude inappropriate use of recorded conversations. However, in this instance, he could not recall having done so. The first and second officers both stated that they did not erase the tape nor did they see the captain activate the erase button on the CVR control panel.

On the aircraft I work on there is a manual erase button next to the microphone on the overhead panel. This can only be operated when the parkig break is set. I have seen an increasing amount of pilots pressing it as a matter of course as they leave the flight deck!

Rgds Cking

On the CVR yes but this erases over itself every 2hrs.

As for respecting Pilot’s privacy etc well, FDM is in use now which is supposed to be for flight safety issues only. But it is used to string them up when something goes wrong.

I thought pilots’ cockpit conversations were recorded already.

For the purposes of accident prevention, they should put cameras in the cockpit and at various outside locations around the aircraft. The cockpit camera must however be covered by a law preventing the use thereof for spying on crew and respecting their privacy rights, i.e. only to be opened in the event of an accident or serious incident.