Congressmen Cohen and Burchett Submit Public Comments on FAA Proposed Rule on Cockpit Voice Recorders
Requiring lengthier recordings will aid investigators but recovery of “black boxes” at sea remains an issue
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Tim Burchett (TN-2) have submitted detailed public comments on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) notice of proposed rulemaking increasing the required duration of cockpit data recordings from two to 25 hours. While they strongly support that proposal to aid accident investigators, they urge the FAA to publish a rule requiring that cockpit data recording devices be recoverable without resorting to underwater search and recovery. Technology exists that would permit the so-called “black boxes” to jettison from an airplane fuselage on impact and float to the surface.
Earlier this year, Congressman Cohen and Burchett introduced the Safe Aviation and Flight Enhancement (SAFE) Act, which included both provisions.
In their comment, they write in part:
“As Members of the Aviation Subcommittee and as the sponsors of H.R. 3634, the Safe Aviation Flight Enhancement (SAFE) Act of 2023, we have been working with our colleagues to advocate for long overdue and important safety upgrades to U.S. flight data and CVR regulations.
“We applaud the FAA for taking this important regulatory step to increase the minimum duration of CVR recordings from the current two-hour rolling recording requirement to a new minimum duration of 25 hours for all newly manufactured aircraft operating under title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) parts 91, 121, 125, and 135. As your proposal notes, the current two-hour recording duration does not meet the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) needs for investigations and subsequent safety recommendations.
“Numerous incidents and accidents have demonstrated the need for a longer duration CVR recording, which will ensure all relevant data is available to investigators in a timely manner to determine the cause of an incident and to guide appropriate actions to mitigate the reoccurrence of a reported safety incident that could result in a catastrophic accident.
See their extensive comment here.
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