Thu, Feb 25, 2010
Recommends Idea To FAA For Regulatory Action
The NTSB says airlines and pilot's
unions should use cockpit voice recorders to routinely monitor what
goes on in the cockpit, and not just for accident investigations
... a suggestion that has received a cold reception from pilots and
unions.
While CVRs currently make only the last 30 minutes of cockpit
audio available, the devices will be required to save two hours of
data beginning April 7th, 2012.
Two high-profile incidents have led the NTSB down this road: The
disclosure of non-flight-related crew conversations leading up to
the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo last year, which
were said to be violation of federal regulations, and the Northwest
flight which overshot its destination by 150 miles. In the latter
incident, the pilots said they were "distracted" by a discussion of
company policies, but the CVR did not retain a recording for that
portion of the flight.
USA Today reports that some regional airlines have endorsed the
monitoring, and the chair of the House Transportation Committee,
James Oberstar (D-MN) is a strong supporter of legislation. During
a recent hearing, Oberstar said "This is the next frontier of
safety that we must not put off."
But pilot's unions and pilots themselves call the proposal
little more than an invasion of privacy. "It's the wrong way
to go safety-wise," said Mike Michaelis, chairman of safety at the
Allied Pilots Association, the American Airlines union. Some have
said that monitoring the conversations would make pilots less
likely to talk about safety issues during flights. But at least one
NTSB member, Robert Sumwalt said "This is not a case of Big Brother
spying on pilots."
Bill Voss, the president of Flight Safety, weighs in on the side
of the pilots. He says there are other safety initiatives that
should be implemented before resorting to monitoring cockpit
conversations.
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